Post-Minicamp 53-Man Roster Projection | Patriots Daily
CLNS Media's Taylor Kyles and Mike Kadlick break down Taylor's 53-man roster projection following the conclusion of Patriots' organized team activities and minicamp.
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SportsTranscript
00:00Hello everyone, welcome back into another episode of the Patriots Daily Podcast here
00:15on the CLNS Media Network, powered by PrizePix and GameTime. He's Taylor Kyles, I'm Mike
00:21Kadlec, and we are back again, this time to go through what the Patriots' final 53-man
00:26roster may look like in September. Now, Taylor just posted an in-depth breakdown of what
00:33he thinks the roster will look like. That's up on clnsmedia.com if you want to go check
00:37that out. What we're going to do today is basically go position by position. I'll leave
00:41it up to Taylor to sort of explain his thought process behind each position room, who he
00:46keeps on the team, who he cuts. I'll give some feedback. We'll try and do a little bit
00:50rapid fire because there's obviously a lot, not really rapid fire, but there's a lot of
00:54position groups and obviously not a lot of time in the day. So we'll go through all that.
00:59And obviously, it's probably our favorite saying on the podcast, Taylor, grain of salt,
01:04but it's June, we're just using manning camp. There's so much time in between. There's training
01:10camp, there's injuries, there's PUP lists and stuff like that. So again, let's just
01:17before all the comments go, why are you keeping this guy, not that guy, blah, blah, blah.
01:22What's going to happen between now and then we're just using what we saw in mini camp.
01:25So before we get started, was there any really hard decisions you had to make in this thing,
01:32Taylor? Like guys who were maybe on the bubble, maybe on the fringe that you thought, eh,
01:35they could make it, they may not. What was the hardest decision when you went through
01:39this whole thing?
01:40Honestly, this one was pretty easy. I'm sure you remember last year, I was texting you
01:45guys every single time I wrote one of these up, just like, can you guys look at this and
01:49let me know what you think. Like there were a lot of position groups that were really
01:52difficult. Honestly, I banged this one out pretty easily. I made a couple of tweaks after
01:56my initial attempt, but I was like, yeah, when it came down to 53, I was honestly shocked.
02:03Going through which ones were tough, not a ton, maybe like cornerback because I feel
02:09like there is a lot of talent at the position and a lot of it is guessing who's going to
02:13end up coming out on top. Wide receiver was kind of tricky, but a lot of these positions,
02:18I feel like there are veterans that you know are going to hold it down, maybe provide depth.
02:23And then young guys where it's pretty obvious they are on the team's longterm plans. I think
02:27also the fact that we are in kind of a rebuild makes it easier where there are picks that
02:31were made where it's pretty clear the new regime is probably trying to either distance
02:35themselves from those picks. They're giving everybody a fair shake, but just schematically
02:39some guys fit better than others, which made it a lot easier. But yeah, this one was a
02:43lot easier than I expected it to be. Not a lot of really tight battles in terms of, you
02:47know, I can't decide whether to put this guy on or leave him off. It's more like, you
02:51know, we'll see what happens in training camp. And that also makes it easy because, you know,
02:54that small sample size, you know, we haven't seen the battles get really intense yet.
03:00Yeah, good point. So let's get right into it. Quarterbacks, position number one, probably
03:05one of the easiest ones to kind of decide to with, you know, the way that the room is
03:08shaped up. So you had Jacoby Vercette, Drake May and Joe Milton making the team with Bailey
03:13Zappi getting cut. Again, kind of obvious, but why did you make that decision? And I'll
03:18add to it. Do you think there's a chance that Joe Milton may also be cut and this team just
03:24goes with two quarterbacks and Vercette and May when the season starts?
03:27So I'll start at the top. Jacoby Vercette and Drake May are locked. I feel like those
03:31are two of the safest guys on the roster. Jacoby Vercette, even if he isn't the week
03:35one starter, does give you an excellent level of mentorship, leadership, the things that
03:41he brings in the quarterback room, the experience in Alex Van Pelt's offense, and the fact that
03:45he was with the Patriots and he was with Tom Brady. I think you want a lot of that to seep
03:50into Drake May early on in his career so we can understand how to be a professional. Like
03:53when you look at Drake May scouting reports, they're blowing in terms of his personality,
03:57how likable he is, his ability to command a room, but he is still young and he's still
04:02growing. So Jacoby Vercette's a great guy for him to learn from. And also Jacoby was
04:06the most consistent quarterback. He wasn't the most electric. There weren't a lot of
04:09plays where you were like, oh damn, outside of like some red zone throws. And that's where
04:14Drake May really has a chance to seize this job if he makes advancements over this break
04:18and in the summer, because he was making those wild throws where you're like, oh my goodness,
04:23just the natural ability, you know, moving defenders, ball placement to throw guys open.
04:29The fact that he bounced back on that last day in minicamp from some rough throws and
04:33made the play he needed to at the last second to, you know, get the defense doing pushups.
04:38You know, it shows you that it's not as surprising as maybe it would have been before they hit the
04:42field. If Drake ends up being week one starter, still a long way to go. And then to answer the
04:46Joe Milton question. Yeah. I, that maybe was one of the tougher decisions I had to make,
04:52but the way I see it, it's kind of like Malik Cunningham where they did end up cutting him
04:55and he did make it to the practice squad. But with a guy like Joe Milton, I think he gives you such,
05:01uh, maybe not like high floors at the right word, but the talent where he has the size,
05:05he's an older prospect. So I think the maturity is there as well. And the fact that his arm is
05:10just unreal. I think it's a enough talent where in a league where backup quarterbacks are so
05:14important. I think that he could end up getting poached or signed if the team ends up in him.
05:20So I just don't think you want to risk it, especially considering the team clearly invested
05:24in him because they wanted to see if they could turn him into, you know, some kind of trade ship
05:27down the road. So you can't see them exposing him either on waivers or the practice squad.
05:32And to wrap it up with Bailey's happy. I mean, the only way that we really saw him sticking on
05:37the roster was if Drake may truly wasn't ready by September. And you're saying, Hey, we don't
05:43want to throw them in too soon if something happens to COVID reset. So at least we have
05:47a veteran who's been in the league, has won some games. You can debate how good he is,
05:51but you can't really debate that he's at least been functional. Um, but may then ended up taking
05:56that backup quarterback spot in the rotation before OTAs were even over. And I think that's
06:02kind of a death nail for Bailey's that he's on the roster long-term he's obviously going to go
06:06into camp. They said they were going to carry four quarterbacks into the summer, which makes
06:10some sense because Joe Milton is purely, I think a developmental guy at this point.
06:14Uh, but you know, once roster cuts come down, I don't know how you justify keeping four quarterbacks.
06:19Yeah, I'm with you. I think Zappy's Zappy's time on this team is, is pretty much over. Obviously,
06:24like we, like you said, they're going to go in with four and kind of use them as a camp arm.
06:27But I think the second that may pass him on the depth chart was really the writing on the wall,
06:32right? It's like, it's kind of what we just said. And I'm kind of reiterating it, but his spot on
06:37this team was if maze development didn't happen quickly and he could be a steady backup a hundred
06:42percent. So they didn't have to throw May into the fire, but now they think they can throw them
06:46into the fire. Sorry, Bailey, your time's kind of done. And as far as Milton goes, um, I think
06:51again, we have to do it now and we're doing it now because it's June 20th, but I think training camp
06:56pre-season is going to have a lot to do with the decision they make on Milton, because if he goes
07:00out there and can show a lot of, you know, intangibles on the field and, you know, not so
07:05much intangibles, but like, you know, the arm strength, the athleticism, um, some growth from
07:10the stuff that he was knocked on in college, then you can't really get rid of them because someone's
07:14just going to poach them. So instead you keep them on the roster. And it also going to depend
07:17on the other position groups in the, um, the camp battles there, because if they want to keep an
07:22extra receiver, they may risk getting rid of Joe Milton or vice versa. So, um, we'll see what
07:27happens there, but overall, I think that that sort of nails it on the head. I think they're going to
07:30keep three and get rid of Zappy. And one more thing, I maybe should have said this in the intro,
07:34but one reason that these roster projections, I understand I'm, you know, the guy who doesn't love
07:39jumping to conclusions, but it's important to see in each phase of the off season where the roster
07:44kind of stacks up. So, you know, if something happens in Drake May ends up sliding, and then
07:48Bailey Zappy does end up on the roster, we can at least compare and say, Oh wow. You know, in the
07:53spring, the roster was looking this way. And now once we're in the summer, it's looking totally
07:57different. So that's kind of the value of doing these roster projections way too early roster
08:02projections for sure. But it's really just kind of a timestamp and saying, okay, this is how it
08:06looked at this point. Let's see how it grows and develops. Cause we're probably going to end up
08:10doing like three or four of these by the time we actually get down to roster cuts. Yep. So let's
08:14move on to the running backs. You keep three and they are Ramondre Stevenson, Antonio Gibson,
08:19and Jamichael Hastie. And out is Kevin Harris, Deshaun Fenwick, Terrell Jennings, two rookies
08:25and a veteran in Kevin Harris, who's going on his third season, I believe in the league.
08:30So again, a room that I would say is relatively easy to sort of look at right now. I think Kevin
08:38Harris says, you know, he's gotten his shot the last couple of years. He hasn't done too much
08:41with it. He's played okay, but he's kind of up and down. And then two undrafted guys and Fenwick
08:45and Jennings are kind of, they seem like bodies they're here for the summer and maybe they can
08:50latch on. But first off your reason behind keeping the, you know, the three and Stevenson, Gibson and
08:55Hastie, and then is there any chance Fenwick and Jennings can, can make a run for the roster?
09:00You know, when September comes. Yeah. So some of these positions are going to be really quick
09:04because we didn't get to see much of them. Like I mentioned in my article, things like ball
09:08carrying, tackling, block shedding, blocking. We don't get to really see any of that happen
09:14because these are non-padded practices with minimal contact. So running back, obviously
09:18the reason that Michael Hastie made it over some other guys is because he actually showed up as a
09:22receiver. You saw him catch passes underneath. He was a screen target. There was that one practice
09:27where he caught like two or three touchdowns. One was really impressive. It was a back shoulder
09:31throw from Jacoby for set that we were all kind of like, Oh, that was, that was a little some,
09:35it's not the regular throw to the flat wide open and just make sure you cross the goal line.
09:39So that's why I kind of gave him the edge over other guys. Kevin Harris has basically lived on
09:44the practice squad. So that kind of goes without saying, unless he really pops and shows a
09:48development and a more well-rounded skillset. I'm not really sure it's fair to assume that he's
09:53going to make the roster. The young guys are interesting. Terrell Jennings, for one, we didn't
09:58really get to see him. He didn't participate for most of the spring, but he was someone who was a
10:03rookie tryout that they wound up signing out rookie mini camp. So it's too soon to completely,
10:08you know, say that he's done on the roster, unless obviously he ends up getting cut.
10:11We don't really know what his situation is, but the fact that he did end up signing was interesting.
10:16And Deshaun Fenwick is a guy who I actually liked during the pre-draft process. I'm not a,
10:20you know, super, um, God, this may be going to catch your attention, but he's well-rounded he's
10:25older, but he doesn't have a lot of tread on his tires. And that I think is a really big thing
10:29where you're thinking, okay, he's mature. Maybe he'll be able to pick things up a little quicker,
10:34but he's not somebody who has a ton of tread, like a Kevin Harris who was used, not an injury,
10:39but also took a lot of carries in college. And I think he's a tough runner, the kind of guy,
10:43who's not going to lose you yards very often. He's multiple in terms of the run schemes that
10:47he's had experience in. And that obviously fits in this run game and he can pass catch passes.
10:53Uh, you know, he's a solid route runner, nothing fantastic, but kind of like a
10:56Stevenson where he can catch passes out of the back field. And he's a very willing pass blocker
11:01has some room to grow in that, develop in that area of his game. But the fact that we've seen
11:04that he can do it is pretty significant. So I think he's the guy for me that I'm really going
11:09to be looking out for once the pads come on and the physicality ramps up because that's more his
11:13game. Um, and I think it'll be more of a chance to earn more reps and maybe show how well-rounded
11:18he can be with like the second or third teams. Yeah, right. It's not, um, it's not a coincidence
11:23that, you know, two guys in, in Gibson and, and hasty who are more past catching past catching
11:27backs or have that kind of, uh, ability in their, in their toolbox, make it after OTAs with no pads
11:33or anything like that. We'll see what happens. And we'll see what happens, you know, who they
11:36use to spell a guy like Stevenson. Do they rely on those two guys? Do we see a lot more Kevin
11:41Harris that kind of gives us a hint of, Oh, he's going to be their number two and, you know,
11:44things like that, but you're right. I don't see him being picked up should they cut them.
11:48So he couldn't write back up on the practice squad just to be has been. So, yeah, another
11:52pretty cut and dry room. I think the only thing we wonder now is if, and when the remandering
11:57Stevenson extension comes into play. So we have a little bit on Stevenson and Antonio Gibson,
12:02but that's really because when we're in practice and we should mention that you guys aren't at
12:05practices, um, they are clearly the one to punch your remandering is very much the lead back.
12:10Antonio Gibson is going to be the change of pace back. And also, I don't know how much we're
12:16actually allowed to say, but I, I think we can safely say that Antonio Gibson's role in this
12:21offense is going to be very interesting. And I think they're going to maximize his ability to
12:25line up all over the field and act as a true wide receiver, not just a running back. I was just
12:30going to say a little, uh, he, he played wide receiver in college. So you might see a little
12:36bit more of that from Antonio Gibson as well. They were using them. They were using them in
12:39a lot of different places. So, uh, we'll get to wide receiver. One of the more, I guess,
12:44contentious, uh, position groups here because there's guys who could make, couldn't make it.
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13:52pick less. It's that easy. All right. Wide receivers, Taylor. Like I said, a contentious
14:04group, I guess there's, you know, there's a lot to be made of the Patriots wide receiver
14:09core and you know, whether they have a true number one, if it's a bunch of number twos guys
14:12could play X guys who play Z. I think really the only true lock. Well, I guess there's a couple
14:18because you got two rookies, but I mean, DeMario Douglas is as safe on this roster as, as you could
14:22say. But besides that, a lot of guys, Tyquan Thornton, Juju, Kendrick Bourne's coming off an
14:27injury. KJ Osborne's only on a one year deal. So what decisions did you have to make in this room
14:32and why did you make them? And I'll say it right now. I'll go right off the bat. Jalen Rager does
14:38make the roster, a guy who does bring some special teams ability. So why'd you make the
14:42decisions on, on all these guys in the room? Yeah. So I had Kendrick Bourne either on the
14:46pup list or on injured reserve. You didn't see him for any of the spring, which is understandable.
14:52He also uploaded some videos of him running and you just see it and you're like, I don't know
14:56how soon he's actually going to be able to go full speed and really compete. So
15:01Gerard Mayo did say that everyone but Cole strange will be available in the summer. So
15:06that's a positive sign. But with so many young guys who are kind of competing for spots,
15:11and I feel like the back end of this position group is going to, like you said, there's going
15:14to be a lot of competition. Yeah. You're going to sign a three year deal. You don't got to rush
15:17him back out there. It's not a contract situation where he has to prove himself. You know what you
15:22have in him. He's a valued veteran leader. He's going to give you a lot, even if he isn't on the
15:26field. So I think you wait until he's fully healthy. No need to risk it. But on the roster,
15:31like you said, Mario Douglas, Jayvon Baker, Jalen Polk, all guys who made plays this spring,
15:37all guys who are pretty much roster locks after them. Yeah. Jalen Rager is one guy that I feel
15:42like is the safest of the guys towards the end of the position group because he offers that kick
15:47return value. He looks like he's the top guy at that spot. We saw against Buffalo that he can take
15:52it back to the crib. He can break tackles. So that's very valuable, especially now the kickoffs
15:56are actually a play and he's going to get a lot. No, I wonder that's that's kind of what I wonder
16:00with him is do they find him more valuable or they're like, oh, we can do this with anybody.
16:04And that's again, they're going to have to work through all of that. But you're right.
16:07So far, he's lined up as that top guy and he's looked like, you know, at least has a
16:11solid understanding of what they're going to do. And he can be that skill set for them.
16:15Yeah. And we've seen guys like Jalen Polk, K.J. Osborne, Mario Douglas. They've gotten
16:19some opportunities as well. Antonio Gibson, like a lot of people have been in the mix,
16:23but I don't think anybody offers the speed that Jalen Rager does and the physicality
16:27as a returner. That's what gives him the edge for me. And when he's caught the ball,
16:31you see the speed and the dynamic ability, obviously, that you see on kick returns.
16:35So I do think there's some value there. He's also the second string X receiver
16:39and practices from what we've seen. So that feels, again, like he is the safest
16:43of the back end of the position. And then I actually had Kayshaun Booty making it over
16:49Taekwon Thornton. What? It sounds crazy. But one, the thing with Taekwon Thornton has been
16:56consistency and availability. And we've talked about it in other shows. I don't really want to
17:00beat a dead horse, but he hasn't shown those things yet in the spring. Again, there haven't
17:06been a ton of practices. We're going off, what, I think six sessions, maybe seven that we saw in
17:10total. But the fact that he only had one really good day didn't really pop in other days. He had
17:15a drop that was pretty rough, just one drop. But still, when you talk about a guy who needs
17:19to prove himself, they gave him the starting X job, which felt like a sign. They're saying,
17:24hey, seize this. We want you to get away from this team. He brings that speed that no one else,
17:29not even Jalen Rager does. But one, we haven't really seen the speed. Part of that is there's
17:34a lot of red zone work. He hasn't really got an opportunity to. I think about one deep ball from
17:38Drake May, which was the day that he flashed. And we just haven't seen it since. And the day that
17:42he missed was the day that Kayshaun Booty just ate. He dominated in the red zone, showed strong
17:47hands. You saw the frame, the ability to work the sideline. One, the fact that Kayshaun Booty,
17:53in terms of injury, has been pretty clean. And just the frame and the skill set, where Alex
17:58Austin called him a three-level threat, where he can really, I think he's been really, I think,
18:02the third string X. I think, I'm trying to think, he was the second string X the day that Taekwon
18:08Thornton beat. But they have him as an X, but I think he's really better as a Z. It's just they
18:12have a ton of Zs, so I think they don't want to put him there. But I think he's also a position
18:17versatile player. So I just think it's hard at this stage to assume that Taekwon is going to
18:22make it over him, because Taekwon hasn't shown much. And I think just based on purely skill set,
18:27it makes more sense to keep Kayshaun Booty in contract than Taekwon Thornton. I will add that
18:32we don't know what's going to happen in terms of league discipline. It feels like the league hasn't
18:36prioritized with all the gambling and everything, figuring out what would happen if Kayshaun Booty
18:41made the roster. There could be complications if he ends up on the 53, because then the league is
18:45probably going to have to figure out some way to handle that situation. So that could also play
18:50into the mix. We'll see. But yeah, those are the guys I have on. Juju Smith-Schuster,
18:56he told us he's 100%. We don't believe it, because he's practicing by himself with Tyler Hughes.
19:02He doesn't look like he's going full speed out there, or at least he doesn't look explosive,
19:07which is just like last season. We saw that one game against the Steelers where he did start to
19:11pop, and we're like, oh, maybe we're going to get the Juju we expected. But the fact that we're so
19:16far removed from that game, and it still doesn't look great, is not promising. Didn't show anything
19:21to Warren around the spot, and this team has enough money that it sucks they're going to have
19:25to eat. I think it's around $10 million in dead cap, but give out bad contracts, you got to move
19:31on. That's the part that I wonder is, is he a trade candidate? Can they get something for him
19:36where it doesn't hurt as less to take that cap hit? Now, a team could easily call their bluff,
19:42because if they're trying to trade for him, just let him go. We can try and sign him,
19:48but that also lets them dictate, okay, we can get him. We don't have to outbid anyone,
19:52blah, blah, blah. But realistically, I don't know if there's much of a market out there for him.
19:56Like you said, he didn't look healthy last year. He doesn't seem healthy this year.
20:02I don't know where he fits on this roster either. I wonder what type one missed the last practice
20:09because if it's health related, that's scary because again, he can't stay healthy. If it was
20:15some excused absence, whatever, blah, blah, okay. At least he stayed healthy through the spring,
20:20was a rollercoaster, and perhaps he could get here during the camp and shine. But we know,
20:25again, we haven't seen that before, so there's no real reason to think it's going to happen again,
20:29but that's beating a dead horse because we've done the type one thing.
20:32I do find it interesting that you have booty making the roster, but again, it's a room that
20:38has a lot of similar skill sets in guys that it's close, like booty versus Thornton. What
20:46upside do you want to take? I do like booty's upside right now better too, because essentially,
20:51we've seen less of it. We've seen what we have in type one. It's not that great. At least booty
20:55gives you a chance to maybe find that top tier, number one wide receiver. He was at LSU however,
21:01many years ago, so we'll see what happens. He was in a tough spot last season with
21:06Troy Brown. I always say this. We all love Troy Brown. He was demoted for a reason.
21:10That wide receiver room just was not cutting it for the most part. Even DeMario Douglas,
21:13as great of a season as he had, there were a ton of route issues where he didn't seem like he was
21:17on the same page as quarterbacks. I think Keyshawn booty kind of got the short end of the stick where
21:22whatever was going on where he wasn't getting playing time unless the team was absolutely
21:25desperate. Obviously, there was that first game against the Eagles, but first game as a pro when
21:29you're still kind of in that college headspace of one foot in, that's understandable, but it feels
21:33like he didn't really get a fair shake either. Like you said, we've seen more of Thornton. Not
21:37a ton either to be fair, but I think if you're going purely based on skill set and contract,
21:42it makes way more sense to keep Keyshawn in the type one. Yeah, I'm with you. All right,
21:47moving on to tight ends. Another pretty cut and dry room, but you have Hunter Henry, Austin Hooper,
21:51and Jaheim Bell making it with LaMichael Petway, Mitchell Wilcox, and Jacob Warren off the roster.
21:57Again, kind of cut and dry. I think it makes the most sense. Henry was re-signed. He's a veteran.
22:02He was a captain. Austin Hooper was also signed. He knows the offense. He worked with Alex Van
22:06Pelton in Cleveland. Then Jaheim Bell, seventh-round pick, but a guy who we talked about
22:11on draft night, or draft weekend rather, seemingly kind of fell a little bit. Might as well take a
22:16chance on his skill set. Can do a lot of different things and has shown some stuff in camp so far,
22:21so I'm with you. I think those three make the roster. Since I think it's pretty cut and dry,
22:26my question to you is, can Petway, can Wilcox, can Warren do anything to surpass one of these guys
22:33and either make the roster over them or Warren carrying a fourth tight end? Yeah, to be fair,
22:39LaMichael Petway, I had a little bit of issue with him because he did make plays. He caught some
22:44really tough passes. He had the big celebrations and everything. He was someone that we thought
22:49was going to be a non-factor who was on the field sometimes as the only tight end over guys like
22:53Wilcox, sometimes even Hooper. So I think he also had some inconsistencies, like some drops,
22:57some plays that didn't look great, but if he can be consistent and continue to make plays,
23:02at the least maybe he makes it onto the practice squad, but definitely somebody who surprised me.
23:06I think he has a shot at potentially being a dark horse. Not a great shot, but still,
23:11again, he did surprise. Mitchell Wilcox has gotten more run also than I expected.
23:16I think part of that is that he's been in the NFL and he is an experienced player,
23:19kind of like an Austin Hooper in terms of just, it's a guy with NFL experience who's played live
23:24snaps, but he also has NFL tape that isn't terribly impressive. Like when the signing was made,
23:29I looked at him, I saw people saying that he was going to be an inline tight end. He's never been
23:33that in his career. He's really been more of an H-back, fullback kind of guy, and he's not a very
23:38good blocker, to be honest with you. So I feel like once physicality ramps up, we could see him
23:43kind of slide a little bit, but the fact that he was used a decent amount was significant.
23:47So maybe, just again, more guys with experience in a position group with a lot of inexperienced
23:52players, but I think he's really on the outside looking in. And then Jacob Warren is the guy that
23:57I really was interested in. He played with Joe Milton at Tennessee, not really relevant. Joe
24:01Milton's probably not going to be playing any significant snaps, but he does have more of a
24:06wide body type, which they don't really have. Austin is probably going to play some of that
24:10role, but isn't great in it. It's more that he's just seen so much he's going to be a technically
24:14better blocker, but I like more in skill set. I hope he gets onto the practice squad. Really,
24:18really smart guy, position versatile. He's a massive target, and he is a really high effort
24:23run blocker. Didn't really, again, he didn't really get an opportunity to show much because
24:27he's the last tight end on the depth chart, and he hasn't really gotten a chance to show that
24:32physicality. So I'm hoping to see more from him, but at this point, I didn't see nearly enough to
24:36warrant giving him a roster spot. Yeah, makes a ton of sense. I think,
24:40again, I think the one, I do wonder what they think of Jaheim Bell when it's all said and done
24:46too. I mean, it's seventh run pick, so it doesn't hurt if you cut him and bring him back on the
24:50practice squad, but also- I think he has to be bad to not- I think so too, but I just, I wonder with
24:58him being such a late pick, how they value him, what they think, if there's other places they
25:02might want to cut guys, et cetera. But we'll see what happens. I'm with you. I have him on
25:07my mental roster that I haven't completely written out yet, but we'll see what happens.
25:12So offensive line, I'll read them, who's in, who's out, and you can tell me why,
25:16because there's a lot of them, and I'll kind of give you the floor. But David Andrews,
25:20Mike Onwenu, Siddy Tso, Juke Sakorafor, Nick Leverett, Calvin Anderson, Madarian Lowe,
25:27Caden Wallace, and Leighton Robinson all make the team. Michael Jordan, Antonio Maffi,
25:32Tyrone Wheatley Jr., Charles Turner III, and Zuri Henley are out with Cole Strange and Jake Andrews
25:39on PUP slash IR, depending on how you want to look at that. Again, I think Cole Strange is an
25:44obvious IR candidate. We don't know about Jake Andrews' injury, but he wasn't there for much
25:48of the spring. So tell me your thoughts, because Calvin Anderson, Madarian Lowe versus a guy like
25:55Antonio Maffi, where you think the tackle depth is at, et cetera, could be some sort of position
26:01battles, not against each other, but who do you want more or less, et cetera. So give me a
26:05reasoning behind who you kept in the offensive lineman and who you cut. Yeah, I just think
26:09Antonio Maffi would need a really good summer to make the roster. They're clearly trying to
26:13cross-train him and give him some center opportunities. I just don't think he's a
26:16great fit in the scheme, and he was bad last season, if we're being totally honest. I was
26:20excited about him after that Dallas game. I thought he showed some real flashes. And Scott Peters,
26:25I feel like, is the perfect coach to get whatever talent in him, whatever talent is there. But right
26:30now, I just couldn't justify it. Again, we're really going more by rotations and skillset than
26:36we are off of execution, because we really don't know how these guys are going to execute when they
26:39can play to their strengths. So in this scenario, then, who is the backup center, if you will,
26:45to David Andrews, Nick LaBrette? Nick LaBrette, for sure. Once we saw the final offensive line
26:51shakeup, where we have Cade Mollis at right tackle and Mike Moneo at right guard, it was Nick LaBrette
26:55instead of being the right guard, he was at center. And I think that makes the most sense.
26:58His experience, he's a solid, versatile player. I just feel like that's kind of a layup.
27:04And then Michael Jordan, he's a guy who he was picked out of practice for a fight. He got pulled
27:10out of reps for, I think it was a false start or something like that. And also just in his career,
27:16hasn't been an outstanding player, even as a depth piece. So I think he has an uphill battle to make
27:21the roster. Charles Turner, the undrafted free agent rookie out of LSU, someone who was in the
27:27SEC, has seen a lot of high-level competition. I think he's got an outside chance of making the
27:32roster, if not the practice squad. Definitely a dark horse to keep your eye on. And one thing I
27:37will admit is, I can see Calvin Anderson and Vidarian Lowe end up fighting for one roster spot.
27:43I just think that tackle depth is very important, especially considering what we saw last season,
27:47where guys were dropping like flies. And Cade Mollis, I think, will end up being a day one
27:52starter. I think they're going to want to get him on the field. And the lineup that we saw with
27:56Chukcho-Korokoro City, so David Andrews, Mike Nwenu, and then Cade Mollis does make the most
28:01sense. And then on the interior, Leighton Robinson is obviously a lock. And then Nick
28:07Levrette. I feel like those are two good pieces, especially having Mike Nwenu with someone who has
28:11a little bit of flexibility. I think they're pretty set there. And there just weren't any
28:14other interior guys where, at this point, I would have felt comfortable saying, yeah,
28:19I really think this guy's going to make the team. Yeah. The one thing I wonder about is the severity
28:24of Jake Andrews' injury, which we don't know about, where if he is healthy, do they have to
28:28find a way to keep him on the roster instead of using PUP as that sort of fall safe or fail safe,
28:35rather, for him. But we'll see what happens there. The only one other that I kind of mentioned
28:39before is Mafi. That's the one where I kind of wonder about because he has seemed like that
28:44second center behind Andrews. But you're right, too, where when they did the other bump out,
28:48you saw some Nick Levrette there. So if they can use him as that backup spot,
28:52keep more tackles around, because tackle seems like sort of more of a mystery right now than
28:57guard, that would make a ton of sense. And then the UFL could be signed as well, who this was
29:02published before they officially signed him. I can't even think of his name off the top of my
29:05head right now. His name is Fornadel. It's Fornadel. You wonder if he can make a push,
29:12too. He's a guy that's coming in from the UFL. We'll see what happens. But we haven't seen him
29:17yet, so we have nothing to sort of base that off. So that's the offense. We'll get into defense,
29:22defensive line, linebackers, cornerback, safety and specialist. But before we do that,
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31:12Sam Roberts, Tristan Hill, William Bradley King, John Morgan III, and Jotham Russell out.
31:42Why did you decide to keep these 11 guys? Yeah, I think maybe the most surprising one
31:46was O'Shane Jimenez. I've seen he didn't make some people's projections.
31:49The biggest thing for me there is he's a versatile guy. He can play on the ball,
31:53off the ball, contributing coverage as a pass rusher, run defender. I love that versatility.
31:58He was with Drew Wilkins last year in Wic Martindale's defense with the Giants. I think
32:02that is really significant. I can see him not making the roster if they need another spot
32:06somewhere else. But I also think that he's one of the only edge defenders outside of Matthew
32:11Judon and maybe Keon White, who does have that type of versatility and that every down flexibility,
32:17which I think is going to be really valuable for that position. Especially with Judon coming up
32:20the biceps, you have no idea how much he can or can't participate. Like you mentioned,
32:24contract situations with Judon. One, he's participating, which is huge. He held in
32:29last season. Godshaw now is the one holding in. We'll see what happens. It's not like Godshaw has
32:35a ton of leverage, but you'd also understand a guy who's on a one-year deal with no guarantees
32:39might want to get a little bit of security, which would make a lot of sense.
32:44You mentioned Jeremiah Farms. I actually think he's someone that we're not talking about quite
32:48enough. Now, he's just going to be a depth piece. Maybe down the road, he can have a bigger role
32:53as a nose tackle, especially if Devon Godshaw things do fall through and he doesn't end up
32:56playing. I think that's where Jeremiah Farms has a much bigger role. But he came on towards mid
33:01to late last season. I know Bo Allen had a whole breakdown of Christian Farmore and at one point
33:06mentioned Jeremiah Farms, which I thought was really cool because when I was going through the
33:10roster towards the end of the season, I was looking at Farms. I'm like, this dude is quick.
33:14He's powerful. He's really active with his hands. He's got a great motor. He's someone I'm excited
33:19to watch in the preseason. He dominated last preseason as well. He was one of the guys that
33:23we talked about a lot along with Sam Roberts. Sam Roberts is on the opposite end of the spectrum
33:28where he was kind of playing in mid-season, then fell off and wasn't active for really
33:32the end of the year. That's why I have Sam Roberts off. I really like him.
33:36When he's on, he plays really well, but he hasn't been able to take on double teams.
33:40Maybe that won't be as much of an issue in this scheme under Demarcus Covington,
33:44where we know like Joshua Uche said, it'll fit his skillset more. Maybe there'll be more
33:48penetration. I'm not sure, but I don't love his chance. But the rest of these guys, I feel like
33:52it's pretty cut and dry. The guys who I have making the team were either already starters,
33:58either last season or before last season, before getting hurt with the only exceptions
34:02really being Oshane Jimenez and Armand Watts because they were signed to the season.
34:07And then Sam Roberts, Tristan Hill, William Bradley King, John Morgan, Jotham Russell.
34:11Jotham Russell is a guy who's an exemption. Maybe they like him enough that he makes the
34:15practice squad or something like that. But these other guys, we just haven't seen anything. There's
34:19been very little impact from the defensive line. There's been times where Barmore's dominating up
34:24front, but it's like, yeah, Barmore's probably going to kick your ass if you're not holding pads.
34:28So yeah, another position. We don't have to get too deep into the weeds, but Oshane Jimenez,
34:32I would consider a dark horse to make the roster. Really the only dark horse other than
34:36Kayshawn Booty I do have making the roster. And then yeah, Jeremiah Farms, a guy to watch out for.
34:42Yeah. All right. Linebackers, Jawan Bentley, Jelani Tavai, Sione Takitaki, and Raekwon McMillan.
34:47And missing the cut rather, Christian Ellis, Joe Giles Harris, Steele Chambers,
34:52who they signed last week, and John Trae Hunter. Christian Ellis was a waiver claim last year out
34:57of Philly, who I think he ended up starting a couple games in Philly, and then all of a sudden
35:01was cut, and the Patriots were like, hell yeah, we'll claim that guy. Didn't really do too much
35:06last year, so I'm with you. I don't see that. Takitaki, dealing with an injury, but I don't
35:11think that's going to be anything serious. Raekwon McMillan, coming back from another
35:15season-ending injury last year, has sort of turned into that de facto coach role with them.
35:20So I wonder if he finally gets healthy and makes the roster. You have him on right now,
35:25but yeah, what's your thought process behind the room as a whole?
35:29Another one where we don't really know much, especially because Sione Takitaki and Jelani
35:33Tavai haven't really practiced. They've been injured and watched from the sidelines.
35:37Jawan Bentley is a lock, one of the real heart and soul kind of guys on that defense,
35:44and we obviously know the value he brings in their scheme, where he is kind of like
35:47a lineman at the second level, which became a joke a little bit inside the locker room,
35:53where I think it was Lawrence Guy who kept telling me that he was going to snitch on me
35:58and tell Jawan Bentley I said that, and that scared the crap out of me.
36:02Yeah, you called him fat, right?
36:03Yeah, because I asked him, what's it like having a lineman basically at the second level? He's
36:07like, are you calling him fat? I was like, please don't do that. He's such a terrifying,
36:12very nice, but very terrifying individual. But yeah, those guys are obviously locks. Sione
36:16Takitaki is a guy that, if you watch Elliott Wolfe talk about him when the Browns drafted him,
36:22loved Takitaki. Also, got to speak to him during his opening presser, got to speak to him as well
36:28at the community service that the Patriots did. Awesome guy. Very, very, very, very nice,
36:34really knowledgeable, easy guy to speak to. You could see where he would really fit in in that
36:38locker room. And Raekwon McMillan, a guy that I think this team values a lot more than we realize
36:43on the outside. Although it's pretty obvious if you look at what they did when he had two season
36:48ending injuries before the season started, since he's been signed with the Patriots.
36:51Both times they signed him to an extension and added another year to his contract. I think that
36:56tells you that he seems like a guy who's maybe an internal leader type, has versatility, can play on
37:01and off the ball. He's the fastest linebacker as well, by far the most athletic pure linebacker
37:07that they have among the veterans. So I see him making the roster. A guy that I would say to
37:12watch for is Steel Chambers. They actually cut Jay Persons, who was awesome at the community
37:17service event with the kids. It was really unfortunate to see him cut, but the business,
37:21you know, that's what it is. I know it's tough. Yeah, it's really nice. But yeah, Steel Chambers
37:26is a guy that they signed after cutting him. And if you watch his tape one pedigree, he played at
37:31Ohio State. So, you know, there's clearly something there, but he's physical. He used to play running
37:36back and you can tell when he plays as a run defender, because he's a lot of the time in the
37:40hole before the running back. And you can also see the patience where he's not really in a rush,
37:44but when he keys into where the running backs going, he gets there really quickly.
37:48It's also solid in coverage, really just fits the Patriots MO. Only thing is he's very undersized.
37:53He's about 225. So there's something to consider there, but he'd probably be more of a special
37:58teamer. I think with a possibility of maybe in the future, if they keep him around taking over
38:03for like a Rayquan McMillan, if they don't keep him around. So one guy I would say to watch in
38:07the out category would be Steel Chambers. Joe Dallas Harris, I think actually did make one or
38:11two plays in camp. I can't remember them off the top of my head. I just remember kind of being
38:16surprised that I saw him flash out there. So maybe him as well, but really Steel Chambers is the one
38:21I'll be keeping an eye on during the summer. Yeah. All right. Getting to the defensive
38:26backfield cornerback room, a room we've talked about a lot on the show as sort of one of these
38:31camp battles going into, going into tourney camp and also about other week we were keeping our eye
38:36on in mini camp. Taylor, you have Christian Gonzalez, Jonathan Jones, Marcus Jones, Alex Austin,
38:42Isaiah Bolden, and Marcellus Dial on the roster with Sean Wade, Marco Wilson, Azizi Hearn, Mikey
38:47Victor, and Caleb Ford DeMett not making the cut. First thing I think of is Marco Wilson and Sean
38:54Wade, probably tough cuts, guys who could, you would think develop maybe into one of those other
38:59boundary cornerbacks, but with Alex Austin coming on with Isaiah Bolden also coming on as a slot
39:05guy and someone who we think could help on special teams, just a move to be made. So tell me
39:11your thoughts on this and how much confidence you have in Alex Austin really developing,
39:16developing into that guy across from Christian Gonzalez. I've liked Alex Austin since he got
39:21playing time last season. You can definitely see the talent and we've mentioned the swagger and all
39:25that. He was competitive. You know, he gave up some plays underneath for sure in in the spring,
39:30but was in on a lot of those plays. It's not like he's getting beat badly out there. It's just by
39:34nature of the cornerback position, you're going to give up some plays. And he and Marco Wilson
39:38seem like they're really fighting for a roster spot as one of those boundary corners. Not
39:43necessarily boundary perimeter because boundary means something specific. I should kind of make
39:47sure I check myself when I say that, but I'll do the same. Somebody called me out on it last year
39:53and I was like, you're absolutely right because I say boundary meaning the short side of the field.
39:56Oh yeah, that's a good point. Yeah. So it's outsider perimeter if you're kind of using the
40:02umbrella term and then boundary if you're talking like a Christian Gonzalez is their top boundary
40:06corner. Yeah, they get a lot of those one-on-one matchups anyway. Yeah. So I think Alex Austin
40:11pulls ahead of Marco Wilson, who's also mostly been quiet, but you know, that's a good thing.
40:15If you're a cornerback, if no one's really noticing you out there on the field, Sean Wade is
40:20a guy who's building admirably, but I think you draft Marcella style. You got Alex Austin on the
40:24rise. Isaiah Bolden should be healthy. I just don't really see a spot there unless God forbid
40:29somebody gets hurt. Um, as easy, her and Mikey Victor and Caleb boards, man, they've all made,
40:33you know, player two in the spring. I don't, you know, they're not so far outside of the possibility
40:40of making the roster is people who didn't really get a chance to make an impact, but at the same
40:45time, they're undrafted rookie free agents by nature of that. They're probably not going to
40:49make the team unless they shine when the competition really picks up. Although of that group, I'd say,
40:54I keep an eye on Mikey Victor. He's got really great size and good athleticism for that size.
40:58He's like six, three really long arms made a couple of plays on the ball, though. He did also
41:02give up some plays. So yeah, of that group of guys that are out other than Marco Wilson, no one,
41:07I think should really be much of a surprise considering there's so much youth at the
41:10position. Yeah, I'm with you. I think the only one, again, is Wilson who could make a push
41:15depending on how we've, we've done the dial thing about, is he a safety, is he a corner?
41:19But in the end he's, he's been playing quarterback. First of all, second of all,
41:23it doesn't really matter because he's a defensive back. Who's going to make the roster,
41:26wherever you fit them in. It's like special teams. Like really? Exactly. Yeah. Right. Yeah.
41:30You could, you could list them as a specialist just as much as you could as a corner, but moving
41:34on to safety, Kyle Dugger, Mark Zaymapu, Jalen Hawkins in, Joshua Bledsoe, Del Petis, Del Petis,
41:45penis, Joshua Petis, Joshua Bledsoe, a guy who has been around for so long. I feel like he's
41:54always on the fringe a year. He's made it a year. He missed it last year. He was on the practice
41:58squad all season long. But unfortunately he gets cut in your Ross projection. Was this a, an easy
42:04decision or a difficult decision for any of these guys in the safety room? This one was pretty cut
42:08and dry. Jalen Hawkins. We mentioned, I mentioned him as one of my winners when we did winners and
42:13losers from the spring, because he seems like they really do want him as a deep safety in their
42:17three safety packages to get Kyle Dugger and Jabril Peppers closer to the line of scrimmage
42:22where they thrive. I was actually watching tape from him from 2021. If you look at the last time
42:26he really played defense extensively in 2022, not a ton really jumps out to you. The range is pretty
42:31good, but he didn't make a ton of plays. I think in 2021 though, there were more flashes of, Oh,
42:36this guy's got versatility. He really comes downhill with the head of steam, pretty physical
42:41guy, not really strong where he can get blocked out of plays at times, but I like him as a free
42:46safety type, as long as he can be consistent in that role. I don't know how you keep him off the
42:50roster, considering how often they used him. Marte Mapu seems like he's really taken over more
42:55of that Mack Wilson role as a dime linebacker, where he also flashed. That's where he had an
43:00interception on Patrick Mahomes, where he actually baited him last season. That was really cool. So
43:05that makes sense. Although Gerard Mayo said he's like a big slot corner, bigger safety and smaller
43:09linebacker. So he's still going to be used everywhere. Joshua Bledsoe is like Kevin Harris
43:14for me, where it's like, you've been around for a long time, but you pretty much lived on the
43:17practice squad. And in the preseason, they lined him up all over the place and you're like, okay,
43:22you know, he's clearly got some smarts to him, but he's also not really making a lot of plays
43:26out there. And he is physically limited. He's kind of a stockier guy. So not great range,
43:31really just an okay, solid athlete that wasn't tough. And then Del Pettis, I have not noticed
43:36him once on the field, nothing against him. It's hard to notice if he's on the field,
43:39unless you're playing in the box, but yeah, he's mostly been with like the depth guys.
43:43So that was pretty easy. Yeah. We'll mention it again here. Uh, Jalen Hawkins has been awesome
43:48in camp so far. Hopefully you can continue that in training camp and, uh, and keep it
43:52rolling and make this roster. All right. Special teams to wrap it up. Taylor, a stunner here.
43:57Well, not really a stunner, but it could be a stunner, but you have Brendan schooler,
44:01Joe Cardona, punter, Bryce Berenger and kicker Joey Sly, Chad Ryland out. Why,
44:08what have you seen so far that makes you think that I, first of all, I agree with you, but I'll
44:11let you explain it. It's just inconsistent, man. He's missed a field goal. They do feel
44:16goes at the end of every practice. He's missed one every time they did it. And then even the
44:21makes a lot of the time are not very convincing where it's literally on the upright, where I think
44:27you could also argue that maybe like the tip is out. You're not, you're not really sure. Um, sorry.
44:34Uh, it's, you don't really see him kick right down the fairway very often. It always feels
44:39like it's tilting one way or the other just doesn't inspire a lot of confidence. You root for
44:43the guy, but he doesn't really give you all the lots of really latch onto even after changing his
44:47kicking form, which he mentioned. And, you know, Brian Hines did a great job pointing that out.
44:51Um, cause there were some videos where I think it's just more, I think it's more upright. Whereas
44:55last season he was really more leaning into it, but hasn't made a huge difference from, you know,
45:00the untrained eye or really from the results that we've seen. Um, so I just, I just, and they didn't
45:06sign a kicker from the UFL either, which I thought was kind of surprising. Um, maybe that's a sign
45:11of faith in Ryland. I don't know, but you always saw faith in slide too. Could be something behind
45:16the scenes where they're like, Hey, we just might roll with him for now. For sure. Cause at first
45:19he looked like he was really just there to kind of be there. He wasn't even kicking the first day
45:23or two that we saw my field. Um, but he has attempted eight field goals, uh, after, or along
45:28with Chad Ryland and has made every single one. He's also proven that he is an NFL kicker, whether
45:33he's great or, you know, just fine, he's done it. And Chad Ryland was bad by college standards
45:39last season. So it's, it's tough because you root for the guy, but I couldn't justify putting Chad
45:44Ryland on the roster. I feel like this is a position they're probably gonna have to address
45:47next year in the draft. I'm with you. I agree with all of it. Obviously Brennan schooler makes
45:51the team Cardona and Berenger. And as far as kicker goes, I mean, Chad has to have a really
45:56good camp. There's no denying that. And even if you have Joey sly on there now, they could sign
46:02someone else and sly could be out. But I think that position is definitely up for grabs no matter
46:07who ends up making the team. I think it is viable that we see another kicker, uh, in that position,
46:11uh, to start this season because again, Ryland just hasn't been doing it. So, uh, we'll see
46:15what happens. Obviously we have about another six, five or six weeks, I believe left until
46:19training camp. So me and Taylor will be here the entire time, keeping you covered here on
46:24Patriots daily and Patriots press pass. So make sure you follow along on Twitter with Taylor
46:28at T Kyle's 39. And with myself at my Cadillac subscribe to the YouTube channel Patriots press
46:33pass. And, uh, until next time we will see you soon. Take care of yourselves. Take care of each
46:39other. See ya.