MORSE: Draft Analysis and Thoughts on Patriots Rookie Mini Camp
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The draft is over and it’s time to analyze what Eliot Wolf did in his 1st Draft. You really need three years to give an accurate grade on the draft. Right now, it’s just speculation and opinion on how they did.
It appears that the new Patriots Coaching staff really banged the table to select their man. Jerod Mayo and Eliot Wolf turned down several good offers to stay at #3 and take their future QB, Drake Maye.
Round 1 #3 Drake Maye has the potential to be a Franchise QB. He is big and strong, throws the deep ball well and can use his legs to extend plays. There are fundamental flaws in his game that need to be cleaned up. However, over the last two seasons he has made 80 “Big Time” throws, which is more than any of the QB’s taken. His footwork needs to be cleaned up and he throws off his back foot too much. That is the job of Offensive Coordinator Alex Van Pelt, Special Assistant Ben McAdoo and QB Coach TC McCartney. Rumor has it that Wolf was offered a lot to trade this pick (MIN #11, #23 and next year’s #1; NYG #6, #70 and Next Years #1). So other teams saw the value and potential of Maye as well. The acquisition of Jacoby Brissett will allow Maye to sit and learn for up to the entire season (Brissett is on a one-year contract). I would have rather of seen a trade-down and taken a lesser QB such as JJ McCarthy and filled the bigger need of a starting left Tackle.
Round 2 #34 TRADE This was their most tradeable asset to gain additional draft capital. The Patriots tried to trade back into the 1st Round and thought they had a potential trade with the Bills. Unconfirmed rumor has it the Bills, not wanting to help their division rival, took the Patriots offer and passed it along to Carolina. Buffalo received a better offer from Carolina and took the player the Patriots wanted, WR Xavier Legette. Buffalo took Keon Coleman ahead of the Patriots.
In my opinion the Patriots should have sat in this position and taken WR Ladd McConkey from Georgia. McConkey was uncoverable in the Senior Bowl practices and all season long for Georgia. He is not a true #1, X Wide Receiver. However, he is as close to that as anyone in the draft. McConkey is 6’, 186 lbs., and runs a 4.39 40-yard dash. No CB in press man coverage could stop him from beating them off the line.
Instead, the Patriots made a trade with the LA Chargers by swapping picks #34 and #137 for #37 and #110 and they take McConkey. According to the Jimmy Johnson Trade Value Chart, the Patriots were slight winners in this trade 618 pts to 606. Eliot Wolf failed to acquire any additional trade chips which will hurt him later in the draft when he wants to trade up. Watch him flourish with Justin Herbert as his QB and remember the Patriots could have taken him.
Round 2 #37 Ja’Lynn Polk WR Washington He is not a burner, running a 4.52 40-yard dash at 6’1” 203 lbs. According to NFL Draft Buzz, Polk runs a limited route tree, but excels at contested catches. Sounds like we got rid of DaVante Parker only to draft another Parker! I will say that Polk is a dawg and was 11 for 11 on contested deep passes. I said earlier that the Patriots position coaches were banging the table to get their guy. WR coach Tyler Hughes was an Offensive Assistant with the University of Washington last season and he had significant input into taking Polk sooner rather than leaving him exposed to being selected before their next pick. According to College Scouting Director Camren Williams, “He obviously spoke really highly of him and that’s where we felt comfortable with the person and the player. I think that’s something that we feel in love with along with the tape — his mentality, his growth mindset, his toughness, his work ethic and those are the types of things in discussions that Tyler added context too with the dude, which was awesome. “
Polk is also known as a tenacious blocker downfield. Hughes also vouched for his terrific work ethic.
They sacrificed taking a Left Tackle at this point perhaps because they did not believe any of the available Left Tackles could start immediately.
Round 3 #68 Caedan Wallace OT Penn State – Eliot Wolf was not prepared for the run of Left Tackles at the end of the 2nd round. Further, his trade of pick #34 didn’t get him any more assets he could trade to get back up into the middle of that run. Patrick Paul LT Houston went #55, Blake Fisher (started at LT as a true freshman at Notre Dame) #59, Roger Rosengarten Washington #62 and Kingsley Suamataia BYU #63.
The Patriots drafted a player they really liked, but because of the early run of OTs, they had to take him a round or two earlier than they had planned. A week before the draft we started to hear about Wallace and the great job he did against Big-10 competition starting 40 of 47 games at RT. In 2023 Wallace gave up just 1 sack on his way to Honorable Mention Big-10 honors. The Patriots believe that Wallace can make the transition to Left Tackle. Wallace is also confident that he can make the switch. At 6’5”. 314 lbs, he ran a 5.15 40-yard dash. He has long arms (34”) but is also strong in the rum game. I don’t dislike the selection of Wallace, it’s just that he has never played Left Tackle. As I said, it takes a few years to get an accurate read on the draft.
Round 4 #103 Layden Robinson G Texas A&M – I agree the Patriots needed to draft a Guard. I just think they took the wrong one. The uncertainty surrounding Cole Strange (recovering from a knee injury) and his poor play when he was in the game, combined with the poor play of backup players Jake Andrews and Atonio Mafi made this a sneaky need for the team. Perhaps the new Oline coaches Scott Peters and Robert Kugler have seen enough of Strange’s play. Robinson is battle-hardened in the SEC, starting 33 games and giving up just 5 Sacks for his career. His thick lower body generates tremendous explosion, as evident by his 111” Broad Jump. Although 6’4” and 303 lbs, he is a little light but has very long arms (34.5”). In college he was strictly a Right Guard. I question if he is the right kind of player for new Offensive Coordinator’s Alex Van Pelt’s offensive system that emphasizes stretch runs. Robinson only ran a 5.3 40-yard dash. Again, I thought they should have taken Mason McCormick out of South Dakota State. He played Left Guard for three seasons before switching to Left Tackle. At the East/West Shrine game he also worked out at Center and looked very good. His athletic numbers from the Combine were off the charts. McCormack’s Relative Athletic Score was 9.96 compared to Robinson’s 8.21. Look at his numbers; 5.08 40-yard dash, 4.45 Short Shuttle, 117” Broad Jump, and 32 reps of 225 lbs on the Bench Press. All the scouts said that McCormack plays nasty, with an edge. To be fair, McCormack’s competition was weaker. McCormack started 57 straight games and was a 3-time Captain.
Round 4 #110 Javon Baker WR University of Central Florida – Baker does not lack confidence. After being drafted, he used the line “Just come to ya’all stadium and bring your popcorn. That’s all I can tell ya’all. Bring your popcorn. I make people in wheelchairs stand up. Bring your popcorn.” My concern is that Baker only runs a 4.54 50-yard dash. In 2023 he had 52 catches for 11239 yards and a whopping 21.9 Yards Per Reception. I was reminded that Keenan Allen and Puka Nakua didn’t run fast 40 times and they turned out to be great. I like Baker’s bravado, but can he back it up? He would not have been available to the Patriots had they not made the trade up from 137 to 110 from their earlier trade with LA Chargers.
Round 6 # 180 Marcellus Dial CB South Carolina – Another player from the SEC. He stands 6’ 196lbs and ran a 4.46 40-yard dash at the combine. Dial projects as a slot corner who has good instincts and a good burst to come up and support in the run. He gave up too many big plays in college. His 3-cone drill at the Combine was very poor at 7.29. That was in the bottom 4% of all DBs tested at the combine. I would expect that Dial will have to show something on Special Teams to make the team.
Round 6 # 193 Joe Milton QB Tennessee – “Rocket’ is the nickname that describes Milton. He has a very strong arm, the strongest of all QBs in this draft class. At the Senior Bowl, Milton worked extensively on his short and intermediate game and looked good. The Pats drafted him as a development project, and he will be battling Bailey Zappe for the 3rd QB spot. The Patriots released QB Nathan Rourke, who was claimed by the New York Giants. Scott Pioli predicted the Patriots would draft a 2nd QB in this draft.
Round 7 # 231 Jaheim Bell TE Florida State – Bell is 6’2”, 241 lbs, and ran a 4.61 40-yard dash. Don’t expect Bell to be an inline blocker, that’s not his forte. Look for him to be a move TE, flexed out, H-back type. Don’t be surprised to see him line up in the backfield in Van Pelt’s offense. At South Carolina he was a running back before transferring to Florida State. AVP likes to use three TE sets with motion. Bell possesses remarkable open-field speed, consistently beating linebackers and safeties. This is a very interesting pick so late in the draft. The coaches think that Bell can have an impact on all four Special Team units.
Overall, I give Eliot Wolf a B grade for the draft, and I am taking a wait-and-see attitude on his picks. Let’s look back in three years and see where this class is.
Patriots Rookie Camp This Weekend
We get our first look at the rookies this weekend, and according to Evan Lazar, the players will only workout for about an hour. These are three players that I think have a good opportunity to make the team.
Charles Turner C LSU 6’4” 303 lbs 5.00 40
He’ll appeal to man-blocking teams, and he’s a fairly high-upside developmental pick when considering his value in the run game. Started 24 games for LSU in the SEC.
Exhibits good patience in pass protection, sitting back in his set rather than leaning and lunging.
Plays with natural leverage and has the strength to anchor against the bull rush. Turner also packs a violent initial punch that can stand up pass rushers.
Shows a good feel for combo blocks, and Turner displays good quickness and flexibility when moving to the second level, capable of sealing the back side on reach blocks
In the run game, he explodes off the line of scrimmage and consistently gets out to the second level to do damage.
Finds defenders with his hands immediately and gets feet moving to engage and sustain.
Only gave up 4 sacks (3 in 2022 and 1 in 2023) in those 24 starts
DeShaun Fenwick RB Oregon State 6’ 1” 223 Lbs 4.67 40
Six-year career split evenly between South Carolina and Oregon State. He was never the featured back all 6 years but rushed for over 1500 yards and a 5.3 average in his 3 years at Oregon State. He will battle Kevin Harris for the 3rd RB. His lack of speed may hinder his chances. A spot on the Practice Squad might be in line for him.
Jacob Warren TE Tennessee 6’6” 253 lbs 4.94 40
He was Joe Milton’s TE for the Volunteers. A three-year starter, Warren played 54 games as a Volunteer and caught 53 passes for 607 yards and eight touchdowns. However, the 6-foot-6, 251-pounder did most of his work as a blocker. Six-year player who has already turned 24. His battle will be with Jaheim Bell and Mitchell Wilcox. Practice squad is where he should end up.
A Few More Invitees
Marshell Martin TE Sacramento State – Played with Marte Mapu and had a streak of 31 consecutive games with at least one reception. He stands 6”2” but weighs just 210 lbs. and ran a 4.77 40-yard dash.
Beau Corrales WR SMU – 6’2” 205 Transfer from SMU and North Carolina finished up at Texas State. Ran a 4.57 at his Pro Day.
Ryan Johnson OL Youngstown State – 6’4” 315 lbs RG played in D1 FCS. He started 27 games between Duquesne and Youngstown State.
The Patriots have one roster spot available to sign any of the invitees that may impress.
Patriots GM Search
Let’s set this straight right away! According to Albert Breer, the Patriots informed the league the position title will be Executive Vice-President of Player Personnel, not General Manager. The last official GM the Patriots had was Patrick Sullivan.
This necessitates following the league Rooney Rule for Minority hires. The Patriots have reached out to several minority candidates, and most have turned down the opportunity to interview. It is believed the interview process is a sham and that the Patriots are trying to comply with the Rooney Rule and that the job is Eliot Wolf’s. A strong indication is that Alonzo Highsmith left a cushy position in South Florida to become an advisor to Wolf.
Samir Sulaman, a former Capologist for the Carolina Panthers has been interviewed as well as Brandon Hunt, Director of Scouting for the Eagles. Trey Brown, Sr. Personnel Executive for the Bengals turned down the interview. Brown started his career as a scout with the Patriots.
This may be an opportunity for Hunt, if he impresses in the interview to take over the Player Personnel position that Wolf will vacate when he is officially named Exec VP of Player Personnel.
Transactions
The Patriots signed Joey Slye kicker formerly of the Washington Commanders.
Slye has played in 78 regular season games and has connected on 121-of-147 field goals and 138-of-156 extra points. Last season, Slye played in all 17 games and was 19-of-24 on field goals and 32-of-35 on extra points for Washington and connected on a career long and franchise record 61-yard field goal vs. Philadelphia on Oct. 29, 2023. He started his career with Carolina (19-20), San Francisco (21), Houston (21) and then WAS (21-23).
Former New York Giants 2019 3rd round pick Oshane Ximines was signed. The 6’5” 255 lbs edge defender played at Old Dominio with current Patriots Keion White (before he transferred to Georgia Tech). Ximines has a reputation of being a good special teams player before injuries derailed hi progress. Pro Football Focus gave Oshane Ximines a grade of 70.2 in 2023. Although it was a limited sample size (52 defensive snaps) it was the highest grade of Ximines career. The Giants released him in November, and no one picked him up before the Patriots signed him.
In another move the Patriots released QB Nathan Rourke after drafting two QBs.
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