MORSE: Patriots Mock Draft #1, Free Agency and Other Tidbits
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Drafting a plug and play Left Tackle is a very difficult thing to do. Last year, the Patriots and Eliot Wolf were not ready for the run on Left Tackles. Eight Tackles were taken in the 1st Round.
They traded pick 34 to LA Chargers for #37 and passed on Ladd McConkey, a huge mistake by Eliot Wolf. He could have taken a Tackle at #37 (Kingsley Suamataia). They ended up taking Caedan Wallace in the 3rd round #68. They liked him and everyone knew it. He was a 4th round value and they panicked because of the run and took him a full round early.
Wallace played 4 years at Right Tackle for Penn State. Joe Alt is the best of the bunch and he is playing RT. Dominick Puni was a better pick than Wallace, but he didn’t play Tackle (short arms) but was outstanding at Guard for San Fran. Only three of these Left Tackles were better than Vederian Lowe. Lowe wasn’t good and he was like a rookie with very few snaps at Left Tackle. The 3rd year player had 8 starts and 4 at Left Tackle the year before this season.
The Table below listed all the Tackles drafted last season:
| Team | Draft # | Name | PFF Rating | GP / Position |
| LAC | 5 | Joe Alt | 75.9 | 17 GP @ RT |
| NYJ | 11 | Olu Fashanu | 61.2 | 3 RT, 1 RG, 7 LT |
| NO | 14 | Taliese Fuaga | 65.7 | 17 GP @ LT |
| DAL | 29 | Tyler Guyton | 49.4 | 14 GP @ LT |
| TEN | 7 | JC Latham | 61.8 | 17 GP @ LT |
| PIT | 20 | Troy Fautanu | 64.4 | 1 GP On IR |
| TB | 26 | Graham Barton | 55.6 | 17 GP @ C |
| GB | 25 | Jordan Morgan | 59 | 6 GP @RG |
| CHI | 3-75 | Kiran Amegadjie | 40.3 | 5 GP 4 LT 1 LG |
| HOU | 2-59 | Blake Fisher | 44.5 | 4 LT, 6 RT, 10 GP+ |
| KC | 2-63 | Kingsley Suamataia | 39.4 | 7 GP @ LT (Benched) |
| MIA | 2-55 | Patrick Paul | 44.9 | 3 RT, 7 LT 10 GP only 2 GS |
| SF | 3-87 | Dominick Puni | 80.5 | 17 GP@ RG |
| BAL | 2-62 | Roger Rosengarten | 66.5 | 18+ GP@ RT |
| IND | 3-79 | Matt Goncalves | 65.9 | 10 GP 1 LG. 4 LT, 5 RT 8 Starts |
| NE | 3-68 | Caedan Wallace | 44.1 | 6 GP 2 Starts, 4 LT, 2 RT |
| Vederian Lowe | 54 | 14 GP all at LT, 13 Starts | ||
| Fashanu, Fuaga and Latham | ||||
| Alt played RT, Barton played C, and Puni played RG |
The Left Tackles in this draft are nowhere near as good as those from last year’s draft. The Patriots must use Free Agency to acquire a starting Left Tackle. In order to do that they need to overpay because of the following reasons:
New England is not a desirable location to play in because of the weather.
Foxboro has no nightlife.
The Massachusetts Millionaires Tax takes more money out of their paychecks.
The NFL Players Association rank and file ranked the Patriots as the 29th team in the league on benefits to the players. These are the areas of interest and the Patriots grade.
The Patriots are trying to address these concerns by building a new, separate facility with improved Locker and Weight rooms. The Strength Coaches were next to last in the league. This was evident by the number of injuries the team suffered on the Offensive Line. The Head Strength Coach is Deron Mayo, the brother of departed Head Coach Jerod Mayo. I suspect that Deron will be replaced. When they speak with Free Agents, they will highlight what they have planned for the players.
The low grade for ownership is based upon Kraft’s insistence on incentive laden contracts. The Patriots are dead last in the league for actual cash spending over the last 8 years. The Kraft’s claim they spend to the Salary Cap. That is only on paper because many of those incentives are Not Likely to be Earned. When asked about spending on Free Agents Kraft stated they will adjust lower every three years to come to a balance for his bottom line.
Last year’s Free Agency, the Patriots were hamstrung by an unprecedented increase in the Salary Cap. Each team received $30M per team and they were able to re-sign their own Free Agents, stripping the top talent available. The Patriots’ money was no good. Eliot Wolf tried to sign Calvin Ridley and made what most around the league was a higher offer, only to have his wife say that she doesn’t want to move to the Northeast.
The Patriots had a trade worked out with San Francisco to acquire Brandon Aiyuk, only to have him reject any type of contract with the Patriots. He re-signed with the 49’ers. Wolf’s biggest mistake was signing a mediocre Right Tackle and think he could play Left Tackle. Chuks Okorafor not only couldn’t play Left Tackle, but didn’t want to play football anymore and quit. I give Wolf credit for re-signing Patriots Free Agents, something that Bill Belichick wouldn’t do.
If I was Mike Vrabel I would insist upon a new structure of contract offers to Free Agents. The one and only way an NFL player compares himself to their peers in the league is the size of their contracts. The Patriots need to overpay Free Agents to get them to come here. The Patriots have a new and dynamic experienced winning Head Coach. Mike Vrabel was a former NFL Coach of the Year in 2021. He has a career winning record (58-45). The Patriots have a young and exciting QB in Drake Maye. Use these positives to draw in Free Agents.
I would go out and acquire three new Offensive Linemen to rebuild the Offensive Line. Left Tackle Alaric Jackson who plays for the Los Angeles Rams. He is 26 years old and was an Undrafted Free Agent. His PFF Rating is 78.3 good for 18th in the league. His age is ideal for a 4- or 5-year contract. Overpay to get him here. Jackson has had soft tissue injuries in the past, which Head Coach Mike Vrabel can’t stand.
Sign Trey Smith away from KC. He is just 25 years old. His PFF rating is 78.8 good for 10th in the league. It’s time for payback for the mistake of letting Joe Thuney go to KC. Although Smith plays Right Guard I would try him at Left Guard. Make Smith the highest paid Guard in the league.
Sign Drew Dalman C away from Atlanta. He missed 8 games this year, but he is rated by PFF with a 78.8 grade and ranked 5th in the league. Dalman is only 26. Overpay to get him away. Use some of that $130 Million in cap space. If they can sign these players along with Michael Onwenu, Cole Strange and Caedan Wallace, they will have a formidable Offensive Line.
Go out and sign the #1 Wide Receiver in Free Agency – Tee Higgins. Overpay, make him the highest paid WR in the league. Higgins and Drake Maye behind a solid O-line is magic waiting to happen. A legit #1 receiver that is just 25 years old.
Let’s help out the Defense a little with the signing of Bobby Brown III the DT from the Los Angeles Rams. Brown doesn’t have the flashy stats but did have 44 tackles (16 solo and 28 Assists). His PFF Rating was 63.9, good for 60th amongst all Interior D-Linemen. In comparison, Davon Godchaux had 4 more tackles and a 51.6 rating. Godchaux played the entire season but is 30 years old. Brown is just 24.
Eliot Wolf didn’t address the problem at Free Safety last off-season and tried to play Kyle Dugger there to disastrous results. The Pats should bring in Jacksonville’s Free Safety Andre Cisco. The 24-year-old former Syracuse Orangeman has had 8 INTs over the last three seasons. Last season he had 54 tackles and a PFF rating of 58.8. Cisco has 4.37 speed.
Those signings will take up around $85M. Don’t dick around with the numbers, pay them like the professionals they are and don’t get overbid. The key to those acquisitions is the age if the players.
I used Pro Football Network Mock Simulator.
1st Rd Pick #4 With the 4th pick I give the Patriots Abdul Carter EDGE Penn State. The 6’3”, 259 -pound Edge player had 68 tackles and 12 sacks in 2024. He runs a 4.48 40-yard dash. Carter has been my choice for well over two months. I don’t like any of the top-rated Offensive Linemen in the draft. I would concentrate on the Offensive Line in Free Agency. Now let’s build up the pass rush. Carter has been compared to the former Nittany Lion Micah Parsons. I fear that the three teams ahead of the Patriots are interested in Abdul Carter as well and he may not be available to the Patriots.
2nd Rd Pick #37 I first looked at taking TE Tyler Warren (Penn State), but TE is not an area of need and a luxury we just can’t afford. New Head Coach Mike Vrabel will not let Defensive End Jack Sawyer pass. Sawyer is a Vrabel clone. He is 6’5”, 260-pounds and runs a 4.6 40-yard dash. Relentless is the way to describe Sawyer. He is Ohio State through and through and Vrabel will not let him go to another team. I see Sawyer as an eventual ILB. Ja’Whaun Bentley isn’t getting younger (28) and is signed through next season.
3rd Rd #68 Jalen Royals WR Utah State – The 6’ 205-pound receiver burst upon the scene in 2023 with 71-1080-15 stat line. Seven of his TDs were of 50+ yards. Last season he dropped to 55-824-6 stat line while playing only 7 games. He sustained a foot injury and was lost for the remainder of the season. Monitoring his health status will determine if he is drafted this high.
3rd Rd #77 NE trades #77 along with #216 to SEA for #82 and #135
3rd Rd #82 – Mike Green EDGE from Marshall. The 6’4” 248-pound Edge player led the NCAA with 21 sacks last year. The Patriots pass rush was anemic last season. Vrabel has stated that he wants to put pressure on opposing QBs. These three players will do that. Green would be a situational pass rush specialist.
4th Rd #106 Shemar Turner DT Texas A&M – 6’4” 300-pounds and runs a 4.8 40-yard dash. Turner is a developmental type interior D lineman with good quickness. First and 2nd down player only.
4th Rd #135 acquired from SEA – Marcus Mbow OT Purdue. Mbow is one of the biggest sleepers in the draft. Mbow is listed as an OT but I think he will end up at Guard. He has been invited to the Senior Bowl. Let’s see where he plays in those practices and how he does. At 6’6” 300-pounds, he has 32 starts at Guard and Tackle in the Big Ten. He was an honorable-mention All-Conference in 2022 and 2023.
5th Rd #142 Devin Neal RB Kansas – It is a great year for runningbacks and that’s why Nea; lasts until the 5th round. Neal had three consecutive 1,000 yards seasons for the Jayhawks with 6.1, 6.3 and 5.8 Yards Per Carry in those seasons. He also had 20 receptions in each of those seasons as well.
7th Rd #219 JJ Peuges DT Mississippi – the 6’2” 324-pound Nose Tackle runs a 4.9 40-yard dash at 324 pounds. Last season Peuges also ran for 2 TDs. The Patriots can’t expect that Davon Godchaux is going to play every down of the season like he did the last two years. Godchaux is 30 already. Peuges is a true NT, a space eater like Godchaux.
7th Rd #238 Jonah Monheim G/C USC – 6’5” 310-pounds, 5.0 40-yard dash. Monheim has 44 starts in his career. He moved to Center for his final season at USC. Very versatile. Monaheim was a 3rd Team All-Big 10 selection at Center.
Note: The draft order is not official yet. It will not be until the Compensations picks are added. The Patriots 1st three picks are correct and won’t change.
The Patriots are bringing in Ryan Cowden, a former NY Giants Advisor to GM Jow Schoen. Mike Vrabel wanted Cowden to be named GM in Tennessee only to have ownership put Rae Carthon in that position. Cowden’s position is undefined at the moment, but thought is he will be #2 to present VP of Player Personnel Eliot Wolf.
The Patriots signed the following 7 players to futures contracts. DT Marcus Harris, CB D.J. James, WR John Jiles, T Caleb Jones, LB Andrew Parker Jr., S Mark Perry and K John Parker- Romo have chosen to remain with the team.
The following players chose to be Free Agents or were not offered contracts; WR Alex Erickson, RB Kevin Harris, DE Jotham Russell, WR Braylon Sanders, TE Mitchell Wilcox.
The two most prominent College All-Star games come up in a week. The East-West All-Star game will be played on Thursday January 30th. The practices leading up to the game are more important than the game itself. The same week is the Senior Bowl. The same scenario is that the practices are more important than the games themselves. The Patriots scouting staff, led by Eliot Wolf and Matt Groh will divide and conquer to cover both practices. Don’t be surprised if Mike Vrabel may also attend.
Mike Vrabel has stated that there is no timeline for naming his coaching staff. He did go on and say there are coaches of teams that are still in the playoffs that he wants to talk to without naming names.
One of the names that have been put out there for the Offensive Coordinator, Tommy Rees, has accepted the Offensive Coordinator promotion from the Cleveland Browns. Vrabel did confirm that Josh McDaniel is on the list of people he wants to talk to.
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Great article Mark. The OT’s in this draft are not worth a #4 pick. Abdul Carter would be a great pick. He, along with Mason Graham, Will Johnson and Travis Hunter are the pseudo ‘blue chip’ players you can ink into start and produce right away. Secondly, get proven NFL commodities in free agency for o-line and spend there. Only thing I don’t concur on is, it’s really hard to judge Caeden Wallace yet. In summer it was said he’s not quite ready to start, let alone at LT. He was put in via neccessity and got hurt. His stats… Read more »
People forget the chargers have 70 million in cap space .they need a wide receiver made the playoffs this season. I’m predicting Higgins signs with them
Geez ho hum. The sky is falling.
Great OT do not make it to free agency.
Great draft plan and strategy on working the inside out. Not a fan of Wolf or Krafts. All contingent on free agency tactic to over pay I completely agree. If not the whole draft will take a considerable shift. If nothing else I foresee a much needed overhaul at LB.