MORSE: Potential Patriots Prospects to Watch at the NFL Draft Combine
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The annual NFL Draft Combine starts on February 24th and runs through March 2nd. The NFL Combine is held at Lucas Oil Stadium In Indianapolis and is an opportunity for the top NFL draft prospects in this year’s class to go through measurements, medical physicals, and various on-field drills, some of which are specific to their position group, others measure the player’s overall athleticism.
Thursday Feb 27th 3:00 K, DL and LB
Friday Feb 28th 3:00 DB and TE
Saturday Mar 1st 1:00 RB, QB and WR
Sunday Mar 2nd 1:00 OL
| 2025 | 2024 | |
| QB | 15 | 14 |
| RB | 31 | 30 |
| WR | 49 | 40 |
| TE | 21 | 16 |
| OL | 50 | 71 |
| EDGE | 33 | 25 |
| DL | 40 | 27 |
| LB | 29 | 30 |
| CB | 35 | 42 |
| S | 21 | 24 |
This is the breakdown of invites to the Combine and the comparison to the numbers invited from last year. A few things jumped out at me. There are more WRs invited this year, but the quality of players is way down from last year’s class. The number of TE invitees is up, good news for a team like the Patriots in need of an upgrade at TE. OL invites are way down. This might cause an earlier than expected run on OL. EDGE rushers are way up, more good news for the Patriots. CBs and S are down a bit.
Quarterbacks: I will start with QB. I believe the Patriots will draft another QB to develop behind Milton and Maye. I am curious about Will Howard, Ohio State. He is a big time clutch player in the mold of Tom Brady. Two other QBs have caught my attention as late-round development-type picks: Tyler Shough of Louisville and Kurtis Rourke of Indiana. Both are 6th-year players, so they are a little older. Rourke’s brother Nathan played briefly for the Patriots in 2023.
Rourke has the prototypical size (6’5”, 232 lbs) for an NFL QB. After 5 years at Ohio, he transferred to Indiana and led them to a 10-1 record while completing 70% of his passes and 29-4 TD to Int ratio. Shough redshirted his 1st year and then played 6 years after that. His last 5 seasons, he led his teams to post-season bowl games. At 6’5”, 224lbs, he also has the size the scouts are looking for. For his career he completed 63% of his passes for 7.820 yards and a 59-23 TD to INT ratio.
Running Backs: Running back is an interesting position this year and a position of need. Devin Neal, RB, Kansas, was very productive in college. How does he match up speed wise? A small school RB from Delaware named Marcus Yarns intrigues me. I want to see how he catches the ball. Ja’Quinden Jackson, a big back out of Arkansas, is another with a projected slow speed. If he can get down to 4.5 he would be of interest to the Patriots.
Wide Receivers: Wide Receiver class doesn’t have the stars that last year’s class did. However, there are four players that I am interested in. Jalen Royal of Utah State reportedly runs a 4.38 40. I want to see what his 3-cone drill time is. The standard for the Patriots should be a 40-time less than 4.5 and 3-cone drill time less than 7.00. The second receiver I am fascinated with is Jack Bech TCU. Bech is 6’1” 214 lbs. His 40 times is an estimated 4.55. Everything that is thrown at him he catches. He was quoted as saying any contested catch thrown to him is a 75-25 ball. Strong hands and a wide catch radius are his biggest assets. I have also noticed that he is an excellent blocker for a Wide Receiver, especially on crack-back blocks in the run game. He is being compared to Puka Nacua who ran a 4.57 40.
Jaylin Noel is a 5’10” 195-pound slot receiver from Iowa State. He runs a reported 4.45 40-yard dash. Slot is not a position of need, so this might be lower on the priority list. The final player I am interested in from the WR group is Issac TeSlaa. The 6’3” 211-pound receiver out of Arkansas made Bruce Felman’s freak list with a 38″ vertical leap and a 315 lb bench press. Excellent in contested catches. However, he only had 28 catches in 2024 but averaged 19.5 yards a catch.
Tight Ends: Tight End is a need for the Patriots. Both Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper are over 30 and entering their 10th year in the league. None of the Patriots TE’s are good blockers. I think a third TE that can block is in order. Jackson Hawes TE Georgia Tech fits that bill. He has been described as a devastating blocker. Hawes played 3 years at Yale before transferring to Georgia Tech to play against superior talent. He only had 19 catches last season. Elijah Arroyo blew up at the Senior Bowl. He has solidified his position as the #3 TE to go off the draft board. His speed and agility were on full display as he left defenders in his dust! His measurements and speed will be what separates him. Finally, among the TEs is Mason Taylor, son of NFL great Jason Taylor. The 6’5” 250-pound TE has the prototypical size and runs an estimated 4.63 40-yard dash.
Offensive Line: On the Offensive line Will Campbell’s arm length is a key measurement. There is a correlation between 34” arm length and the ability to succeed at the NFL level at Tackle. It is believed that Campbell’s arms are just short, meaning he would have to move to Guard in the NFL. Same can be said of Ohio State’s Donovan Jackson. Jackson was pressed into action at Left Tackle when Josh Simmons went down with a knee injury. Jackson played flawlessly and didn’t give up a sack at Left Tackle. Anthony Belton OT North Carolina State is a developmental type of prospect that may go in the 2nd round given the dearth of Left Tackles in the draft. I really like Belton and would play him at Right Tackle if the Patriots were to sign Ronnie Staley in Free Agency to play Left Tackle. Then Belton moves over to Left Tackle when Stanley hangs up the cleats. Another Left Tackle I want to see is Jalen Rivers from Miami. He has long arms (35”) and is the type of player that Doug Marrone likes.
Edge Prospects: There are more EDGE rushers in this draft class. I am interested in seeing Mike Green from Marshall. He is a guy I would take in the 1st round if Abdul Carter is taken before the Patriots pick at #4. A trade down and pick up another draft pick would be my strategy if Carter is gone. The Patriots were dead last in sacks and Green would be an immediate upgrade. Jack Sawyer Ohio State is a Vrabel clone. Looking at his 40 time. David Walker from Central Arkansas is another player to keep an eye on. He played against inferior talent but showed at the Senior Bowl that he could hang with the big boys. Barryn Sorrel from Texas played well at the Senior Bowl and looked stout at the edge.
Defensive Tackle: Defensive Tackle is the deepest position in the draft and is a position of need for the Pats as they move to more of 4-3 defense under Tyrell Williams. Darius Alexander from Toledo played well at the Senior Bowl. I want to see his numbers. Rylie Mills had a great career at Notre Dame, but he is coming back from an injury. I don’t know if he will be able to go at the Combine but might be a good draft and stash candidate. JJ Peuges is a stout DT from Mississippi, and he scored two TDs in his career. He could add some versatility.
Linebackers: The Patriots need an upgrade at Linebacker and Mike Vrabel likes the lighter more mobile linebackers. A few players that meet that description are Shemar James from Miami, Cody Simon Ohio State, Smael Mondon Georgia and Nick Martin Oklahoma. Denzel Burke Ohio State, Max Hairston Kentucky and Robert Longerbeam Rutgers and few I want to see more of.
Safeties: At Safety, the Patriots need a Free Safety. Billy Bowman Oklahoma is supposed to run a fast 40. That is a requirement for a deep safety. Xavier Watts from Notre Dame is another I will be watching.
Cornerbacks: At Cornerback I like Shavon Revel from East Carolina. He is a big DB at 6’3” and is coming off an injury that limited him last season. Will he be able to go is the question.
The biggest snub for me was Willie Lampkin C North Carolina. He is just 5’10” and measured 255-pounds at the Senior Bowl. Pound for pound he was the toughest lineman at the Senior Bowl and stuffed the big DT from Kentucky Deone Walker at the line of scrimmage. I could see him moved to Fullback and be a devastating blocker in the mold of Patrick Ricard who was a Defensive End at Maine before being moved to Fullback. Georgia Safety Dan Jackson was omitted but played very well at the Senior Bowl. He is very instinctive and would immediately contribute on Special Teams. Thomas Perry OL Middlebury played well at the East West Shrine game and would be a G/C in the NFL. Sharmarri Simmons a Safety from Arizona State was another that didn’t get an invite. Bilhal Kone a CB from Western Michigan played in the Senior Bowl but didn’t receive an invite to the Combine. Johnny Walker EDGE Missouri was a CSN All SEC in 2024 and played well in the East West Shrine game. Nash Hutmacher DT Nebraska was another snub. He played in the East West Shrine game. Justin Barron Linebacker from Syracuse is another left off the invite list.
Feb. 24-March 3: Scouting combine
March 4th: First Day clubs can apply the Franchise Tag
March 10, Noon – March 12 4 p.m.: Negotiation period when all the big free agents are locked up.
March 12, 4 p.m.: League year begins. Free-agent contracts can be signed and trades consummated.
March 30-April 2: Annual league meetings, Palm Beach.
April 7: Clubs that hired new head coaches, like the Patriots, may begin offseason workout programs two weeks before other teams. (Last Year the Patriots delayed by a week).
April 24-26: NFL Draft, Green Bay.
May 1: Deadline for Clubs to exercise Fifth-Year Option for players selected in the first round of the 2022 Draft (Cole Strange).
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Thank you for all your work Mark!