Let\u2019s start with the Trent Brown trade.\u00a0 Brown\u2019s best season in the NFL was when he played for Dante Scarnecchia and the Patriots.\u00a0 He got paid after that but was relatively ineffective due to issues he ended up experiencing in Las Vegas, which included injuries and COVID.\u00a0\u00a0 He re-negotiated his contract to a one-year deal.\u00a0 Acquiring Brown freed up Marcus Cannon to be traded to Houston.\u00a0 It made for small gains as far as draft picks were concerned, with the club swapping places with Houston in rounds four and six.\u00a0 \u00a0This was essentially the equivalent of getting a 5th<\/sup> round pick.\u00a0 It just so happens that the Patriots gave up a 5th<\/sup> in 2022 (and received a 7th<\/sup> in 2022 in return) in the Brown trade.\u00a0 I like the move up in both rounds for a player they were going to cut for salary cap reasons (despite the fact they had a large war-chest to sign players).<\/p>\n This frees up Michael Onwenu to slide over to left guard, replacing Joe Thuney.<\/p>\n Ted Karras left for one year down in Miami, to start as their center. The Patriots, believing David Andrews was going to sign elsewhere, quickly snapped up Karras as an experienced OC at a low-cost, one-year contract.\u00a0 They followed this up with the surprising re-signing of David Andrews.\u00a0 The team is much better running the ball when Andrews has been at center.\u00a0 The Captain signed a very reasonable contract (4 years, $18.75M) with the 1st<\/sup> year cap hit is just $1.75M.\u00a0 Most of the Patriots’ deals are back-loaded.\u00a0 The Patriots hard-lined the deal with Andrews probably because it is such a good year for OC in the draft.\u00a0 I can\u2019t remember another year when there were so many quality OC in the draft.\u00a0 The Karras signing is not a waste.\u00a0 The Patriots needed a quality backup G\/C.\u00a0 Karras could easily slide into the LG position if Owenu can\u2019t move to the left side.\u00a0 Ferentz is still on the market, but he is 32 and was picked up mid-way through the season from the scrap heap.<\/p>\n Cam Newton was signed just before the start of Free Agency.\u00a0 He signed what is basically considered a backup QB contract.\u00a0 This was a smart move by the Patriots.\u00a0 It gave them a \u201cname\u201d QB that is still very popular amongst his peers in the league.\u00a0 Jimmy Garrapolo was considered as option A for the Pats, but I am not sold on Jimmy G and his large contract.\u00a0 SF has stated many times that Jimmy G is their man, despite the likelihood they will select a QB with the 3rd<\/sup> pick in the draft.\u00a0 They gave up a King\u2019s ransom in the trade with Miami.<\/p>\n Newton may be a bridge quarterback to a potential rookie draftee.\u00a0 Newton played well before he contracted COVID.\u00a0 He knows the offense and will be more comfortable with a complete offseason.\u00a0 He will have better weapons in WR and TEs.\u00a0 Their solid offensive line will again generate a strong running game.\u00a0 Yes, Newton has a lot of flaws.\u00a0 It\u2019s up to him to correct them or he will be out of the league.\u00a0 This is his last chance.<\/p>\n On the first day of legalized tampering, the Players’ agents of a couple of surprising players announced they had signed with the Patriots.\u00a0 <\/strong>Nelson Agholor had a career year last season with Las Vegas (48 catches, 896 yards, 8 TD\u2019s).\u00a0 However, Agholor has a reputation for dropping a lot of passes over his career.\u00a0 His 18.7 YPC was one of the tops in the league.\u00a0 He definitely gives the Pats a deep threat. \u00a0Agholor is an advanced route runner, good after the catch, very polished, and an explosive playmaker.\u00a0 He consistently gets separation with a quick release off the line.\u00a0\u00a0 He is not a burner and is just 6\u2019 tall.\u00a0 However, he drops too many passes.<\/p>\n Next was the signing of San Francisco 49ers WR Kendrick Bourne.\u00a0 Bourne is 6\u20191\u201d, 190 lbs., and a former Undrafted Free Agent from Eastern Washington.\u00a0 \u00a0He was the #2 receiver to Cooper Kupp at E. Washington.\u00a0 Bourne is a very complimentary WR.\u00a0 He runs good routes and can separate.\u00a0 However, he may be no better than Jakobi Meyers, and may not catch as many passes as he is targeted than Meyers.\u00a0 At best he is another #2 receiver.\u00a0 Bourne is very well-liked in the clubhouse and has shown a bit of his leadership capability in the video from the recent California workouts organized by Jarret Stidham.<\/p>\n This has been a problem ever since Gronk left.\u00a0 The Patriots had the least productive TEs in the league.\u00a0 That\u2019s not a problem anymore.\u00a0 The Patriots went out and spent the money on the two top TE\u2019s available.\u00a0 Jonnu Smith from the Titans was the first to sign.\u00a0 He is vastly talented out of Florida International.\u00a0 He is 6\u20193\u201d 248 and runs well as evident by his draft combine 40 time of 4.62.\u00a0 He will turn 26 this season.<\/p>\n Then, to top off the TE signings, the Patriots acquired Hunter Henry from Los Angeles Chargers.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t see this coming after they had signed Smith.\u00a0 Neither did the rest of the NFL.\u00a0 The Patriots now have both of the top TE\u2019s available.\u00a0 They are numbers 3 and 4 respectively of the highest-paid TE in the league.\u00a0 I can see a Baltimore Ravens-type offense, where they deploy 3 TEs and a dominating running game.<\/p>\n Another surprise was the re-signing of James White to a one-year contract.\u00a0 I can\u2019t believe White couldn\u2019t do better on the open market.\u00a0 Yes, he had a subpar year for him last season.\u00a0 He also had the family crisis of the automobile accident that killed his father and nearly did the same to his mother.\u00a0 I, for one, am glad to see him back.\u00a0 He is a leader on this team.<\/p>\n The re-signing of K Nick Folk went under the radar.\u00a0 I expected Folk to get multiple offers after a very good season last year.\u00a0 This signing prompted the Pats to release 5th<\/sup> round draft pick Justin Rohrwasser.\u00a0 He ended up as a\u00a0 flat-out mistake by Belichick.<\/p>\n All in all, the Patriots Offense is much improved from last season.\u00a0 I am excited to see what Josh McDaniels can do with all these new puzzle pieces.\u00a0 The two TE offense will keep opponents off balance.\u00a0 If they play small, then the Pats can overwhelm them.\u00a0 Play big and they have the mismatches they can exploit.\u00a0 The one issue is the QB.<\/p>\n In a video press conference, Kraft\u2019s annual report with reporters during the NFL Owners meetings, Kraft said “In the end, if you want to have a good, consistent, winning football team, you can’t do it in free agency. You have to do it through the draft. I don’t feel we’ve done the greatest job the last few years and I really hope, and I believe, I’ve seen a different approach this year,” according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.<\/p>\n I take this as a dig to Belichick the GM, for poor drafts that have to lead up to supplement the team with high-priced (overpriced and usually underperforming) Free Agents. \u00a0Is this the start of a schism between owner and coach\/GM\/All-Knowing Bill Belichick?\u00a0 I concur that Belichick the GM has been performing poorly and that if he was rated by his Draft performance he would be fired by almost all teams in the NFL.<\/p>\n Belichick has always gone rogue.\u00a0 The Patriots under Belichick do not participate with either of the Scouting Services Systems (National and BLESTO).\u00a0 Baltimore Ravens, Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots<\/strong><\/a>, Oakland Raiders, and Washington Redskins are the only teams that do not participate in one or the other services.<\/p>\n Belichick, when he came in as Head Coach\/ GM set a very rigid, but consistent evaluation system in place.\u00a0 This was modeled after the system he and GM Mike Lombardi instituted in Cleveland.\u00a0 This is outlined in Michael Holley\u2019s book \u201cWar Room\u201d.\u00a0 It\u2019s a fascinating read, especially around Draft time.<\/p>\n The Patriots, it was revealed in the book, have only 75 players or so, on their draft board.\u00a0 Most players don\u2019t meet their requirements.\u00a0 For instance, their extensive background checks find the players that do extensive film work outside of practice.\u00a0 These players get high marks in the scouting evaluation.\u00a0 I will tell you that one of the top 4 QB\u2019s in the draft has a bad reputation for being the \u201clast one in, and the first one out\u201d of practices and meetings.\u00a0 That\u2019s the exact opposite of what Belichick is looking for.<\/p>\n Another key attribute the Patriots rely on is the 3-cone drill.\u00a0 If their skill players (WR, DB\u2019s) aren\u2019t running under 7.0, they won\u2019t be considered.<\/p>\n In last year\u2019s draft, Belichick was criticized for relying on his own eyewitness evaluation of the Senior Bowl.\u00a0 He traded out of the 1st<\/sup> round and selected Kyle Dugger a safety from Lenoir-Rhyne, a Division II school, and then taking Josh Uche from Michigan.\u00a0 Dugger was the star of the Senior Bowl practices as both he and Uche played in the game.\u00a0 Belichick was criticized for not listening to his scouts.\u00a0 I loved the Dugger pick and applauded the selection.\u00a0 I had him plugged in as the Patriots pick in several mock drafts leading up to the actual event.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0I actually think Dugger had a remarkable year considering there was no rookie, mini, or OTAs before camp.\u00a0 He caught on very quickly as evident by the amount of playing time he got early in the season.<\/p>\n Florida<\/strong><\/p>\n TE Kyle Pitts\u00a0 6\u20195\u201d 248lbs, 4.44 40\u00a0 Think Mike Evans or Megatron from the TE position.\u00a0 A once in a generation type of talent.<\/p>\n Alabama<\/strong><\/p>\n CB Patrick Surtain 6\u2019 2\u201d 208, 4.42 40<\/p>\n QB Mac Jones 4.79 40<\/p>\n Western Michigan<\/strong><\/p>\n WR Dwayne Eskeridge 5\u2019 8.6 190 lbs, 4.38 40, 6.96 3 cone<\/p>\n Mississippi<\/strong><\/p>\n WR Elijah Moore 5\u2019 9.4 178 lbs, 4.35 40, 6.66 3 cone<\/p>\n Penn State<\/strong><\/p>\n DE Jayson Oweh 6\u2019 4.7 257 lbs, 4.39 40, 6.84 3 cone<\/p>\n LB Micah Parsons 6\u2019 3.1 246 lbs, 4.39 40, 6.94 3 cone<\/p>\n Michigan<\/strong><\/p>\n FB Ben Mason 6\u2019 2.6 246 lbs, 4.73 40, 29 reps @ 225lbs, 6.96 3-cone.\u00a0 If he was moved to ILB, his numbers would be 2-3 best!\u00a0 Compared to Zaven Collins, his speed, quickness, and strength are better.\u00a0 We know he likes to hit people.<\/p>\n CB Ambry Thomas 5\u2019 11.7 191 lbs, 4.37 40<\/p>\n Louisville<\/strong><\/p>\n WR Dez Fitzpatrick 6\u2019 1.6 208 lbs, 4.43 40, 7.09 3 cone<\/p>\n WR Tutu Atwell 5\u2019 8.7 155 lbs, 4.42 40, 6.89 3-cone \u2026 too slight won\u2019t hold up over the middle.<\/p>\n Texas A&M<\/strong><\/p>\n DL Bobby Brown 6\u2019 4\u201d 320 lbs, 4.98 40<\/p>\n Ohio State<\/strong><\/p>\n LB Pete Werner 6\u2019 2.7 238 lbs, 4.58 40, worked at S also<\/p>\n QB Justin Fields 6\u2019 2.6 227 lbs, 4.44 40<\/p>\n Don’t forget to check out the Draft Contest in the Draft Section of the Forum.\u00a0 The Draft Contest is being sponsored by Matt Miller’s NFL Draft Scout<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\nQuarterback<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Wide Receiver<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Tight Ends<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Runningback <\/strong><\/h3>\n
Kicker<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Robert Kraft Disses Belichick\u00a0 <\/strong><\/h3>\n
Pro Day Results<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"Matt](\"https:\/\/cdn.substack.com\/image\/fetch\/w_512,h_512,c_fill,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F41c54f18-d796-469d-8c5f-f0ca967641d3_400x400.jpeg\")