{"id":66263,"date":"2026-03-31T04:30:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T08:30:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/?p=66263"},"modified":"2026-03-31T10:01:37","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T14:01:37","slug":"morse-smokescreens-and-misinformation-leading-up-to-patriots-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/03\/31\/morse-smokescreens-and-misinformation-leading-up-to-patriots-draft\/","title":{"rendered":"MORSE: Smokescreens and Misinformation Leading Up to Patriots Draft"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cThe New England Patriots<\/strong><\/a> to be willing to move up in the first-round if necessary to secure an offensive lineman. They\u2019re going to be aggressive, one general manager said. They\u2019ll move up if they have to.\u201d \u2013 Jason LaCanfora<\/p>\n

LaCanfora was an NFL Insider with NFL Network but was replaced years ago.\u00a0 His career has fallen on tough times as he was recently dismissed from his Radio gig in Baltimore for being overly critical of the Orioles and Ravens General Managers.\u00a0 He has never been correct on anything relating to the Patriots.<\/p>\n

This makes me think about all of the misinformation and smokescreens that are being put out there by NFL teams leading up to the draft.\u00a0 \u00a0It feels like someone in the Patriots organization gave information out to a media source (LaCanfora), that they would be interested in moving up and taking an offensive lineman in the Draft if their guy was there.<\/p>\n

Do you really feel that if they are sold on a right tackle to eventually replace Morgan Moses, that they would let that information out?\u00a0\u00a0 Are they trying to force other teams to jump ahead of them to take tackles, leaving the Patriots with a better EDGE rushing prospect at #31?\u00a0 This is not a great draft for offensive tackles, especially left tackles.\u00a0 Nick Cattles pointed out that there are only 5 tackles rated in the top 50 per PFF.\u00a0 A couple of them project at guard rather than tackle because of arm length.<\/p>\n

Miami is expected to take a tackle and wide receiver with their two first round selections.\u00a0 If they take OT Spencer Fano or Francis Mauigoa at Pick #11, then they might go wide receiver at Pick #30. \u00a0\u00a0However, I have done multiple PFF Mock Drafts that have Miami taking Max Iheanachor right before the Patriots at #31.\u00a0 I would jump ahead of Miami to insure they don\u2019t trade that pick to a team wanting Iheanachor to keep him away from the Patriots.<\/p>\n

I strongly believe Max Iheanachor RT Arizona State is the Patriots target and he has been selected as high as #23 in recent Mock Drafts.\u00a0 \u00a0I have taken Iheanachor is 3 of my 4 Mock Drafts.\u00a0 The 1st<\/sup> in early January had him as a 4th<\/sup> Round pick.\u00a0 The 2nd<\/sup> Draft I chose Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama in the 1st<\/sup> round so I didn\u2019t take Iheanachor.\u00a0 In the 3rd<\/sup> Mock it was Iheanachor again after two trade backs, Iheanachor was my 1st<\/sup> selection at #48 of the 2nd<\/sup> round.\u00a0 In my most recent mock draft, Iheanachor was my 1st<\/sup> round pick at #31.<\/p>\n

Mike Vrabel Attends Arizona State Pro Day<\/strong><\/h3>\n

On his way to the League Meetings in Phoenix, Vrabel stopped in Tempe to attend the Arizona State Pro Day.\u00a0 The player he was there to see was right tackle Max Iheanachor.\u00a0 The Vrabel video of going one-on-one with Iheanachor isn\u2019t going to play well if another team had interest in him.\u00a0 I recently saw a video of his game against Texas Tech with two EDGE rushers that are going to be drafted high this year, David Bailey and Romello Height.\u00a0 He stoned both of them, in fact he didn\u2019t give up a sack all year.\u00a0 He is raw but has a tremendous ceiling.\u00a0 He is very athletic and has very good feet for pass protection.<\/p>\n

Iheanachor has only been playing football for 5 years and needs a lot of coaching, especially in the run game.\u00a0 He is not a plug and play kind of guy and needs that year of Professional coaching to get up to the NFL level.\u00a0 I hope they just didn\u2019t blow their chance of drafting my Draft binkie.\u00a0 \u00a0After everyone left, Vrabel reportedly went back on the field with the now shirtless Iheanachor to work on a few more things with his hand placement.\u00a0 In a TV interview with a local reporter, Iheanachor confirmed that he met with the Patriots at the Combine and had a 30 Visit with them, stating “I am very familiar with their organization”.\u00a0 When asked about working with Head Coach Mike Vrabel, he stated “It was fun … It was a blessing getting to work with him”.<\/p>\n

Patriots Draft Needs versus Draft Strengths and Weaknesses<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The two biggest needs are EDGE<\/strong> and Right Tackle<\/strong>.\u00a0 Harold Landry, soon to be 30, has a history of injuries and is no longer the player he used to be.\u00a0 Landry mentioned Post Super Bowl that he needed a procedure on his knee this off-season.\u00a0 Can the Patriots rely on Landry on Day one to be their starting EDGE player?\u00a0 Elijah Ponder shows promise off of his rookie season with 4 sacks.\u00a0 That is the same production #3 Overall Draft Pick Abdul Carter had. \u00a0\u00a0EDGE rushers go early in the draft and if the Patriots wait until the end of the second round, they might get shutout of the quality EDGE rushers.<\/p>\n

Luckily this is a very good year for Right Tackles.\u00a0 That being said, the good ones usually go pretty quickly.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know what Mike Vrabel was doing by working out Max Iheanachor in front of scouts and allowing himself to be videotaped.<\/p>\n

I did one Mock Draft where I traded up for Iheanachor and got shut out from drafting any EDGE players.\u00a0 They went quickly and the cupboard was bare when it came the Patriots selection in Round 2 at #63.<\/p>\n

Morgan Moses will be 34 years-old this season and you can\u2019t expect that he will play every game this year like he did last season.\u00a0 Taking a future starter and giving that player time to learn I believe is the right strategy.\u00a0 If you draft an EDGE player, they will play less than 50% of the snaps.\u00a0 Injuries to both older players could play a role, but you do have Ponder as a Pass Rush specialist and last Years 5th<\/sup> Round selection Bradyn Swinson to back up.<\/p>\n

Tight End<\/strong> is a priority because Hunter Henry is 32 years old and they let Austin Hooper walk in Free Agency.\u00a0 The Patriots overpaid Julian Hill to serve as a blocking TE.\u00a0 That\u2019s would leave a void if Henry was lost for any period of time and looking ahead, you don\u2019t see many 33-year-old TEs in the league.\u00a0 Again, this is a very good year for TEs.\u00a0 Most College TEs are now spilt out in the slot and have no experience blocking.\u00a0 They are just big receivers like Mack Hollins.\u00a0\u00a0 There is one TE that can do both and that is Sam Roush of Stanford.\u00a0 His numbers in college don\u2019t jump out at you because Stanford was a run 1st<\/sup> offense.\u00a0 His athleticism was on display at the Combine where he put up a 9.93 Relative Athletic Score which was the best amongst TEs at the Combine. \u00a0Roush has had some drop issues.\u00a0 He lets the ball come into his chest too often and is not a natural hands catcher.<\/p>\n

Safety<\/strong> and Linebacker<\/strong> are the next areas of need.\u00a0 This draft is loaded with quality Safeties and some that are Day 3 selections will turn out to be great.\u00a0 Can the Patriots find a replacement this season for Kevin Byard who turns 33 this season?\u00a0 Drafting and development are the key mantras from Eliot Wolf.\u00a0 Give the rookie a year learning from Byard.\u00a0 I like VJ Payne from Kansas State as a possible backup.\u00a0 He is 6\u20193\u201d and runs a 4.4 40 yard dash.\u00a0 At his pro Day he ran a 6.94 3-cone drill which showed off his excellent change of direction skills.<\/p>\n

The Patriots lost Jack Gibbens to Free Agency.\u00a0 That was 77 tackles and 40% of the playing time.\u00a0 Jahlani Tavai was let go after contributing just 231 snaps on Defense.\u00a0 The previous two seasons he was over 1000 each year.\u00a0 Tavai just didn\u2019t fit the new Defense under Zak Kuhr. \u00a0\u00a0Don\u2019t be surprised to see the Patriots double dip on Linebackers.\u00a0 Kyle Louis a smaller linebacker out of Pittsburgh is in the mold of Marte Mapu.\u00a0 He is an interesting player in that he is a hybrid Strong Safety \/ LB.\u00a0 His coverage skill against TEs is spectacular.\u00a0 Bryce Boettcher is a two-sport athlete that plays Minor league baseball for the Angels.\u00a0 The Oregon product is known for his sideline-to-sideline ability as an Inside Linebacker.\u00a0 Owen Heinecke is another unsung hero in the middle. \u00a0He got absolutely screwed by the NCAA when they denied him an extra year of eligibility because he played 3 Lacrosse games as a freshman at Ohio State.\u00a0 He will be available on Day three when we have 4 – 6th<\/sup> round selections.\u00a0 The last couple of linebackers of note are Jack Kelly of BYU and Logan Fano of Utah<\/p>\n

Malichi Lawrence Doesn\u2019t Work Out at Pro Day<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The scouts were really ticked off that Lawrence didn\u2019t work out.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t even take off his sweats.\u00a0 Good, then perhaps they will drop him in their evaluation and give the Patriots a better chance of grabbing him.\u00a0 His numbers at the Combine speak for themselves.\u00a0 He had a 9.90 RAS, second only to Dani Dennis-Sutton 9.93.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t have anything to prove by working out.\u00a0 I believe he is the best pure pass rusher in the draft.\u00a0 These are his weaknesses according to NFL Draft Buzz:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Run defense is a real concern; gets washed out of his gap against power schemes.<\/li>\n
  • Struggles to anchor when offensive linemen get into his chest on double teams.<\/li>\n
  • Missed tackle rate is too high; needs to be more reliable as a finisher.<\/li>\n
  • Light frame raises questions about adding functional mass without losing his speed advantage.<\/li>\n
  • Assignment discipline lapses show up on tape, particularly against misdirection and play-action.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    He is a pass rusher only and can\u2019t be expected to play all three downs.<\/p>\n

    The Beast Draft Guide <\/strong><\/h3>\n

    The Athletic (NY Times Subscription) Dane Brugler will drop his epic NFL Draft Guide called \u201cThe Beast\u201d on April 9th<\/sup>.\u00a0 I rely on Brugler\u2019s comprehensive evaluations of the players and it\u2019s all in one place.\u00a0 It is worth the Athletic Subscription price just to get this one source of knowledge.\u00a0 When completing my Draft Analysis I will quote his and others evaluations.<\/p>\n

    Robert Kraft Pumps the Brakes on Season Expectations<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    Speaking at the Owners meetings before assembled media Kraft acknowledged \u201cIn all seriousness. I think actually the team way overachieved what any of us thought would happen\u201d.\u00a0 \u00a0The Patriots played the easiest schedule ever recorded and won three playoff games, in what proved to be inferior QB play, especially in Denver.\u00a0 Drake Maye got exposed when playing against top Defenses.\u00a0 This season\u2019s schedule will be much more difficult with two west coast trips against the Seahawks and Chargers, two playoff teams.\u00a0 It’s is refreshing to hear an owner be realistic.<\/p>\n

    Kraft also talked about upcoming negotiations with Christian Gonzalez and Drake Maye.\u00a0 He was pretty evasive but said he hopes both players will be Patriots for the long term.\u00a0 The Gonzalez negotiations are interesting because he has the same agent as the Top CB in the league Devon Witherspoon.\u00a0 \u00a0I suspect that Witherspoon will let Gonzalez set the market and then top his contract shortly thereafter.\u00a0 Witherspoon is a two-time 1st<\/sup> team All-Pro where Gonzalez was selected as 2nd<\/sup> team All-Pro in 2024.<\/p>\n

    The question is what is Gonzalez asking for?\u00a0 If he is pushing the market and asking for $40M a year as some have suggested, it could be a long, protracted negotiation.\u00a0 I think something in the range of $32M a year is the market based upon what Trent McDuffie signed for ($31M) with the LA Rams.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Analyzing Patriots draft smokescreens and misinformation, the team’s interest in RT Max Iheanachor, and key draft needs for EDGE, TE, and LB.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":66269,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[22992,23269,24476,24211,2211,1604,24471,305,24263,45,664,24470,24474,22738,24315,1967,24472,8,24420,24475,24473,33,24205,24469,24206],"class_list":["post-66263","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-patriots-news","tag-arizona-state","tag-christian-gonzalez","tag-draft-needs","tag-edge-rusher","tag-harold-landry","tag-hunter-henry","tag-jason-lacanfora","tag-linebacker","tag-max-iheanachor","tag-miami-dolphins","tag-mike-vrabel","tag-misinformation","tag-mock-drafts","tag-morgan-moses","tag-nfl-combine","tag-nfl-draft","tag-offensive-lineman","tag-patriots","tag-pff","tag-pro-day","tag-right-tackle","tag-robert-kraft","tag-safety","tag-smokescreens","tag-tight-end"],"yoast_head":"\nMORSE: Smokescreens and Misinformation Leading Up to Patriots Draft<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Analyzing Patriots draft smokescreens and misinformation, the team's interest in RT Max Iheanachor, and key draft needs for EDGE, TE, and LB.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/03\/31\/morse-smokescreens-and-misinformation-leading-up-to-patriots-draft\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"MORSE: Smokescreens and Misinformation Leading Up to Patriots Draft | PatsFans.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Analyzing Patriots draft smokescreens and misinformation, the team's interest in RT Max Iheanachor, and key draft needs for EDGE, TE, and LB.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/03\/31\/morse-smokescreens-and-misinformation-leading-up-to-patriots-draft\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"PatsFans.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pfans\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-03-31T08:30:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-31T14:01:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/USATSI_27736338_168390408_lowres-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Mark Morse\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@patsfans\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@patsfans\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/31\\\/morse-smokescreens-and-misinformation-leading-up-to-patriots-draft\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/31\\\/morse-smokescreens-and-misinformation-leading-up-to-patriots-draft\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Mark Morse\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/db6ff3fd6d44db4d259b674785ea2167\"},\"headline\":\"MORSE: Smokescreens and Misinformation Leading Up to Patriots Draft\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-31T08:30:08+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-31T14:01:37+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/31\\\/morse-smokescreens-and-misinformation-leading-up-to-patriots-draft\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1925,\"commentCount\":1,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/31\\\/morse-smokescreens-and-misinformation-leading-up-to-patriots-draft\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/USATSI_27736338_168390408_lowres-scaled.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Arizona State\",\"Christian Gonzalez\",\"Draft Needs\",\"Edge Rusher\",\"Harold Landry\",\"Hunter Henry\",\"Jason LaCanfora\",\"Linebacker\",\"Max Iheanachor\",\"Miami Dolphins\",\"Mike Vrabel\",\"Misinformation\",\"Mock Drafts\",\"Morgan Moses\",\"NFL Combine\",\"NFL Draft\",\"Offensive Lineman\",\"Patriots\",\"PFF\",\"Pro Day\",\"Right Tackle\",\"Robert Kraft\",\"Safety\",\"Smokescreens\",\"Tight End\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Patriots News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/31\\\/morse-smokescreens-and-misinformation-leading-up-to-patriots-draft\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/31\\\/morse-smokescreens-and-misinformation-leading-up-to-patriots-draft\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/31\\\/morse-smokescreens-and-misinformation-leading-up-to-patriots-draft\\\/\",\"name\":\"MORSE: Smokescreens and Misinformation Leading Up to Patriots Draft\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/31\\\/morse-smokescreens-and-misinformation-leading-up-to-patriots-draft\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/31\\\/morse-smokescreens-and-misinformation-leading-up-to-patriots-draft\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/USATSI_27736338_168390408_lowres-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-31T08:30:08+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-31T14:01:37+00:00\",\"description\":\"Analyzing Patriots draft smokescreens and misinformation, the team's interest in RT Max Iheanachor, and key draft needs for EDGE, TE, and LB.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/31\\\/morse-smokescreens-and-misinformation-leading-up-to-patriots-draft\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/31\\\/morse-smokescreens-and-misinformation-leading-up-to-patriots-draft\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/31\\\/morse-smokescreens-and-misinformation-leading-up-to-patriots-draft\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/USATSI_27736338_168390408_lowres-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/USATSI_27736338_168390408_lowres-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1707,\"caption\":\"Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/31\\\/morse-smokescreens-and-misinformation-leading-up-to-patriots-draft\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Patriots News\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/category\\\/patriots-news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"MORSE: Smokescreens and Misinformation Leading Up to Patriots Draft\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"PatsFans.com\",\"description\":\"Patriots Blog with News and Analysis\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"PatsFans.com\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/PF_Social_Logo.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/PF_Social_Logo.webp\",\"width\":300,\"height\":300,\"caption\":\"PatsFans.com\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/pfans\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/patsfans\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/patsfans\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.com\\\/patsfans\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/patsfans\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tiktok.com\\\/@patsfans.official\"],\"foundingDate\":\"2000-06-17\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/db6ff3fd6d44db4d259b674785ea2167\",\"name\":\"Mark Morse\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/edac4d42d2c985795df98560d6b4a8771bc8502406d21e7a8ee977393412af3e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/edac4d42d2c985795df98560d6b4a8771bc8502406d21e7a8ee977393412af3e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/edac4d42d2c985795df98560d6b4a8771bc8502406d21e7a8ee977393412af3e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Mark Morse\"},\"description\":\"Merrimack Valley native and lifelong fan of the New England Patriots. My earliest memories of the Patriots were attending as a child with my dad, the off-season practice at Phillips Academy. I was at the Patriots game at Harvard Stadium in 1970 where Bob \u201cHarpo\u201d Gladieux was called out of the stands by the stadium announcer over the PA to play in the game. Analyzing the draft since ESPN first started to televise it in 1980 and former writer for the Lowell Sun Newspaper.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/markmorse5\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"MORSE: Smokescreens and Misinformation Leading Up to Patriots Draft","description":"Analyzing Patriots draft smokescreens and misinformation, the team's interest in RT Max Iheanachor, and key draft needs for EDGE, TE, and LB.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/03\/31\/morse-smokescreens-and-misinformation-leading-up-to-patriots-draft\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"MORSE: Smokescreens and Misinformation Leading Up to Patriots Draft | PatsFans.com","og_description":"Analyzing Patriots draft smokescreens and misinformation, the team's interest in RT Max Iheanachor, and key draft needs for EDGE, TE, and LB.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/03\/31\/morse-smokescreens-and-misinformation-leading-up-to-patriots-draft\/","og_site_name":"PatsFans.com","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pfans","article_published_time":"2026-03-31T08:30:08+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-03-31T14:01:37+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1707,"url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/USATSI_27736338_168390408_lowres-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Mark Morse","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@patsfans","twitter_site":"@patsfans","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/03\/31\/morse-smokescreens-and-misinformation-leading-up-to-patriots-draft\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/03\/31\/morse-smokescreens-and-misinformation-leading-up-to-patriots-draft\/"},"author":{"name":"Mark Morse","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/db6ff3fd6d44db4d259b674785ea2167"},"headline":"MORSE: Smokescreens and Misinformation Leading Up to Patriots Draft","datePublished":"2026-03-31T08:30:08+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-31T14:01:37+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/03\/31\/morse-smokescreens-and-misinformation-leading-up-to-patriots-draft\/"},"wordCount":1925,"commentCount":1,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/03\/31\/morse-smokescreens-and-misinformation-leading-up-to-patriots-draft\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/USATSI_27736338_168390408_lowres-scaled.jpg","keywords":["Arizona State","Christian Gonzalez","Draft Needs","Edge Rusher","Harold Landry","Hunter Henry","Jason LaCanfora","Linebacker","Max Iheanachor","Miami Dolphins","Mike Vrabel","Misinformation","Mock Drafts","Morgan Moses","NFL Combine","NFL Draft","Offensive Lineman","Patriots","PFF","Pro Day","Right Tackle","Robert Kraft","Safety","Smokescreens","Tight End"],"articleSection":["Patriots News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/03\/31\/morse-smokescreens-and-misinformation-leading-up-to-patriots-draft\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/03\/31\/morse-smokescreens-and-misinformation-leading-up-to-patriots-draft\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/03\/31\/morse-smokescreens-and-misinformation-leading-up-to-patriots-draft\/","name":"MORSE: Smokescreens and Misinformation Leading Up to Patriots Draft","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/03\/31\/morse-smokescreens-and-misinformation-leading-up-to-patriots-draft\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/03\/31\/morse-smokescreens-and-misinformation-leading-up-to-patriots-draft\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/USATSI_27736338_168390408_lowres-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2026-03-31T08:30:08+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-31T14:01:37+00:00","description":"Analyzing Patriots draft smokescreens and misinformation, the team's interest in RT Max Iheanachor, and key draft needs for EDGE, TE, and LB.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/03\/31\/morse-smokescreens-and-misinformation-leading-up-to-patriots-draft\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/03\/31\/morse-smokescreens-and-misinformation-leading-up-to-patriots-draft\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/03\/31\/morse-smokescreens-and-misinformation-leading-up-to-patriots-draft\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/USATSI_27736338_168390408_lowres-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/USATSI_27736338_168390408_lowres-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1707,"caption":"Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/03\/31\/morse-smokescreens-and-misinformation-leading-up-to-patriots-draft\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Patriots News","item":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/category\/patriots-news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"MORSE: Smokescreens and Misinformation Leading Up to Patriots Draft"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/","name":"PatsFans.com","description":"Patriots Blog with News and Analysis","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#organization","name":"PatsFans.com","url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/PF_Social_Logo.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/PF_Social_Logo.webp","width":300,"height":300,"caption":"PatsFans.com"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pfans","https:\/\/x.com\/patsfans","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/patsfans","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/patsfans\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/patsfans","https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@patsfans.official"],"foundingDate":"2000-06-17"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/db6ff3fd6d44db4d259b674785ea2167","name":"Mark Morse","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/edac4d42d2c985795df98560d6b4a8771bc8502406d21e7a8ee977393412af3e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/edac4d42d2c985795df98560d6b4a8771bc8502406d21e7a8ee977393412af3e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/edac4d42d2c985795df98560d6b4a8771bc8502406d21e7a8ee977393412af3e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Mark Morse"},"description":"Merrimack Valley native and lifelong fan of the New England Patriots. My earliest memories of the Patriots were attending as a child with my dad, the off-season practice at Phillips Academy. I was at the Patriots game at Harvard Stadium in 1970 where Bob \u201cHarpo\u201d Gladieux was called out of the stands by the stadium announcer over the PA to play in the game. Analyzing the draft since ESPN first started to televise it in 1980 and former writer for the Lowell Sun Newspaper.","url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/author\/markmorse5\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/USATSI_27736338_168390408_lowres-scaled.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66263","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=66263"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66263\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":66270,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66263\/revisions\/66270"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/66269"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66263"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66263"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=66263"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}