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Tom Shaw-Mellors

Patriots Tweets Of Note: Mini Camp 06/08/22

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Day 2 of Mini Camp is in the books and there was plenty of interesting reports from those lucky enough to be in attendance, so let’s check out today’s Tweets Of Note!

Mike D’s daily vantage point picture shows a gloomy look over the Foxboro practice fields.

Jack Jones has certainly been the standout of the rookie class so far, he was around the ball a lot today making plays. I also watched his press conference after and seems like a good kid who has matured since his distractions in college.

Love to see this up close sled work, the big boys putting the work in.

The Jones-Nixon connection continues, and Ernie Adams’ final pick of the 2021 Draft is beginning to create a frenzy from his early camp performances, this is for sure a partnership to watch.

A bigger brace on for Mac today, always something of note when any mobility supports are changed on a QB, but it didn’t seem to impact his throwing that’s for sure.

Another narrative that’s running wild is who will be calling plays for the offense this season, Patricia seems to be the front runner, as he continued to call team drills, but I have a feeling we won’t be finding out officially anytime soon.

Some noted attendees by Mark Daniels with nothing too major to reflect on. Kendrick Bourne did return today as expected.

More tomorrow!

Patriots Tweets Of Note: OTAs 06/07/22

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Tweets Of Note is back! I’ll be covering tweets from reporters present at all three OTA practices this week starting with what went down at today’s first mandatory session.

Mike D offers a great view from his vantage point today, covering the action for Patriots Unfiltered!

An interesting note by Mike Onwenu is that he’s been continuing to work at both guard and tackle during his time away, it could be a big year for him in the offensive front.

Bourne was one of the most notable absentees from today’s first mandatory session, although the consensus is that he’ll be back on the field in the coming days. I thought Harry may have sat out, but he was also there, but I think he’ll be traded by the start of Training Camp.

It will be interesting to see if this is a thing Mac keeps going throughout the summer, or if it’s more of an OTA pre-camp thing, but the extra work won’t hurt, and it sounded like he made some nice plays today. Expectations are tempered here, no pads, it’s not real football yet.

Some nice action shots on the Spanish Pats account!

A lot of reports mentioned this play from Jones to Nixon, the latter of which spent his rookie season on the practice squad.

An interesting bit from Bill’s presser today, I wonder if Cam Newton wished they would have done this when he was in New England?

Yes! A bit of aggression early on, involving this year’s first-round pick Cole Strange.

This is indeed new, something to watch as the summer rolls on, Wynn is heading into the final year of his contract, having really underwhelmed by my expectations in a Patriots uniform, I don’t really know what his season is shaping up to be. We’ll see.

More tomorrow, Go Pats!

Patriots 2022 Draft Recap

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Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Well the 2022 NFL Draft has been and gone, let’s take a look at every pick made by the Patriots!

Round 1 – Pick 29 – C/G Cole Strange (Chattanooga)

Many were surprised (me included) that the Patriots went with Strange, not so much the guard position itself, I just didn’t think the team would go with him in the first round. I think a defensive player such as Trent McDuffie, who was available before the Patriots traded down from 21, would have been a better pick in terms of value.

But, the pick was made and Strange will head into Training Camp with the expectation of being a day 1 starter for the franchise at the guard position.

Mike Reiss’ Bio:

Round 2 – Pick 50 – WR Tyquan Thornton (Baylor)

A speedy WR for the Patriots? YUP! The Pats traded up four spots to land the fastest wideout in the entire draft, taking Tyquan Thornton out of Baylor. I’m intrigued by this pick, Thornton has elite speed but comes with some questions about his catch/route run ability.

With good production last year, Thornton could become the go-to deep threat option, especially with Nelson Agholor’s contract up at the end of the 2022 season.

Mike Reiss’ Bio:

[Read more…] about Patriots 2022 Draft Recap

Patriots Draft Guard Cole Strange In First Round of 2022 NFL Draft

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Wow, somewhat of a stunner by the Patriots as they take a projected Day 2 pick in the first round. Originally the Pats traded down eight spots with Kansas City, and with the likes of Nakobe Dean, Dax Hill, and Anthony Booth Jr still on the board, Bill decided to fill the interior line position.

I won’t lie, I don’t like the pick this high, I think there is more elite talent on the board, however, the team hasn’t been afraid to reach a little for players they really like, I guess we’ll see.

https://twitter.com/Patriots/status/1519879317064364033?s=20&t=EMj_gJDDXwtpBSr51bEjAQ

Remaining Patriots Picks:

Round 2-54
Round 3-85
Round 3-94
Round 4-121
Round 4-127
Round 5-158
Round 6-183
Round 6-200
Round 6-210
Round 7-245

Patriots Mock Draft Check-In

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(AP Photo/Steve Luciano)

We’re under two weeks away from the 2022 NFL Draft, and I can’t wait! The Patriots currently have 8 picks in the draft, but we’re going to focus on their first pick, number 21 overall in the first round. Let’s take a look at some of the latest projections from the NFL media, and me and Clare!

Mel Kiper – ESPN – LB Devin Lloyd (Utah)

Charlie Neibergall, Associated Press

I thought about a wide receiver and cornerback here, but Lloyd just feels like a Bill Belichick-type player. He’s always around the ball, is a great blitzer from the middle of the defense and makes plays. The Patriots allowed 4.5 yards per carry last season, which ranked 25th in the league. This fills a void with an impact player.

Mel Kiper

Mike Dussault – Patriots.com – G Zion Johnson (Boston College)

Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

With the departure of their two starting guards from 2021, the position has rapidly become an important need even with Michael Onwenu in the mix for one of the spots. Johnson could not only immediately fill the other guard spot, but also offer some tackle position versatility, a big plus with two starting tackles that have battled injuries in the past. Johnson is as much of a sure thing as there is in this draft and checks all the boxes as far as fit in New England.

Mike Dussault

Peter Schrager – Good Morning Football

Johnson’s stock began to soar at the combine, and I’m hearing he’s interviewing incredibly well with teams. He can play center or guard and has a high football IQ. I think the Patriots can go a variety of ways (bold take!), but beefing up their offensive line and getting Mac Jones another protector up front makes sense.

Peter Schrager

Tom Shaw-Mellors – PatsPropaganda

I’m going to join both Mike and Peter with my projection that Johnson will be the Patriots’ pick at number 21. I was lucky to see him in action in his final College game against Wake Forest in November, he’s a big boy, and will for sure fill an important position of need for the Pats.

It might not be a sexy pick for the first round, but you can’t deny a starting guard would be a welcome addition to the offensive front following the departures of Joe Thuney and Shaq Mason in back-to-back off-seasons.

Tom Shaw-Mellors

Lance Zierlein – NFL.com – G Kenyon Green (Texas A&M)

Ken Murray/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Total Patriots pick right here. Green is big (6-4, 325), tough and reliable, with multi-position flexibility if needed. He’s an early starter with Pro Bowl potential.

Lance Zierlein

Todd McShay – ESPN – LB Nakobe Dean (Georgia)

David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

New England could use a spark in the middle of the defense. Dean might not have the measurables that NFL teams seek — he is 5-foot-11 with shorter arms — but his tape might be my favorite in the entire class because of his incredible effort on every play and the way he can impact the run defense, pass defense and pass rush on any given set of downs. I think he’d be a star in coach Bill Belichick’s system.

Todd McShay

Clare Cooper – PatsPropaganda – CB Trent McDuffie (Wisconsin)

Steph Chambers/Getty Images

This draft has me so torn with some great talent and a vast number of holes to plug for the Patriots. I believe they need to get some defensive weapons such as cornerback and even maybe linebacker but the offensive line has me the most nervous. I have a serious internal conflict as I kind of want them to take an olineman such as Bernhard Raimann or Trevor Penning… but at the same time Trent McDuffie of a Washington would be a fantastic addition.

If the top CBs are gone at 21 and one of those o-line guys are around then I would be happy enough especially if they pick up Coby Bryant of Cincinnati later on. But bottom line, 21st pick for the Patriots… a top CB please, McDuffie if he’s still on the menu.

Clare Cooper

Ryan Wilson – CBS

Even though McDuffie balled out on the outside for the Huskies this season, we get Tyrann Matthieu vibes when we watch him. He has the athleticism to line up anywhere — and he told us at the combine that he can do just that at the next level. McDuffie is one of the best cornerbacks in this class and feels like a natural fit in New England.

Ryan Wilson

Josh Edwards – CBS – CB Kaiir Elam (Florida)

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Bill Belichick has always valued bigger cornerbacks that can play on the boundary. They acquired DeVante Parker from Miami so a need at wide receiver has diminished but cornerback still looms. Elam can step in and be counted upon much in the same way as Stephon Gilmore or J.C. Jackson.

Josh Edwards

Anthony Treash – PFF – CB Andrew Booth Jr. (Clemson)

Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images

Booth doesn’t quite have the lockdown numbers as some of the other top corner prospects in this class, as he allowed 329 yards across 288 coverage snaps in 2021. However, he does have the tools worth taking a swing on in the first round.

The 2019 five-star recruit has exceptional feet, good length and brings the physicality out on the field. Booth also made up for lost time down the stretch of 2021, as he combined for five interceptions and pass breakups in his final three starts.

Andrew Treash

Daniel Jeremiah – NFL.com – WR Jameson Williams (Alabama)

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

The Patriots need to get more dynamic weapons for Mac Jones. Though he’s currently recovering from a torn ACL, Williams has elite top speed and toughness.

Daniel Jeremiah

BREAKING – Patriots trade Shaq Mason to Tampa Bay

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Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Wow. In a stunning move, the Patriots are reportedly trading starting Guard Shaq Mason to Tampa Bay, in exchange for a fifth-round draft pick.

I am stunned by this, and I’m really not happy about it. The move itself brings in a fifth-rounder, which let’s face it, is basically nothing. It frees up just shy of $7M cap space, but my question is why was it not possible to work out a new deal with Mason to lower his cap number this year?

This move not only should have the Bucs front office in handcuffs for committing a robbery on the Patriots organization, but, it also leaves the Patriots in flux at another key position.

The cap space created is the only real benefit here, but it could have been created in other ways. Mason was a key, consistent player, who is now reunited with Tom Brady, and has a chance to win another ring, just not in New England.

Patriots re-sign Devin McCourty to a one-year deal

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Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

As first reported by his children, Devin McCourty is returning to New England for a thirteenth season with the franchise on a reported one-year deal worth $9M.

I can see the ups and downs of this move, so let’s start with the ups.

Positivley speaking, McCourty is one of, if not the top leaders of this team, he’s one of the most tenured players on the roster and certainly checks off that worry I had about if there would be enough locker room leaders to help the team forward. Alongside his duties as a captain, DMac still can still play a role on defense, in a unit which is slated to include him, Kyle Dugger, and Adrian Phillips.

The downside to this is that $9M is a fair bit for a declining veteran who we all saw slow down last season, I think this could be his final season as a pro, let’s hope it’s a good one!

In other news…

Earlier today the Patriots placed a second-round tender on Jakobi Meyers, who is a pending restricted free agent. This means If a team makes an offer for Meyers, the Patriots have a chance to match the offer, or, if they let him leave, they will receive a future second round draft pick. With a team offer for Meyers unlikely, the Patriots will retain the former undrafted pass-catcher for another season for around $3.9M.

Also reported this afternoon was the decision that the team have decided to let Fullback Jakob Johnson test out the open market, not a surprise given how much of a salary increase the lowest tender would have cost. Don’t be surprised to see Johnson back with the team next season though, especially given that the Patriots now have an international market in Germany.