PatsPropaganda

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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

So that’s it then at fullback… or is it?

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Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports

The Patriots reportedly are not utilising a traditional fullback in the 2022 season, but fullback aficionados do not worry just yet.

We see from the coaching staff that coach Bill may not be one for ‘labels’, and so in that narrative there may be a lot less for fullback fans to worry about.

Now, that’s not to say the loss of Jakob Johnson isn’t significant. He was a really good Patriots player, who last season developed his skill set by making a few catches, as well as his impact on the run game.

And it would seem his former Offensive Co-ordinator sees his value, as Johnson makes his way to Vegas to join Josh McDaniels and the Raiders. 

So, where does that leave us Patriots fans huh?

You may, or may not recall, this humble writer/podcaster has been on the “Dalton Keene for fullback” hill for a while. I sat here kind of alone for a bit, but many seem to be pondering this option and that’s great, just as I’m thinking of heading down…

Now hear me out folks, I haven’t given up on the 22 year old from Virginia Tech, I just have concerns over his injury history. He has been in the Patriots system for two years now, and it feels like 2022 might have to be a show or go year. 

So there we have option one… do you wanna see what’s behind door number two…

It’s someone who is also already in the Patriots system, it’s Jonnu Smith! But you probably guessed that too. 

Smith came over on quite a large contract for four years, and had as many touchdowns in 2021 for the Patriots as JC Jackson did… not ideal. However, this chap is an immense athlete, and has the potential to be rather versatile, did someone say weapon? No, good, that’s not my favourite term to be honest. 

Okay I jest, but seriously, we know he is a good player, we have seen it, in fits and starts we just need some constancy and development, and hopefully training camp 2022 will showcase a bit of this. 

Smith’s blocking abilities are a little lacking in comparison to Johnson, but with the strength of the running backs like Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson it may pale into insignificance.

And that is sort of door number three, power running backs. There are plenty of holes in the roster to fill but the work out of Leonard Fournette, even though he went back to the Bucs, shows that depth at that position could be extra important as the duties of the running backs could evolve a little, there’s that versatility again. 

Another guy sitting on the Patriots roster, with some H-back kinda qualities is Nebraska’s Devine Ozigbo. At 6 foot 2, and 225 pounds he’s got some height there, and some talent, but as a Patriot he’s an unseen entity at present. 

So there you have it fullback fans, there are many options to get yourself excited about, maybe?

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.

Free Agency: The Tight Endage Report – and MUCH more! from Clazzy Clare

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Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Whilst the legal tampering period was opening up, and Patriots Nation’s vision was on where will JC Jackson go (LA Chargers for 5 years at $82.5 million, with around $40 million guaranteed) not forgetting the whole, will the Patriots take a top wide receiver, part of my gaze was focused on what was happening in the tight end rooms. 

And, I was rather interested to find many of the top free agent tight ends were re-signed or tagged by their original team. Now, I appreciate you might not be quite as interested as I in this, however, with the depth at the draft this year it may be quite significant that so many teams have stayed with their existing tight ends, even the rather cap strapped Dallas Cowboys tagged Dalton Schultz, but to be fair he is quite good, but I digress. 

We all know that the tight end position is one of the tougher ones in the NFL to play, and to develop within. It is utilised in pretty much all the range of offensive plays, meaning the plate of those big 6 foot 4-5-6 guys can get rather full. 

So, a quick league wide recap of who has gone and where in the tight end market:

Arizona maintained Zach Ertz for a further 3 years at $31.65 million. The Browns franchise tagged David Njoku, as did the Dolphins with Mike Gesicki. The Colts lost their long time tight end to retirement, and so the maintaining of Mo Alie-Cox on a 3 year $18 million deal wasn’t too surprising. They may have traded away their top quarterback, but the Seahawks kept Will Dissly on a 3 year $24 million deal. There was some tight endage shuffle as the aforementioned Seahawks obtained Noah Fant in one of the biggest trades the NFL has seen for a while. Evan Engram hopped over from New York (Giants) to Jacksonville on a 1 year $9 million deal and the other New York team, the Jets, pulled C.J Uzomah from Cincinnati on a 3 year $24 million deal. 

Okay, so now I have done my public service in making sure you lovely Patriots fans are aware what has gone on in the world of tight endage, I am here to update you on the rest! Just call me Miss Unliiiiiiimited…

Moving swiftly on! 

Unfortunately, it is with a heavy heart that I write Steady Teddy, Ted Karras, has gotten paid and is on route to Cincinnati on a 3 year $18 million deal. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am happy when a great player gets paid, but when it’s at the possible sacrifice of the offensive line, I’m sorry I can’t really be THAT happy. 

The possibly, most obvious move, and perhaps the most hated by many Patriots fans so far this season, is the jetting off of cornerback JC Jackson to sunnier climates. The LA Chargers scooped him up on a long deal of 5 years at $82.5 million. 

The Patriots did some quiet maintaining whilst big name wide receivers were moving around, some were having money practically thrown at them, in particular Jacksonville giving Christian Kirk a $72 million, possibly up to $84 million, 4 year deal, but as of yet the Patriots only receiver action was a second round restricted free agent tender on Jakobi Meyers.

The Patriots quarterback room maintains some stability with Brian Hoyer on a 2 year $4 million deal, as New England retains three fan favourites, and some grounding the team needs (in my humble opinion) during this rebuild, of Devin McCourty for 1 year at $9 million, Matthew Slater on a 1 year $2.6 million deal, and (thank goodness!) Nick Folk for 2 years at $5 million. James Ferentz has reportedly signed a contract with the Patriots but the terms have not yet been announced. 

So there you have it you lovely lot, free agency frenzy so far… and it’s only Tuesday morning! 

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.

Franchise Tagging: The Tight Endage Report from Clazzy Clare 

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(AP Photo/Stew Milne)

The significant amount of tight end talent that hit free agency was eye-watering and rather bittersweet if you are a tight end enthusiast whose team isn’t going to target tight endage in free agency. But that’s okay, Hunter Henry is special enough for me.

But I digress. With the franchise tag of David Njoku, the Browns are set to put down just over $10 million for him in 2022, so there’s one off the list. 

But the total available tight endage is still significant with some epic strength and ability. Did someone say Rob Gronkowski?

Now, Rob may be utilising the gymnasium equipment at the Tampa Bay facility, but he is still currently set to be a free agent. Not only that, there is a second name belonging to the Bucs on the list in O.J Howard, and the Bucs saved their franchise tag for wide receiver Chris Godwin, whilst a lot are wondering who will be throwing to him… 

Tampa Bay aren’t the only team that may need to double dip when it comes to drafting or signing some nice tight endage. 

The Tennessee Titans let their two tight ends hit free agency in Anthony Frisker and Geoff Swaim, as well as the Miami Dolphins Durham Smythe and for a time their elite guy, Mike Gesicki was atop of the free agency tight end list until he was tagged yesterday. The Colts are two guys down also with Jack Doyle announcing his retirement, and Mo Alie-Cox a free agent as I write this. 

As the list goes on, obviously the teams with available spots do too. Very familiar household tight end names such as Schultz from the Cowboys, Ertz from the Cardinals and Engram from the Giants were all in the mix. Poor Kyle Pitts may end up being THE Atlanta offense, but that’s a different topic entirely. 

Surprising to some, the Cowboys tagged a favourite target of Dak Prescott in Dalton Schultz. With just under an $11 million hit on the cap, I can see why many were surprised, not only that but the Cowboys are presently well over the relevant cap limit for this year. Some renegotiating of current players deals will probably sort all that out, and when you have a decent quarterback to work around, you do the best you can to keep his top talent within reach. 

Most of this is much of a muchness if you’re a Patriots fan of course. With the price tags on Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith last year, you wouldn’t think Coach Bill is interested. However, this list, and available spots, could have a reverse impact on the Patriots. 

I’m one of those people who wasn’t all in on Jonnu Smith, but has no issue with him remaining in New England, and increasing his production in year two. 

Some fans would be happy to trade him away, there’s always the fact that his lacklustre 2021 stats might not make him a great sell, but you never know. 

The possibility of something else intrigues me much more than the slim possibility of Smith not being a Patriot for the 2022 season, and that is Devin Asiasi. 

If you’re interested in my work, you will have seen/heard/read my pondering over this tight end for, well, two years now. Multiple reasons have eaten into why we haven’t seen much out of Asiasi, but at the end of the day, on paper he is a young tight end, would go for quite cheap money, and may still be developing, so easily fittable into the right program… possibly?

Another name of a tight end Patriots fans haven’t heard much of when it comes to games, is Dalton Keene. A bit more of a H-back kind of versatile guy, he may hold a skill set the Patriots could need in a couple of years, but by then he will be working towards the end of his rookie draft deal, and didn’t really play within his first two with the team. August 2021 saw him under go season ending surgery to repair a meniscus injury and so, like Asiasi, 2022 may be show or go time. 

And so, with the franchise tag window closed, the clock ticks down to the legal tampering period, free agency, the draft, and all that jazz. We await the outcome of where these guys may end up. Okay… just me then?

Stay tuned for more tight end reporting as I keep an eye on free agency availability and collate my combine notes!

Patriots to release Kyle Van Noy

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Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports

The first major move of the offseason has been reported as the Pats are expected to move on from LB Kyle Van Noy, who was under contract for the 2022 season. Field Yates broke the story, but Mike Reiss also offered some additional context, noting that this move was economically influenced, likely needing some extra room for movement in free agency, and for the upcoming Draft in April.

Van Noy leaves following his second stint with the team, a move which I’m content with as the defense desperately needs to get younger and faster. Others who could follow are the likes of Jamie Collins, Dont’a Hightower, and Ja’Whaun Bentley, who are all pending free agents.

Friend of the blog Mike Dussault covered the linebacker group questions ahead of free agency next week, including some players who may add something to the team from elsewhere.

The move creates just shy of $5M cap space, and as always, you can see the full financial breakdown from Miguel below: