While Jerod Mayo’s pre-practice press conference was loaded with questions about Brandon Aiyuk and the possibility that the Patriots will add a highly-priced wideout, he did note that the players who are healthy enough to play in Thursday’s game against the Panthers will play.
That includes all four quarterbacks. That includes highly-paid players on new deals. And of course that includes young players vying for new gigs.
In our latest edition of Stock Watch, we have players all across the spectrum represented. Let’s get to the names of note from Day 11…
Kyle Dugger, safety
Dugger is having one of the best camps of anyone on the Patriots roster. After causing a pick at the goal line by breaking up a pass on Day 10, Dugger followed that up with a sack, a pressure and a pass breakup in coverage on Austin Hooper on Tuesday.
Jaheim Bell, tight end
The lone down moment for Dugger was when he was in coverage on rookie seventh-round pick Jaheim Bell in a 7-on-7 period. Drake Maye floated a fade to the back corner of the end zone that Bell reeled in despite tight coverage from the veteran safety.
Bell has missed time with an undisclosed ailment, but when given an opportunity to make a play, he made one.
Chad Ryland, kicker
Ryland has consistently won the kick-off kicker competitions to finish off camp practices this summer.
He won another matchup with Joey Slye on Tuesday by drilling a 50-yarder to finish off the back-and-forth. Slye missed his opportunity from the same distance after going kick-for-kick with Ryland before that.
Kevin Harris, running back
It’s been hard for the Patriots running game to find much room at the line of scrimmage, which isn’t necessarily a Harris issue. But he fumbled a handoff in the wet weather on Tuesday.
He’ll have an opportunity to make up for it by racking up plenty of carries on Thursday night, one would think.
Atonio Mafi, interior offensive lineman
The Patriots appeared to move Mafi off the center position in recent practices, going instead with a rotation of David Andrews, Nick Leverett and Charles Turner at that spot. But he was back at center briefly on Day 11. Once there was a fumbled snap to Drake Maye, though, he was pulled in favor of Leverett.
It looks like if Mafi is going to make the team, it’ll be as a guard. Snapping the football consistently has been an issue for him as he tries a new position.
Javon Baker, wide receiver
This was a tough inclusion because Baker made one of the most impressive catches of camp when he laid out for a Jacoby Brissett offering and pulled it in as he somersaulted out of bounds. His feet didn’t stay in bounds, though.
He also had a drop later in the practice and he had a target from Maye that was picked off. On the interception, it was unclear whether or not Baker should’ve had the reception — it looked like the pass bounced off his chest plate — or if it had been deflected by A.J. Thomas before being picked by Marcellas Dial.
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]]>The action could’ve been described as violent at times. At the end of the session, safety A.J. Thomas blew up wide receiver JaQuae Jackson on a pass over the middle. Jackson held on but met with trainers soon after after taking a jarring shot to his midsection.
A practice like that one is useful, of course, to measure play in the trenches. It’s helpful when trying to check in on short-yardage effectiveness for both the offense and defense. And if you want to gauge player toughness quotients, this was the practice for you.
It wasn’t the most friendly of circumstances for quarterback evaluation, with much of the focus going to the run game, but that’s what we’ll do here anyway in The Drake Maye Report for Day 10.
In 11-on-11 work, Jacoby Brissett took 22 competitive reps. Drake Maye, meanwhile, took 21. (Some of those reps featured only half the defense of line rushing the passer, perhaps in an effort to limit the workloads for some of the big bodies at the line of scrimmage.)
Maye finished his competitive reps going 4-for-7, with four sacks and two snaps that resulted in scrambles.
The sack number there is a glaring one. The Patriots defense worked throughout the practice on games and stunts at the line of scrimmage. Despite seeing those looks many times, the second unit offensive line had difficulty blocking them.
Of the four sacks on the day, three came thanks to stunts on the defensive line. The fourth was credited to Davon Godchaux after he powered through Caedan Wallace, and forced the rookie tackle’s back to bump up against the rookie quarterback.
Jacoby Brissett went 10-for-13 with an interception. The pick was not Brissett’s fault as he hit his fullback for a would be touchdown in the goal line session. Kyle Dugger popped the ball loose, and Ja’Whaun Bentley intercepted it. Brissett remains the top quarterback in all drills, and he once again took all first-team reps.
Maye showed off his athleticism early in the practice by scrambling for a touchdown on fourth down, which came after a useful completion on third down to running back JaMycal Hasty.
His best throw of the day, however, was not completed. He aired one out to K.J. Osborn that looked like it should’ve been caught with Osborn getting a step behind the defense. The wideout appeared to have trouble tracking the ball, though, and slowed down before it arrived. It landed just beyond his reach for an incompletion.
In this section of The Drake Maye Report, we’ll highlight the portions of the rookie’s performance that suggest he’s prepared to sit atop the hierarchy of quarterbacks in New England sooner rather than later.
Maye’s ability to get himself out of trouble and pick up yardage with his legs could help him establish himself as a useful quarterback wary in his rookie season.
Quarterback scrambles, in terms of advanced metrics like EPA, are among the most efficient plays in football. His two scrambles on Monday would’ve been two of the best runs of the day in a run-game heavy practice.
In this section of The Drake Maye Report, we’ll highlight the portions of the rookie’s performance that suggest he’s not quite ready to sit atop the quarterback depth chart.
The Patriots may be forced to wait and see on Maye’s readiness simply because they aren’t getting a great look at how he can operate from the pocket. While the first-unit offensive line has help up well in recent practices, the same can’t be said for the second unit.
With some injuries at tackle, Maye has had Wallace, undrafted rookie Zuri Henry and the newly-signed (Aug. 2) Kellen Diesch blocking for him on the edge. Plays that end in “sacks” often end with a defender standing flat-footed in Maye’s face as he tries to attempt a throw. One on Monday was deflected by tight end Jacob Warren and picked by A.J. Thomas, but we did not record that as part of the day’s results, just as we don’t record completions made after “sacks.”
Once those sacks happen, the play is over. And for Maye, too often lately, the play has been over well before it should’ve been because of shoddy protection.
It will Maye hard for him to be deemed “ready” until he has an opportunity to work with starters, thereby giving his coaching staff a better look at what he’s capable of.
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]]>While Jerod Mayo’s pre-practice press conference was loaded with questions about Brandon Aiyuk and the possibility that the Patriots will add a highly-priced wideout, he did note that the players who are healthy enough to play in Thursday’s game against the Panthers will play.
That includes all four quarterbacks. That includes highly-paid players on new deals. And of course that includes young players vying for new gigs.
In our latest edition of Stock Watch, we have players all across the spectrum represented. Let’s get to the names of note from Day 11…
Kyle Dugger, safety
Dugger is having one of the best camps of anyone on the Patriots roster. After causing a pick at the goal line by breaking up a pass on Day 10, Dugger followed that up with a sack, a pressure and a pass breakup in coverage on Austin Hooper on Tuesday.
Jaheim Bell, tight end
The lone down moment for Dugger was when he was in coverage on rookie seventh-round pick Jaheim Bell in a 7-on-7 period. Drake Maye floated a fade to the back corner of the end zone that Bell reeled in despite tight coverage from the veteran safety.
Bell has missed time with an undisclosed ailment, but when given an opportunity to make a play, he made one.
Chad Ryland, kicker
Ryland has consistently won the kick-off kicker competitions to finish off camp practices this summer.
He won another matchup with Joey Slye on Tuesday by drilling a 50-yarder to finish off the back-and-forth. Slye missed his opportunity from the same distance after going kick-for-kick with Ryland before that.
Kevin Harris, running back
It’s been hard for the Patriots running game to find much room at the line of scrimmage, which isn’t necessarily a Harris issue. But he fumbled a handoff in the wet weather on Tuesday.
He’ll have an opportunity to make up for it by racking up plenty of carries on Thursday night, one would think.
Atonio Mafi, interior offensive lineman
The Patriots appeared to move Mafi off the center position in recent practices, going instead with a rotation of David Andrews, Nick Leverett and Charles Turner at that spot. But he was back at center briefly on Day 11. Once there was a fumbled snap to Drake Maye, though, he was pulled in favor of Leverett.
It looks like if Mafi is going to make the team, it’ll be as a guard. Snapping the football consistently has been an issue for him as he tries a new position.
Javon Baker, wide receiver
This was a tough inclusion because Baker made one of the most impressive catches of camp when he laid out for a Jacoby Brissett offering and pulled it in as he somersaulted out of bounds. His feet didn’t stay in bounds, though.
He also had a drop later in the practice and he had a target from Maye that was picked off. On the interception, it was unclear whether or not Baker should’ve had the reception — it looked like the pass bounced off his chest plate — or if it had been deflected by A.J. Thomas before being picked by Marcellas Dial.
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]]>Our Day 9 edition of Stock Watch has the details on which players thrived (and which didn’t) in their latest on-the-field workout.
Hunter Henry, tight end
One of the most impressive completions of this training camp came early Saturday. Jacoby Brissett dropped back and found Hunter Henry for a twisting, one-handed grab along the sideline over 20 yards away in an 11-on-11 period.
Unfortunately for the offense, the play was brought back due to a “sack.” But that particular connection was on display throughout the practice.
One play before Henry’s highlight-reel-quality snag, Brissett hit him with an on-time and accurate over route for chunk gain. Brissett also threw to Henry twice with the clock ticking down on them in a two-minute drill. The second went for a last-second touchdown. With no timeouts and time running, Brissett snapped the football just before the clock hit zeros and floated one to a diving Henry for a score.
He’s clearly one of Brissett’s most trusted options.
K.J. Osborn, wide receiver
Osborn wasn’t far behind Henry in terms of trusted options for Brissett on Day 9.
In 7-on-7 work, Brissett threw to him twice in the span of five throws, the second coming before Osborn was out of his break in the front right corner of the end zone. The pass was a touch behind Osborn, but he reached back and secured it as he fell out of bounds for a completion.
Brissett also hit Osborn for an explosive gain deep down the field with Alex Austin in tight coverage to kick-start their successful two-minute period at the end of practice.
Dell Pettus, safety
Every so often in our Stock Watch column, we get an opportunity to laud an unheralded player trying to work his way up the roster. Showing up in a positive manner in that regard on Saturday? Pettus, who arrived to the Patriots as an undrafted rookie safety out of Troy back in the spring.
The 5-foot-11, 200-pounder showed up in the practice flashing good instincts to cut off ball-carriers JaMycal Hasty (twice) and Kevin Harris. He finished all three snaps with physical “thuds,” taking advantage of the more physical nature of fully-padded practices. He also recorded a pass breakup on a Brissett attempt for Henry, getting some reps as the top defense tried to slow down the top offense.
Will Pettus continue to get some run early in “ones” versus “ones” periods? Worth tracking his participation as the team gears up for its first preseason game next week.
Caedan Wallace, offensive tackle
The reason the Brissett-to-Henry play wasn’t counted was due to a sack from Trysten Hill that came off of Wallace’s edge at right tackle. Wallace also appeared to lose a rep to Keion White that led to a pressure and a throwaway in an 11-on-11 period late in the practice.
With Chukwuma Okorafor out, it was Wallace who bumped back up to the first offensive grouping at right tackle. He played opposite Vederian Lowe, working with starters for the third straight day, at left tackle.
JuJu Smith-Schuster, wide receiver
Tough day for the veteran wideout, who has had a tough camp.
When the offense was split into two groups early in practice — half going with Brissett and Drake Maye, half going with Bailey Zappe and Joe Milton — Smith-Schuster went with the players who would be considered reserves.
He later dropped a skinny post for a touchdown off the right arm of Milton. Soon after that, playing with Maye during a two-minute drill, he fell down getting out of his break, leading to an incompletion in a third-and-10 situation.
Joe Milton, quarterback
The big-armed passer from Tennessee has had a couple of highlights in camp — and he wasn’t always helped by those around him (see above) — but Saturday was a bumpy day for the rookie.
He hit Kayshon Boutte for a touchdown with a decisive strike in 7-on-7s to start his competitive work, capping the play with a celebratory backflip. But he missed Mitchell Wilcox with a late throw that was broken up by Jaylinn Hawkins, and two plays later Marcellas Dial broke up a late-in-the-down attempt to Boutte. Milton later missed throws to Kawaan Baker and JaQuae Jackson twice, the second being broken up by Azizi Hearn.
It wasn’t a perfect day for Brissett or Maye, either — and we’ll have more details on their performances in The Drake Maye Report — but Milton’s accuracy seemed a little scattershot Saturday.
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]]>He’d just gone 11-for-13 in competitive team periods — including a red-hot stretch of 7-on-7 passing in a red-zone period — but still looked forward to doing that which was one of his greatest strengths as a collegian: launching it deep.
“Trying to be smart with it,” Maye said. “I feel like I throw the football well down the field. Still feel like I haven’t really aired it out yet, but I think it’s coming.”
Maye was more of a point guard than three-point sharpshooter on Day 8 of Patriots training camp. He completed four of five passes in a 7-on-7 period with the offense situated inside the defense’s 10-yard line, including accurate strikes into tight spaces for Javon Baker, Kayshon Boutte and La’Michael Pettway.
He later threw in the direction of a blitz, attacking the vacated area, for an easy completion to Ja’Lynn Polk. On the next snap, a play-action call, he quieted his feet inside a clean pocket and drilled one to Jalen Reagor over the middle of the field.
🔊 Next Pats: Drake Maye showing an encouraging INTANGIBLE quality at Patriots camp | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube
Deep shots or no deep shots, Maye has now strung together two straight encouraging practices, looking focused — as veteran teammate Jacoby Brissett suggested Friday — on “the little things.” Short-area accuracy. Clean footwork. Sound fundamentals.
Brissett remains the top passer for the Patriots, getting the first-team reps. But Maye will have an opportunity to continue to build some positive momentum for the third straight day when he and his teammates are back on the field Saturday.
Let’s get to our Day 8 edition of The Drake Maye Report…
Maye and Brissett had to grind it out on a steamy day on the practice fields behind Gillette Stadium.
Brissett saw 27 snaps in competitive 11-on-11 periods and five snaps in 7-on-7 work. Maye, meanwhile, saw 16 snaps of 11-on-11 work and five snaps in 7-on-7 work.
While the volume of plays has typically been split between Brissett and Maye — with Brissett always taking the field as the first-team quarterback — Friday’s session was a change in that regard. Brissett racked up 14 snaps (including one spike to stop the clock) in an 11-on-11 period late in the practice.
Joe Milton saw three snaps in competitive team periods, and Bailey Zappe was a spectator throughout the competitive periods of practice.
Maye wasn’t the only quarterback who had himself a nice day. Brissett was impressive in his own right, completing 18 of 26 passes and getting sacked twice.
Maye hit 11-of-13 between 11-on-11 and 7-on-7 periods. He went 7-for-8 in full-team periods of practice, with his only misfire being a pass breakup when Azizi Hearn jumped in front of a pass intended for JuJu Smith-Schuster.
The eye-opener of the day was perhaps Maye’s completion in the front corner of the end zone to Kayshon Boutte in 7-on-7 work. It showed that which Maye is known for — athleticism, making off-platform throws look fluid, arm strength — and was fit into a tight window.
But after hitting Polk for an easy completion into a defensive blitz call, Maye has now had multiple passes that have attacked pressures over the course of the last couple of practices. Those are impressive in a different way, highlighting what looks like good pre-snap recognition as opposed to sheer physical ability.
The best play of the practice for any quarterback? Brissett’s skinny post touchdown to an open DeMario Douglas, who looked uncoverable at times Friday. It was a high-velocity dime that allowed the top offensive unit to finish its two-minute drill with a flourish.
In this section of The Drake Maye Report, we’ll highlight the portions of the rookie’s performance that suggest he’s prepared to sit atop the hierarchy of quarterbacks in New England sooner rather than later.
Maye has heated up as the temperatures in Foxboro have climbed. Over the last two days, in competitive practices, Maye has completed 76.1 percent of his passes. That figure alone doesn’t mean much, but considering the last two days have focused frequently on red-zone work — where the field is condensed and coverage is typically tighter — the accuracy Maye has exhibited is noteworthy.
When Maye had issues in previous practices, some of his most confounding errors were when he had clean pockets and simply missed his target. Those moments were few and far between in Days 7 and 8 of Patriots camp.
If he can continue to throw accurately, leveraging his athleticism when he should, and then add a few more deep shots to his throw profile? He’ll look like a player who’s ready sooner rather than later…
In this section of The Drake Maye Report, we’ll highlight the portions of the rookie’s performance that suggest he’s not quite ready to sit atop the quarterback depth chart.
…That’s not to say Maye was mistake-free on Friday. His lone 11-on-11 incompletion was a near-pick. Could Smith-Schuster have worked his way back to the football more aggressively, not allowing Hearn to jump the route? Maybe. But Hearn nearly snagged Maye’s second competitive throw of the practice.
Maye also has moments when he chooses to scramble, and it’s worth wondering how valued those reps would be by his coaching staff. Jerod Mayo said previously in camp that he was hoping to see what Maye can do from the pocket, allowing Maye to show what his pass-catchers and pass-protectors can do as plays develop. But Maye had two rushing attempts in his first four dropbacks of 11-on-11 work.
Does he have answers to quick pressure? Can he come up with quick solutions when his first read is taken away? Those are the types of questions Mayo and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt may want to be able to answer confidently before deeming Maye truly “ready.”
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]]>It was a competitive period. Music was blaring. And Maye was fresh off several difficult days of practice replete with, for him, rookie moments. But he did little to celebrate his strike.
A subtle fist-pump. A low-key low-five.
That was it.
Later in the workout, Maye saw DeMario Douglas get into his route quickly. He determined he’d pull the trigger in the direction of his shifty slot. But instead of drilling the football right between Douglas’ numbers, Maye anticipated Douglas breaking outside, and the flat-footed pass-catcher watched perplexed as Maye’s offering bounced five yards away incomplete.
Maye didn’t hang his head. His palms didn’t turn to the sky. He didn’t point a finger. He quickly tapped his chest as if to say, “My bad.”
That was it.
Though Maye is considered by some to be a big personality, a confident 21-year-old with a competitive streak, he’s appeared to be anything but emotional on the field. On the contrary, watching from afar, he’s looked like Mr. Even-Keeled.
Maye has only seven training camp sessions under his belt, and only two in full pads. But head coach Jerod Mayo has noticed that his inexperienced quarterback doesn’t seem to ride the wave of practice outcomes.
“What you want to see as those guys go through adversity, you want to see them handle it the right way,” Mayo said when asked about Maye struggling at times in camp. “You don’t want to see the explosions on the sideline. You don’t want to see any of that. It’s all about the next page and turning the page, and that’s what I appreciate.”
Mayo explained that based on what he’d seen from Maye prior to the draft, he had a sense he’d be able to handle the roller coaster that is life as a rookie in the NFL.
“I got this feeling when we met with Drake in Carolina, just his overall mental toughness and competitiveness, and he understands that it’s not always going to be clean,” Mayo said. “I will say this, he’s handled it very well. I know that the players really enjoy working with him, and he’s a competitor.”
Maye has had moments both good and bad to this point in his first pro camp. He’s made impressive throws on the run. He’s shown good touch on shot plays down the field. He’s also missed throws from clean pockets. He’s escaped to run when his coaches would prefer he make his reads with his feet planted behind his center.
But perhaps more important than any of that is he’s shown an ability to absorb a down day or a regrettable moment and respond coolly. Whenever he’s handed the keys to the fate of the franchise, he’ll inevitably encounter adversity. Mounds of it. If he’s able to move forward unbothered, he’ll have a chance at progress, and in turn so will his team.
Once again, it was an even split between Maye and Jacoby Brissett when it came to the volume of competitive snaps they received.
Brissett saw 11 snaps of 11-on-11 work, and he took five 7-on-7 plays. Maye saw 11 snaps of 11-on-11 work, and he took five 7-on-7 plays. Brissett remains the top quarterback in every period of practice, though, and is out there with “the ones.”
Maye ended up going 5-for-8 in competitive periods, taking three “sacks” along the way. Brissett, meanwhile, went 6-for-10 with four “sacks” of his own.
Toss-up here.
On his last throw of the 7-on-7 period, Maye rolled to his right, whipped a pass back across his body — it looked from afar like it might’ve been a no-look throw — and found K.J. Osborn for a touchdown.
On his last throw of the competitive 11-on-11 periods, he executed a play-action fake from under center, dropped back and hit tight end Mitchell Wilcox with a perfectly-placed throw on a corner route that went for an explosive gain.
One play showed his athleticism and arm talent. One play showed his deep-ball accuracy. Both were worthy of Play of the Day status.
In this section of The Drake Maye Report, we’ll highlight the portions of the rookie’s performance that suggest he’s prepared to sit atop the hierarchy of quarterbacks in New England sooner rather than later.
While the two plays referenced above were impressive, the plays that best argue Maye is ready might be those that are more mundane. He hit Ja’Lynn Polk on a crossing route in an early 11-on-11 period with bodies on the ground near his feet. He kept his composure in the pocket and delivered accurately.
He beat a blitz for an easy pitch-and-catch touchdown in a red-zone period. He stared down a rusher — albeit knowing he wasn’t under the threat of being hit — to hit Wilcox on their long corner-route connection.
Additionally, Maye’s back-shoulder throw to JuJu Smith-Schuster in the end zone should’ve been caught for a touchdown. It went down as an incompletion because of a hard-nosed breakup by Marcus Jones, but Maye’s willingness to trust his receiver and rip it quickly and into tight coverage was another example as to why he might be ready.
He’s willing to try difficult throws, but he’s not careless. He strikes a good balance in that regard. He has two interceptions in seven practices, and very few of his throws would be considered turnover-worthy.
In this section of The Drake Maye Report, we’ll highlight the portions of the rookie’s performance that suggest he’s not quite ready to sit atop the quarterback depth chart.
Maye still does occasionally make a head-scratching miss that suggests he needs time to marinate. His wayward throw to Douglas, when there seemed to be a miscommunication on whether or not Douglas would break out or sit, would be one of those.
Maye also happened to be behind center on a pair of free-rusher “sacks.” Were those rushers he needed to account for as the guy with the ball in his hands? There are occasionally moments when a quarterback needs to know there aren’t enough blockers to handle a given rush. Was there a call he could’ve made to help the situation?
That type of miscue, if it was his miscue at all, is more difficult to discern. Day 7 was a good showing for Maye, an improvement over the previous few days, but given the “sacks” and a couple of scrambles, it wasn’t an immaculate day. He’ll likely need to string together more days as a passer like Thursday in order to soon be given consideration as the starter.
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]]>But neither quarterback is going to thrive when the snaps become meaningful if they aren’t protected better than they were at times on Thursday.
It looked like the Patriots called for 22 competitive snaps of 11-on-11 work with either Brissett or Maye on the field. It could have been argued that seven of those snaps — almost one of every three — ended with a “sack.”
It’s early, of course. And the quarterbacks are under no threat of physical punishment in these practice settings. But what might be most alarming about the pressures that popped up Thursday was that four looked like they came as a result of unblocked rushers.
Eliminating those “free runners” has to be a priority in obvious passing situations. In one week’s time, a rusher who gets into the backfield unblocked will have an opportunity to tee off on whichever quarterback is behind center for the Patriots.
Brissett and Maye and their protectors are scheduled to play their first preseason game on Aug. 8 when the Panthers visit Foxboro.
Here’s our Day 7 edition of Stock Watch…
Drake Maye, quarterback
We’ll have the full details on Maye’s day in our Drake Maye Report, but he looked quick and decisive in red-zone periods Thursday. He had a stretch of six throws over the course of practice that might’ve included five of his best throws of the summer.
He ended up going 5-for-8 in competitive periods, with his best throw coming when he whipped one across his body to K.J. Osborn for a touchdown along the back end line while rolling to his right. Maye was “sacked” on two of his first three dropbacks in 11-on-11 periods, and both were “free runners.”
Tyquan Thornton, wide receiver
He had a workmanlike effort on Day 2, catching a team-high five passes in competitive periods. Then a few days later, he showed off his speed by grabbing two explosive shots down the field from Jacoby Brissett. Then, on Thursday, Thornton beat Christian Gonzalez twice in a one-on-one period. Soon thereafter, he was Brissett’s go-to guy in the face of pressure with the defense bringing what looked like an all-out blitz.
Thornton is stacking days in his third camp, and if he can stay healthy, he should have an opportunity to make the 53-man roster.
Edge rushers
Matthew Judon was back on the field and was a full participant through the early portion of practice. It was interesting to watch him during 11-on-11 periods, though, where he played the first play of every Jacoby Brissett series and then sat. It looked like Judon would’ve had a couple of sacks on Brissett in his limited 11-on-11 snaps.
Meanwhile, Josh Uche looked like he had a pair of sacks (one rushing Brissett and one rushing Bailey Zappe), and Anfernee Jennings added one on Drake Maye to stop a scramble attempt before it began. Second-year pass-rusher Keion White also pressured Brissett when he nearly bull-rushed Vederian Lowe into the quarterback’s lap.
Pass protection
Hard to pin all the “sacks” on one particular position group. Pass-protection is, after all, a group effort. Not every one of the seven sacks were on the big bodies in the trenches. Backs were involved. Quarterbacks, perhaps, should’ve accounted for a free-rusher or two. And one sack looked like a coverage sack when Maye couldn’t find a receiver and tried to pull the football down to run.
No matter who was responsible, it’ll be interesting to see if the offense can be more aggressive in their pursuit of clean pockets when the pads come back on.
Jaylinn Hawkins, safety
The Patriots have used Hawkins quite a bit in the deep part of the field to help complement what they have in Kyle Dugger and Jabrill Peppers at the safety position.
With Peppers out on Thursday, Hawkins drew matchups against the top two tight ends on the roster in one-on-one situations. He lost matchups to both Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper, with Hooper getting him on a particularly crisp route.
Defensive operation
There might’ve been some confusion in the secondary late in the practice — perhaps due in part to Marcus Jones looking limited for a stretch — because there were a couple of snaps where Patriots defensive backs were trying to get organized soon before offensive snaps. Jonathan Jones had to sprint off the field to avoid a penalty at one point. He also had a moment where he stepped onto the field late and there was some confusion. Jerod Mayo spoke up quickly and told the entire unit to run a lap.
Whereas the offense has been the side of the ball that has had issues getting organized in recent practices, on Thursday the defense looked more out of sorts.
]]>Not only did he not practice, he was also not planning to be in the facility for meetings on Tuesday. A Patriots spokesperson was asked if it was the team’s decision for Judon to remain away from the facility and declined comment.
Here is where things stand after his on-the-field back-and-forth with (first) Jerod Mayo and (later) Eliot Wolf and Matt Groh on Day 5.
The Patriots have made Judon an offer. He has been looking for something deemed to be more in line with his production based on the ballooning market for pass-rushers, and he’s commented publicly on the amount of cap space with which the Patriots are currently operating.
There is a sizable gap between where the two sides sit as of Tuesday. And yet, even after Judon appeared frustrated on Monday during animated conversations with some of the top decision-makers in the football operation at One Patriot Place, both parties maintain they hope to reach some common ground.
The question now is this: How do the Patriots proceed from here?
Those who know Eliot Wolf believe he won’t allow Monday’s on-field, in-public conversations to push him to make a rash decision on his star pass-rusher.
Judon will be 32 this season, coming off a biceps injury that limited him to four games last year. He felt late in the 2023 season that he might’ve been able to return, but he was never activated after suffering the injury in Week 4 in Dallas. He has 32 sacks in 38 games since arriving to New England in 2021.
That level of production would suggest Judon could be making somewhere in the range of nearly $20 million per season as a top-15 player at one of the most valuable positions in the sport.
The Patriots, however, haven’t appeared to be willing to go to those lengths in the short term.
Would they prefer to do something along the lines of what the Buffalo Bills have done with veteran pass-rusher Von Miller before this season, dropping Miller’s guarantees to about $9 million and offering more than $10 million in incentives?
Or could the team find some middle ground by providing Judon with an extension into 2025 that would guarantee him a higher amount than the $6.5 million base salary he’s currently due for 2024?
With other pass-rushers around the league getting paid, and with other Patriots getting extensions before this season, it makes sense that Judon would be looking for a raise. And it would make sense that the Patriots would want him; he’s one of their top playmakers when healthy, and they look like a team that needs to lean on its defense to compete.
But with Judon staying home from Tuesday’s work, and with a gap in expectations that needs to be bridged between the two sides, it’s unclear when this situation will be resolved.
Here’s our Stock Watch from Day 6…
Keion White, defensive end
Given their contractual standoff with Judon, the Patriots may be further encouraged by what they’ve seen from second-year pass-rusher Keion White. He won both of his one-on-one reps today, including a decisive win over the best offensive lineman on the field Mike Onwenu.
White also had two pressures, and a powerful run-stuff in an 11-on-11 period that had his unit fired up. With the pads on, his impact has been noticeable.
Ja’Lynn Polk, wide receiver
Polk made the catch of the day, leaping and high-pointing a Jacoby Brissett offering in the back corner of the end zone during a 7-on-7 period. Polk put his impressive vertical leap on display on the play — he recorded a 37.5-inch vert at the combine, placing him in the 75th percentile among combine participants over the last two decades — and out-jumped corner Marco Wilson to make the play.
Polk also had a bulldozing touchdown reception from Drake Maye on a crossing route, and he celebrated a score on a pass from Joe Milton by finger-rolling the football up into the air once he crossed the goal line. He brings a fire to the receiver position that has him looking like one of their best players there already.
Patriots linebackers
There were all kinds of splash plays submitted by this group on Tuesday.
Ja’Whaun Bentley recorded a sack as an up-the-gut blitzer. Steele Chambers picked up a sack of his own on a similar pressure going against Joe Milton. Outside ‘backer Josh Uche sacked Jacoby Brissett getting around Caedan Wallace on the left edge. Christian Elliss broke up a pass from Maye to Mitchell Wilcox, and Joe Giles-Harris recorded a run stuff — powering through rookie lineman Layden Robinson — that had the entire defense celebrating loudly.
Offensive operation
One day after Patriots players openly lamented their sloppy play, there was more of the same on Day 6.
On two separate occasions, once with Brissett and once with Maye, the Patriots needed to re-huddle. With Brissett on the field, the entire offense — coaches included — took a lap. Neither quarterback threw a pick, but when Maye tried to hand off to Kevin Harris late in the practice, it was promptly fumbled away and recovered by the defense.
Offensive line
The Patriots allowed multiple “sacks” right up the gut in 11-on-11 work Tuesday. While Layden Robinson and Sidy Sow continue to work well in one-on-one situations, the team allowed three sacks with Brissett behind center and five pressures with Maye taking snaps.
Atonio Mafi — in as the backup center behind Nick Leverett — continues to have some trouble snapping the football to the No. 3 overall pick. This group has missed David Andrews over the last two days.
JuJu Smith-Schuster, wide receiver
The veteran did reel in a touchdown pass from Joe Milton in 11-on-11s, and he caught a decisive slant in the red-zone period from Drake Maye for a score. But he also appeared to have a miscommunication moment with Bailey Zappe that led to an incompletion, and he committed an ugly drop on a Jacoby Brissett pass early in the practice.
He left the action late in the session with an apparent injury. He told reporters after that he tripped on a rock and was dealing with some discomfort as a result.
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]]>It ended up being a difficult day for the No. 3 overall pick in this year’s draft. Let’s get to the details in our Day 5 edition of the Drake Maye Report.
Maye received six reps in the lone 7-on-7 period of practice to go along with 13 reps in 11-on-11 periods. Those 19 total snaps were about in line with the 18 competitive reps he saw in the previous practice.
As has been the case over the last several practices, Maye and top quarterback Jacoby Brissett got about the same volume of work. Though Brissett was the first quarterback up in all team periods, he also got six 7-on-7 snaps and 14 plays of 11-on-11 work.
Brissett ended up with one more rep, in all likelihood, because there was one botched snap count with Brissett that might’ve led to a do-over from the coaching staff.
Bailey Zappe and Joe Milton continued to split the remaining quarterback reps, but the way in which Maye has been handled has been consistent throughout camp. Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt is trying to develop Maye with real action on the field, not just having him watch from the sidelines.
Maye finished the 7-on-7 period completing just two of his six attempts, including one interception. He went 1-for-4 in 11-on-11 periods and was “sacked” during one rep. In all, he went 3-for-10 in competitive periods.
Brissett, meanwhile, went 4-for-6 in 7-on-7 work. He was nearly perfect in 11-on-11s, going 8-for-9, with his lone incompletion coming thanks to a drop by rookie wideout Ja’Lynn Polk. In all, he went 12-for-15, in what was decisively the best quarterback performance of the day.
For Maye, there were no standout plays. Of his three completions, the longest connection was likely a completed curl route to fellow rookie Javon Baker in 11-on-11 work. He also hit tight end Jacob Warren and Kayshon Boutte for modest gains in 7-on-7 work.
In this section of The Drake Maye Report, we’ll highlight the portions of the rookie’s performance that suggest he’s prepared to sit atop the hierarchy of quarterbacks in New England sooner rather than later.
May have to stretch a bit here since there weren’t obviously-positive moments to point to in this run-heavy practice. Therefore, this may be the rare (I think) case in which we reference the same play in both our “Why He’s Ready” and “Why Patience Is a Virtue” sections.
In an 11-on-11 period about midway through the practice, Maye was faced with what ended up looking like an all-out pressure. He was immediately moved off his spot by interior pressure and threw a pass away out of bounds.
One thing that has stood out about Maye through five practices is his athleticism to be able to get himself out of trouble — something he’ll need whenever he’s named the starter, particularly if there remain questions along the offensive line. There are situations in which an incompletion won’t kill a drive, but a sack will.
On that particular play, Maye flashed the ability to turn a potentially negative play into a no gain.
In this section of The Drake Maye Report, we’ll highlight the portions of the rookie’s performance that suggest he’s not quite ready to sit atop the quarterback depth chart.
While Maye was able to remove himself from immediate trouble on that particular snap, he might’ve been able to further wiggle himself out of a tight spot by having an answer before getting flushed from the pocket.
It should come as little surprise that Maye is not yet at the stage of having the “answers to the test” pre-snap, as Tom Brady used to say. But as he develops, and as he gets more accustomed to the types of exotic pressures he’ll face from NFL defenses, he’ll likely have different tools in his quarterbacking tool belt to be able to handle challenging blitzes.
Maye had brief bouts of inaccuracy on Monday, falling as he threw one incomplete, and making tight end Mitchell Wilcox lay out for a pass that probably should’ve been completed. But there were multiple plays on Day 5 — the throwaway when under pressure, and a sack on a roll-out — where perhaps Maye could’ve had an answer before having to try to use his athleticism to avoid a negative result.
It’s worth noting: Maye worked with reserve center Atonio Mafi — inexperienced at the center spot — on Monday. David Andrews was out, meaning veteran backup center Nick Leverett worked with Jacoby Brissett. In this scheme, centers are typically relied upon to take charge in setting protections pre-snap, meaning Maye had less experienced help than usual.
That’s not to excuse away any of Maye’s performance, but it’s context that should be highlighted as we assess what we’ve seen.
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]]>They committed at least two false starts on Day 5 of camp — one by running back Rhamondre Stevenson and one by right tackle Chukwuma Okorafor. There was another wonky snap-count situation — half the line blocked and half remained in their pre-snap stance — that led to a sack of Jacoby Brissett. There were five sacks in all for the offense before the practice was through. Pass-catchers also happened to drop five different passes over the course of the workout.
After one of those drops, a miss by rookie wideout Javon Baker (who has been one of the offense’s best players in recent practices), the entire offense was sent for a lap and then spoken to by head coach Jerod Mayo.
“We just kept jumping offsides,” tight end Austin Hooper said later. “We aren’t figuring it out by talking to each other so let’s run until we figure it out. We’ll be a cross-country team or we’ll be a football team. I’d rather be a football team.”
It wasn’t all bad for players on that side of the ball. The offensive line held its own during a one-on-one period, and starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett had one of his best days of camp.
Let’s get to our Day 5 edition of Stock Watch…
Jacoby Brissett, quarterback
In 11-on-11 periods, Brissett ended up going 8-for-9, and his lone incompletion was a drop by rookie wideout Ja’Lynn Polk. Late in the practice, the veteran quarterback heated up by hitting Javon Baker for an explosive gain down the right sideline. It appeared as though Brissett got the defense to go offsides and then used the “free play” to take a chance on a jump ball to the rookie.
Four plays later, Brissett dropped an in-the-bucket completion to Tyquan Thornton down the right sideline again with Austin on the scene. The entire offense swarmed Thornton and actually knocked him down during the celebration.
Layden Robinson, guard
It looked as though Robinson didn’t lose any of his three reps in the early-practice one-on-one period, and his most decisive win might’ve come against New England’s most experienced pass-rusher. Robinson used a jolting initial punch to knock Deatrich Wise back on contact. It also looked like Robinson executed solid blocks on a couple of long runs for the second-team offense during 11-on-11 periods.
If the rookie fourth-round pick out of Texas A&M can prove he’s worthy of working his way up the depth chart, perhaps that would free up Mike Onwenu to move from right guard back out to tackle as the team looks for answers there.
Tyquan Thornton, wide receiver
Give Thornton credit for making the most of his opportunities in this camp. He led the team with five catches on six targets on Day 2 of practice, but none of those passes featured his signature trait. On Monday, however, he was able to show off some speed. He beat Alex Austin down the right sideline and tracked the Jacoby Brissett pass over his shoulder for one of the best plays of the practice in a late 11-on-11 period. He also made a deep grab from Brissett in 7-on-7 work.
There’s competition brewing at receiver behind DeMario “Pop” Douglas (still sitting out of team periods with a hand injury), Polk and Baker. Thornton, K.J. Osborn, Jalen Reagor, and Kayshon Boutte have all had positive moments in camp, and veteran JuJu Smith-Schuster remains part of the mix there as well.
Drake Maye, quarterback
Though the running game was the main focus of this fully-padded practice, Maye seemed to miss on a few opportunities to make some plays through the air. On Day 5, his feet didn’t seem to be an obvious issue — he improved from Day 3 to Day 4 in that regard — but his accuracy was off at times. He went 2-for-6 in 7-on-7 work and then 1-for-4 in 11-on-11 periods.
We’ll have full details on his showing in our daily Drake Maye Report, but it doesn’t come as much of a surprise that the rookie’s performance has been up and down of late. Day 3 looked tough for him. On Day 4, there was more good than bad. Monday was another session from which he’ll be able to pull his share of learning moments.
Josh Uche, linebacker
With Christian Barmore out (recently diagnosed with blood clots) and Matthew Judon looking like a hold-in on Monday, the pass-rush talent on the Patriots defense was considerably thinned. It got even thinner when Uche got into it after the whistle with right tackle Chuks Okorafor and was quickly sent off the field and back to the locker room.
Uche has shown in the past that he can be a factor on third downs — he had 11.5 sacks in 2022 — but the Patriots need him to keep himself on the field as much as possible in camp given the fluctuating nature of the availability of their top pass-rushers.
Mitchell Wilcox, tight end
Austin Hooper has looked like the easy choice as New England’s No. 2 tight end in recent practices. His hands have been consistent, and he’s been targeted frequently by Jacoby Brissett. But the No. 3 tight end role seems more up for grabs.
Mitchell Wilcox — in his fourth year after three with the Bengals — may be the favorite, but Monday was a difficult day for him. Maye threw him a pass that was deflected and picked by Kyle Dugger in the lone 7-on-7 period of the day. He also had what could’ve been deemed two drops in 11-on-11 periods with Maye throwing him the football.
]]>While Jerod Mayo’s pre-practice press conference was loaded with questions about Brandon Aiyuk and the possibility that the Patriots will add a highly-priced wideout, he did note that the players who are healthy enough to play in Thursday’s game against the Panthers will play.
That includes all four quarterbacks. That includes highly-paid players on new deals. And of course that includes young players vying for new gigs.
In our latest edition of Stock Watch, we have players all across the spectrum represented. Let’s get to the names of note from Day 11…
Kyle Dugger, safety
Dugger is having one of the best camps of anyone on the Patriots roster. After causing a pick at the goal line by breaking up a pass on Day 10, Dugger followed that up with a sack, a pressure and a pass breakup in coverage on Austin Hooper on Tuesday.
Jaheim Bell, tight end
The lone down moment for Dugger was when he was in coverage on rookie seventh-round pick Jaheim Bell in a 7-on-7 period. Drake Maye floated a fade to the back corner of the end zone that Bell reeled in despite tight coverage from the veteran safety.
Bell has missed time with an undisclosed ailment, but when given an opportunity to make a play, he made one.
Chad Ryland, kicker
Ryland has consistently won the kick-off kicker competitions to finish off camp practices this summer.
He won another matchup with Joey Slye on Tuesday by drilling a 50-yarder to finish off the back-and-forth. Slye missed his opportunity from the same distance after going kick-for-kick with Ryland before that.
Kevin Harris, running back
It’s been hard for the Patriots running game to find much room at the line of scrimmage, which isn’t necessarily a Harris issue. But he fumbled a handoff in the wet weather on Tuesday.
He’ll have an opportunity to make up for it by racking up plenty of carries on Thursday night, one would think.
Atonio Mafi, interior offensive lineman
The Patriots appeared to move Mafi off the center position in recent practices, going instead with a rotation of David Andrews, Nick Leverett and Charles Turner at that spot. But he was back at center briefly on Day 11. Once there was a fumbled snap to Drake Maye, though, he was pulled in favor of Leverett.
It looks like if Mafi is going to make the team, it’ll be as a guard. Snapping the football consistently has been an issue for him as he tries a new position.
Javon Baker, wide receiver
This was a tough inclusion because Baker made one of the most impressive catches of camp when he laid out for a Jacoby Brissett offering and pulled it in as he somersaulted out of bounds. His feet didn’t stay in bounds, though.
He also had a drop later in the practice and he had a target from Maye that was picked off. On the interception, it was unclear whether or not Baker should’ve had the reception — it looked like the pass bounced off his chest plate — or if it had been deflected by A.J. Thomas before being picked by Marcellas Dial.
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]]>After a run-of-the-mill handoff to Rhamondre Stevenson during an 11-on-11 period — the play looked like it was blown up for no gain by defensive tackle Daniel Ekuale — there was a brief skirmish between the offense and defense. David Andrews lost his helmet. Sidy Sow had to readjust his shoulder pads. Chukwuma Okorafor and Davon Godchaux were near the center of the pushing and shoving.
And things continued to get a little loose from there.
After a pair of Jacoby Brissett incompletions, Deatrich Wise seemed to contact Brissett in the backfield as the quarterback began his throwing motion. That’s a no-no with passers in red jerseys, and Wise acknowledged as much after the play, tapping his chest and raising his hand as if to say, “My fault.”
Two plays later, with Drake Maye on the field, it looked like the offense had a substitution issue and had to re-huddle. Moments later, rookie guard Layden Robinson committed a false start penalty and had to be sent for a lap.
It was a stretch worth noting, in part, because new head coach Jerod Mayo handled it differently than his predecessor might have.
In previous years, when camp practices inevitably got a little too physical or disorganized, Bill Belichick would often gather the team and emphatically remind them of his expectations. There were moments when he would send the entire roster, coaches included, for a lap or two just to send a message.
Mayo handled things differently Sunday. The practice continued and things eventually tightened up without a stop in the action. During the next competitive period, Brissett and Maye combined to complete six of their next seven attempts, with the one incompletion coming as a result of a K.J. Osborn drop.
It’s too early in Mayo’s tenure to judge from afar which way is the right way of doing things when practices get sideways. But the way in which he approached things Sunday felt different for the Patriots, allowing players to get themselves in line in real time.
Will that continue when pads come on Monday if and when a similar situation presents itself?
If so, add it to the list of camp elements — including later start times, music throughout and more competitive team periods — Mayo may handle differently than his old boss.
Javon Baker, wide receiver
For the third straight day, the rookie receiver out of Central Florida lands in our Stock Up column. And Sunday might’ve been his best day yet.
He started slow, not looking for a back-shoulder attempt from Jacoby Brissett during 1-on-1s, but he heated up from there. Later in the same 1-on-1 period, Baker put a nifty move on Christian Gonzalez on a deep over route for a long gain. A few plays later, he beat Mikey Victor and laid out to make a diving grab on a Jacoby Brissett pass deep down the left sideline.
Later, in 11-on-11 work, Baker reeled in a crossing route from Drake Maye that looked like it would’ve been a long catch-and-run in a live situation. If Baker can continue to make explosive plays in practice — he hauled in the longest play of the day on Friday, catching a touchdown on a 60-yard throw from Joe Milton — he may end up a contributing piece to the Patriots offense sooner than his fourth-round pedigree would suggest.
Deatrich Wise, defensive end
While Wise may have gotten a little too close to Brissett on one rep, he still did actually get close to the quarterback. That’s the goal. And it was one of two would-be sacks for Wise in the practice. He had another later in the session where both he and Ekuale got into the backfield early on. Brissett eventually dumped it off to Antonio Gibson, but had the rep been live, he likely would’ve been swallowed up by Wise’s long arms.
Wise also had a pass batted at the line of scrimmage. He was third on the team in pressures last season, per Pro Football Focus, and though a few camp practices looks like he has a chance to be one of their most disruptive players up front yet again.
Antonio Gibson, running back
Speaking of Gibson… He is officially off the non-football injury list after participating in his first training camp practice as a member of the Patriots. The veteran running back showed good quickness at times, putting a move on linebacker Jahlani Tavai in 1-on-1s that would’ve led to a holding penalty.
With Gibson healthy and available, he should see time ahead of most other backs on the roster other than Rhamondre Stevenson. There will be plenty of work to go around for players at that position when pads are introduced — and when the running game becomes more of a focus — on Monday.
Patriots offensive line
For the second time in the last three practices, the big boys up front for the Patriots offense land in the Stock Down column. Layden Robinson’s false start and subsequent lap might’ve been the most obvious of their miscues, but there were others. There appeared to be multiple run-stuffs, three sacks, and Atonio Mafi fired two wayward snaps back to Bailey Zappe late in the practice.
For the second consecutive day, the Patriots started the day with Caedan Wallace at left tackle with Chukwuma Okorafor on the opposite end of the line at right tackle. We’ll see if this unit can generate a little more positive momentum — and get closer to discovering their top-five grouping — with the pads on.
K.J. Osborn, wide receiver
There was a play during a late 7-on-7 period where it looked as though Drake Maye made a good decision to try to protect one of his wideouts. Throwing a slant to Osborn, Maye appeared to try to lead his receiver away from linebacker Jahlani Tavai who was looming in the middle of the field. The pass was on Osborn’s back shoulder pad but catchable. It ricocheted off its intended target and fell incomplete.
Another attempt to Osborn, this one during 11-on-11 work, was broken up by Alex Austin. Osborn also had the football punched out of his grasp by Brenden Schooler during a ball-security drill.
It wasn’t all bad for the veteran free-agent add, though. He flashed his hands late to catch an in-the-bucket throw from Brissett during 1-on-1s. He also got a step on Marcus Jones deep down the field and might’ve had a long gain had Maye not overthrown him by a yard or two.
Joe Milton, quarterback
After two practices in the Stock Up column, Milton seemed to have a tougher day Sunday. He completed just one of his first five competitive attempts. In that stretch, on back-to-back passes, Milton gifted an interception to linebacker Joe Giles-Harris who was lurking underneath near the line of scrimmage.
Moments later, Milton sailed a throw to tight end La’Michael Pettway that probably should’ve been caught but was zipped unnecessarily over Pettway’s head.
Milton and Bailey Zappe split competitive reps today, each getting nine snaps total in 11-on-11 and 7-on-7 periods.
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]]>You saw Joe Milton launch a touchdown to Javon Baker that traveled about 60 yards in the air. You saw Milton hit a backflip or two just for kicks. You saw Drake Maye connect with Ja’Lynn Polk for an explosive completion.
Those summertime fireworks were the highlights on Day 3 of camp, and they might’ve provided just a touch of hope for those in attendance. Not to mention the players and coaches whose jobs depend on the successful development of the organization’s shiny new toys on the offensive side of the ball.
Let’s get to our Day 3 edition of Stock Watch…
Rookie wide receivers
It was only a matter of time before Ja’Lynn Polk reeled in a deep shot. One glanced off his hands on Day 1. Another was ripped away from him by Marcus Jones on Day 2.
On Day 3, he got behind corner Azizi Hearn and adjusted to a slightly underthrown offering from Maye for a massive completion.
Polk also made a diving grab on an out-route thrown by Maye. Not to be outdone, Javon Baker also showed some down-the-field chops. He was on the receiving end of a Joe Milton rocket for a touchdown that looked like it hit from about 60 yards away. Baker also snared a Bailey Zappe pass that was floated over the middle when he leaped in the air and reached back behind his body to secure the catch.
Polk is already repping with the top offensive unit, and it would come as little surprise if we started to see Baker do some of the same in short order.
Matthew Judon, outside linebacker
Jerod Mayo wanted to make it very clear before Friday’s workout: Judon is not “disgruntled.”
Mayo said of his star pass-rusher looking for a new deal, “His attitude is great in the classroom, his attitude is great on the field. You guys see him flying around here. Obviously, there is a business component to this sport, and he understands that. We want him here, he’s a very good player for us. He does everything we want him to do, so hopefully it works out.”
Judon didn’t look like he was kicking rocks on the field Friday. He forced Jacoby Brissett to throw away one pass, “sacking” the quarterback working off the offensive right side. Later, Judon picked off Drake Maye in the flat and returned it for a touchdown.
Chad Ryland, kicker
The kicker competition was in full swing on Day 3.
Chad Ryland and Joey Slye went at it, kick for kick, late in the practice. Ryland hit all four of his attempts, starting from 30 yards away and working his way back to what looked like a 45-yard attempt. Slye made three of his four attempts, missing one wide right from about 40 yards away.
Drake Maye, quarterback
After a few flashes of downfield accuracy on Day 1 and a methodical high-completion-percentage performance on Day 2, Maye’s Day 3 was a little more volatile.
His bomb to Polk was one of the top plays of the day, but he also had some tough moments. He committed a false start penalty, looking for a snap when center Nick Leverett (and the rest of the offensive line) didn’t move. On the next snap he threw his pick to Judon.
“Gotta make sure you look before you throw it,” he said later.
Maye’s day was far from a disaster — he completed 17 of his 23 attempts — but had some wonky attempts mixed in that led to incompletions. We’ll have all the details on the good and the not-so-much in our Drake Maye Report for Day 3.
JuJu Smith-Schuster, wide receiver
The Patriots have some real competition near the bottom of the receiver depth chart, and it’s unclear where JuJu Smith-Schuster stands in that hierarchy at the moment.
He caught one scramble-drill throw from Jacoby Brissett, but he tripped and fell on another route that led to an incompletion. He also had a pass broken up by Alex Austin when he didn’t work his way back to the line of scrimmage on a hitch.
Still waiting for him to have the kind of standout performance that would lead one to believe his roster spot is secure.
Antonio Gibson, running back
This was the third straight missed practice for the free-agent signee at running back. He began camp on the non-football injury list and hasn’t yet participated in workouts.
It’s not so late into camp that Gibson can’t make up for lost time, but the more time he misses, the more time it could take for him to get into the swing of the offense and develop a rapport with his quarterbacks.
Kevin Harris has been the beneficiary of some of the reps Gibson’s absence has freed up, working in behind Rhamondre Stevenson.
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]]>While Jerod Mayo’s pre-practice press conference was loaded with questions about Brandon Aiyuk and the possibility that the Patriots will add a highly-priced wideout, he did note that the players who are healthy enough to play in Thursday’s game against the Panthers will play.
That includes all four quarterbacks. That includes highly-paid players on new deals. And of course that includes young players vying for new gigs.
In our latest edition of Stock Watch, we have players all across the spectrum represented. Let’s get to the names of note from Day 11…
Kyle Dugger, safety
Dugger is having one of the best camps of anyone on the Patriots roster. After causing a pick at the goal line by breaking up a pass on Day 10, Dugger followed that up with a sack, a pressure and a pass breakup in coverage on Austin Hooper on Tuesday.
Jaheim Bell, tight end
The lone down moment for Dugger was when he was in coverage on rookie seventh-round pick Jaheim Bell in a 7-on-7 period. Drake Maye floated a fade to the back corner of the end zone that Bell reeled in despite tight coverage from the veteran safety.
Bell has missed time with an undisclosed ailment, but when given an opportunity to make a play, he made one.
Chad Ryland, kicker
Ryland has consistently won the kick-off kicker competitions to finish off camp practices this summer.
He won another matchup with Joey Slye on Tuesday by drilling a 50-yarder to finish off the back-and-forth. Slye missed his opportunity from the same distance after going kick-for-kick with Ryland before that.
Kevin Harris, running back
It’s been hard for the Patriots running game to find much room at the line of scrimmage, which isn’t necessarily a Harris issue. But he fumbled a handoff in the wet weather on Tuesday.
He’ll have an opportunity to make up for it by racking up plenty of carries on Thursday night, one would think.
Atonio Mafi, interior offensive lineman
The Patriots appeared to move Mafi off the center position in recent practices, going instead with a rotation of David Andrews, Nick Leverett and Charles Turner at that spot. But he was back at center briefly on Day 11. Once there was a fumbled snap to Drake Maye, though, he was pulled in favor of Leverett.
It looks like if Mafi is going to make the team, it’ll be as a guard. Snapping the football consistently has been an issue for him as he tries a new position.
Javon Baker, wide receiver
This was a tough inclusion because Baker made one of the most impressive catches of camp when he laid out for a Jacoby Brissett offering and pulled it in as he somersaulted out of bounds. His feet didn’t stay in bounds, though.
He also had a drop later in the practice and he had a target from Maye that was picked off. On the interception, it was unclear whether or not Baker should’ve had the reception — it looked like the pass bounced off his chest plate — or if it had been deflected by A.J. Thomas before being picked by Marcellas Dial.
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]]>For the last two years, training camp practices have been a slog for the Patriots along the offensive line. Players have been in and out of the lineup. Coaches have been on and off the staff. Schemes have changed. Protection calls have been altered.
It all resulted in a consistently ugly-looking picture in the trenches this time of year.
And, yes, it might be happening again.
At this point it’s too early to say with any certainty how the offensive line will look in 2024. There’s a new offensive coordinator, Alex Van Pelt, who has taken over with a distinctly different philosophy. There is a new offensive line coach, Scott Peters, with a new approach. Pads have not yet been introduced, which makes play in the trenches next to impossible to evaluate with any conviction. And the five best pieces for the offensive line in Foxboro have not yet been identified.
But on the second day of training camp practice, the Patriots had a hard time keeping defenders away from their quarterbacks. It comes as little surprise, knowing there have been real question marks — particularly at the tackle spots — when it comes to the personnel for this particular position group since the end of last season. But it remains noteworthy.
We’ll get to the details below in our Stock Watch for Day 2, but the Patriots will have to hope that the pressure-filled practice fans witnessed on Thursday is not a harbinger of what’s to come when pads come on next week. Or when the reps truly matter in September.
Marcus Jones, cornerback
The Patriots secondary had a pair of impressive pass breakups early in the session as the offense tested them deep. Jabrill Peppers got his hands on one while tracking Hunter Henry down the field. But the most impressive defensive play of the day went to Marcus Jones.
He went stride-for-stride down the field with Ja’Lynn Polk as Jacoby Brissett’s pass floated toward them along the right sideline. Polk went up and got his hands on the football, but Jones used his leaping ability to wedge his arm between Polk’s and wrestle the ball free for an incompletion.
There has been a great deal of conversation lately as to which corner should play opposite Christian Gonzalez. Jonathan Jones seems the likely answer there — he made the Stock Up category after Day 1 — but the team sees Marcus Jones as having positional versatility to play inside and out. However they’re deployed, with Gonzalez and the two Joneses, it’s a talented trio.
Javon Baker, wide receiver
While Polk came down with one of the better completions of the day — off a dig route from Drake Maye for about a 15-yard chunk — it was Baker who flashed the most physical potential with the opportunities he received on Day 2.
In 7-on-7 work, he came back to the football and showed strong hands on a hitch while working with Maye. A few plays later, with Joe Milton at quarterback, he caught a curl and showed noticeable acceleration to change direction and get up the field. On the next snap, he caught a deep out and again flashed some speed.
Though the fourth-round pick out of Central Florida did not test like a burner at the combine (4.54-second 40), he was one of the fastest players at the Senior Bowl according to the tracking data accumulated there, and he may be a player who plays faster than he tests.
Baker also lands in the Stock Up category because he could be seen putting in some extra work with Maye after practice. For several minutes after the team did conditioning work, the two rookies worked alone, about 100 yards from where reporters conducted interviews and other players signed autographs. We’ll see if Baker’s performance Thursday earns him any more time with the top two quarterbacks early in camp.
Joe Milton, quarterback
It wasn’t all perfect for Milton, who seemed to catch an earful from one of his coaches before taking his first competitive 7-on-7 rep of the day. But the fact that he was out there to seemingly get an earful when he was? That was noteworthy.
He stepped up and took reps on Thursday ahead of Bailey Zappe. He also got competitive 11-on-11 plays at the end of practice when Zappe did not. We’ll see how the reps are distributed moving forward, but it looked like on Day 2 that Milton was the No. 3 quarterback ahead of a player who has started games in New England each of the last two years.
Milton’s easy arm strength was on full display Thursday. He went 4-for-6 in competitive periods, and one of his incompletions occurred when Kayshon Boutte couldn’t squeeze what looked like a four-seam fastball on a slant that was well-placed.
Patriots offensive line
Though the completion numbers for Jacoby Brissett (9-for-13) and Drake Maye (10-for-12) were solid on Thursday, their blockers had a hard time keeping defenders away from them.
Brissett had two reps that could have been deemed sacks, and Maye likely would’ve taken one of his own. A free blitzer (Josh Bledsoe) blew up a Brissett screen pass, and Matthew Judon was unblocked off the edge on a roll-out attempt that had to be thrown away.
Pressure came from up the gut. Off the left edge. Off the right edge. It was far from clean up front. Atonio Mafi also had a bad snap with Joe Milton behind center that would’ve resulted in at least a significant chunk of yardage lost, if not a turnover.
This unit will have plenty of padded practice time to establish itself, but Thursday’s padless showing was worth noting, particularly since the franchise has seen how offensive line issues helped waylay the last couple of seasons.
DeMario Douglas, wide receiver
Douglas doesn’t land here because of performance issues. He simply hasn’t been able to get on the field and stay there over the course of the first two training camp practices.
I’m told he’s dealing with a hand issue that has limited him. He has participated in some drills, however, and the injury isn’t expected to keep him out of competitive periods of practice for an extended period of time. Given his importance to the Patriots offense, his participation level moving forward bears watching.
Kayshon Boutte, wide receiver
Placing Boutte here is related to his drop while working with Joe Milton. (Though he did catch the next pass sent his way, an out-route for a nice gain.) But he lands in the Stock Down category in part because he’s one of the few potential roster-bubble wideouts who hasn’t popped through two days of camp.
Jalen Reagor submitted the highlight of Day 1. Javon Baker flashed some burst on Day 2. And Tyquan Thornton reeled in five of six targets sent his way on Thursday.
Boutte will have to try to keep pace if he wants to secure a 53-man spot by the end of the summer. He’s been quiet to this point after what a spring where he impressed in spurts.
]]>While Jerod Mayo’s pre-practice press conference was loaded with questions about Brandon Aiyuk and the possibility that the Patriots will add a highly-priced wideout, he did note that the players who are healthy enough to play in Thursday’s game against the Panthers will play.
That includes all four quarterbacks. That includes highly-paid players on new deals. And of course that includes young players vying for new gigs.
In our latest edition of Stock Watch, we have players all across the spectrum represented. Let’s get to the names of note from Day 11…
Kyle Dugger, safety
Dugger is having one of the best camps of anyone on the Patriots roster. After causing a pick at the goal line by breaking up a pass on Day 10, Dugger followed that up with a sack, a pressure and a pass breakup in coverage on Austin Hooper on Tuesday.
Jaheim Bell, tight end
The lone down moment for Dugger was when he was in coverage on rookie seventh-round pick Jaheim Bell in a 7-on-7 period. Drake Maye floated a fade to the back corner of the end zone that Bell reeled in despite tight coverage from the veteran safety.
Bell has missed time with an undisclosed ailment, but when given an opportunity to make a play, he made one.
Chad Ryland, kicker
Ryland has consistently won the kick-off kicker competitions to finish off camp practices this summer.
He won another matchup with Joey Slye on Tuesday by drilling a 50-yarder to finish off the back-and-forth. Slye missed his opportunity from the same distance after going kick-for-kick with Ryland before that.
Kevin Harris, running back
It’s been hard for the Patriots running game to find much room at the line of scrimmage, which isn’t necessarily a Harris issue. But he fumbled a handoff in the wet weather on Tuesday.
He’ll have an opportunity to make up for it by racking up plenty of carries on Thursday night, one would think.
Atonio Mafi, interior offensive lineman
The Patriots appeared to move Mafi off the center position in recent practices, going instead with a rotation of David Andrews, Nick Leverett and Charles Turner at that spot. But he was back at center briefly on Day 11. Once there was a fumbled snap to Drake Maye, though, he was pulled in favor of Leverett.
It looks like if Mafi is going to make the team, it’ll be as a guard. Snapping the football consistently has been an issue for him as he tries a new position.
Javon Baker, wide receiver
This was a tough inclusion because Baker made one of the most impressive catches of camp when he laid out for a Jacoby Brissett offering and pulled it in as he somersaulted out of bounds. His feet didn’t stay in bounds, though.
He also had a drop later in the practice and he had a target from Maye that was picked off. On the interception, it was unclear whether or not Baker should’ve had the reception — it looked like the pass bounced off his chest plate — or if it had been deflected by A.J. Thomas before being picked by Marcellas Dial.
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]]>While Jerod Mayo’s pre-practice press conference was loaded with questions about Brandon Aiyuk and the possibility that the Patriots will add a highly-priced wideout, he did note that the players who are healthy enough to play in Thursday’s game against the Panthers will play.
That includes all four quarterbacks. That includes highly-paid players on new deals. And of course that includes young players vying for new gigs.
In our latest edition of Stock Watch, we have players all across the spectrum represented. Let’s get to the names of note from Day 11…
Kyle Dugger, safety
Dugger is having one of the best camps of anyone on the Patriots roster. After causing a pick at the goal line by breaking up a pass on Day 10, Dugger followed that up with a sack, a pressure and a pass breakup in coverage on Austin Hooper on Tuesday.
Jaheim Bell, tight end
The lone down moment for Dugger was when he was in coverage on rookie seventh-round pick Jaheim Bell in a 7-on-7 period. Drake Maye floated a fade to the back corner of the end zone that Bell reeled in despite tight coverage from the veteran safety.
Bell has missed time with an undisclosed ailment, but when given an opportunity to make a play, he made one.
Chad Ryland, kicker
Ryland has consistently won the kick-off kicker competitions to finish off camp practices this summer.
He won another matchup with Joey Slye on Tuesday by drilling a 50-yarder to finish off the back-and-forth. Slye missed his opportunity from the same distance after going kick-for-kick with Ryland before that.
Kevin Harris, running back
It’s been hard for the Patriots running game to find much room at the line of scrimmage, which isn’t necessarily a Harris issue. But he fumbled a handoff in the wet weather on Tuesday.
He’ll have an opportunity to make up for it by racking up plenty of carries on Thursday night, one would think.
Atonio Mafi, interior offensive lineman
The Patriots appeared to move Mafi off the center position in recent practices, going instead with a rotation of David Andrews, Nick Leverett and Charles Turner at that spot. But he was back at center briefly on Day 11. Once there was a fumbled snap to Drake Maye, though, he was pulled in favor of Leverett.
It looks like if Mafi is going to make the team, it’ll be as a guard. Snapping the football consistently has been an issue for him as he tries a new position.
Javon Baker, wide receiver
This was a tough inclusion because Baker made one of the most impressive catches of camp when he laid out for a Jacoby Brissett offering and pulled it in as he somersaulted out of bounds. His feet didn’t stay in bounds, though.
He also had a drop later in the practice and he had a target from Maye that was picked off. On the interception, it was unclear whether or not Baker should’ve had the reception — it looked like the pass bounced off his chest plate — or if it had been deflected by A.J. Thomas before being picked by Marcellas Dial.
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]]>While Jerod Mayo’s pre-practice press conference was loaded with questions about Brandon Aiyuk and the possibility that the Patriots will add a highly-priced wideout, he did note that the players who are healthy enough to play in Thursday’s game against the Panthers will play.
That includes all four quarterbacks. That includes highly-paid players on new deals. And of course that includes young players vying for new gigs.
In our latest edition of Stock Watch, we have players all across the spectrum represented. Let’s get to the names of note from Day 11…
Kyle Dugger, safety
Dugger is having one of the best camps of anyone on the Patriots roster. After causing a pick at the goal line by breaking up a pass on Day 10, Dugger followed that up with a sack, a pressure and a pass breakup in coverage on Austin Hooper on Tuesday.
Jaheim Bell, tight end
The lone down moment for Dugger was when he was in coverage on rookie seventh-round pick Jaheim Bell in a 7-on-7 period. Drake Maye floated a fade to the back corner of the end zone that Bell reeled in despite tight coverage from the veteran safety.
Bell has missed time with an undisclosed ailment, but when given an opportunity to make a play, he made one.
Chad Ryland, kicker
Ryland has consistently won the kick-off kicker competitions to finish off camp practices this summer.
He won another matchup with Joey Slye on Tuesday by drilling a 50-yarder to finish off the back-and-forth. Slye missed his opportunity from the same distance after going kick-for-kick with Ryland before that.
Kevin Harris, running back
It’s been hard for the Patriots running game to find much room at the line of scrimmage, which isn’t necessarily a Harris issue. But he fumbled a handoff in the wet weather on Tuesday.
He’ll have an opportunity to make up for it by racking up plenty of carries on Thursday night, one would think.
Atonio Mafi, interior offensive lineman
The Patriots appeared to move Mafi off the center position in recent practices, going instead with a rotation of David Andrews, Nick Leverett and Charles Turner at that spot. But he was back at center briefly on Day 11. Once there was a fumbled snap to Drake Maye, though, he was pulled in favor of Leverett.
It looks like if Mafi is going to make the team, it’ll be as a guard. Snapping the football consistently has been an issue for him as he tries a new position.
Javon Baker, wide receiver
This was a tough inclusion because Baker made one of the most impressive catches of camp when he laid out for a Jacoby Brissett offering and pulled it in as he somersaulted out of bounds. His feet didn’t stay in bounds, though.
He also had a drop later in the practice and he had a target from Maye that was picked off. On the interception, it was unclear whether or not Baker should’ve had the reception — it looked like the pass bounced off his chest plate — or if it had been deflected by A.J. Thomas before being picked by Marcellas Dial.
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.
]]>While Jerod Mayo’s pre-practice press conference was loaded with questions about Brandon Aiyuk and the possibility that the Patriots will add a highly-priced wideout, he did note that the players who are healthy enough to play in Thursday’s game against the Panthers will play.
That includes all four quarterbacks. That includes highly-paid players on new deals. And of course that includes young players vying for new gigs.
In our latest edition of Stock Watch, we have players all across the spectrum represented. Let’s get to the names of note from Day 11…
Kyle Dugger, safety
Dugger is having one of the best camps of anyone on the Patriots roster. After causing a pick at the goal line by breaking up a pass on Day 10, Dugger followed that up with a sack, a pressure and a pass breakup in coverage on Austin Hooper on Tuesday.
Jaheim Bell, tight end
The lone down moment for Dugger was when he was in coverage on rookie seventh-round pick Jaheim Bell in a 7-on-7 period. Drake Maye floated a fade to the back corner of the end zone that Bell reeled in despite tight coverage from the veteran safety.
Bell has missed time with an undisclosed ailment, but when given an opportunity to make a play, he made one.
Chad Ryland, kicker
Ryland has consistently won the kick-off kicker competitions to finish off camp practices this summer.
He won another matchup with Joey Slye on Tuesday by drilling a 50-yarder to finish off the back-and-forth. Slye missed his opportunity from the same distance after going kick-for-kick with Ryland before that.
Kevin Harris, running back
It’s been hard for the Patriots running game to find much room at the line of scrimmage, which isn’t necessarily a Harris issue. But he fumbled a handoff in the wet weather on Tuesday.
He’ll have an opportunity to make up for it by racking up plenty of carries on Thursday night, one would think.
Atonio Mafi, interior offensive lineman
The Patriots appeared to move Mafi off the center position in recent practices, going instead with a rotation of David Andrews, Nick Leverett and Charles Turner at that spot. But he was back at center briefly on Day 11. Once there was a fumbled snap to Drake Maye, though, he was pulled in favor of Leverett.
It looks like if Mafi is going to make the team, it’ll be as a guard. Snapping the football consistently has been an issue for him as he tries a new position.
Javon Baker, wide receiver
This was a tough inclusion because Baker made one of the most impressive catches of camp when he laid out for a Jacoby Brissett offering and pulled it in as he somersaulted out of bounds. His feet didn’t stay in bounds, though.
He also had a drop later in the practice and he had a target from Maye that was picked off. On the interception, it was unclear whether or not Baker should’ve had the reception — it looked like the pass bounced off his chest plate — or if it had been deflected by A.J. Thomas before being picked by Marcellas Dial.
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.
]]>While Jerod Mayo’s pre-practice press conference was loaded with questions about Brandon Aiyuk and the possibility that the Patriots will add a highly-priced wideout, he did note that the players who are healthy enough to play in Thursday’s game against the Panthers will play.
That includes all four quarterbacks. That includes highly-paid players on new deals. And of course that includes young players vying for new gigs.
In our latest edition of Stock Watch, we have players all across the spectrum represented. Let’s get to the names of note from Day 11…
Kyle Dugger, safety
Dugger is having one of the best camps of anyone on the Patriots roster. After causing a pick at the goal line by breaking up a pass on Day 10, Dugger followed that up with a sack, a pressure and a pass breakup in coverage on Austin Hooper on Tuesday.
Jaheim Bell, tight end
The lone down moment for Dugger was when he was in coverage on rookie seventh-round pick Jaheim Bell in a 7-on-7 period. Drake Maye floated a fade to the back corner of the end zone that Bell reeled in despite tight coverage from the veteran safety.
Bell has missed time with an undisclosed ailment, but when given an opportunity to make a play, he made one.
Chad Ryland, kicker
Ryland has consistently won the kick-off kicker competitions to finish off camp practices this summer.
He won another matchup with Joey Slye on Tuesday by drilling a 50-yarder to finish off the back-and-forth. Slye missed his opportunity from the same distance after going kick-for-kick with Ryland before that.
Kevin Harris, running back
It’s been hard for the Patriots running game to find much room at the line of scrimmage, which isn’t necessarily a Harris issue. But he fumbled a handoff in the wet weather on Tuesday.
He’ll have an opportunity to make up for it by racking up plenty of carries on Thursday night, one would think.
Atonio Mafi, interior offensive lineman
The Patriots appeared to move Mafi off the center position in recent practices, going instead with a rotation of David Andrews, Nick Leverett and Charles Turner at that spot. But he was back at center briefly on Day 11. Once there was a fumbled snap to Drake Maye, though, he was pulled in favor of Leverett.
It looks like if Mafi is going to make the team, it’ll be as a guard. Snapping the football consistently has been an issue for him as he tries a new position.
Javon Baker, wide receiver
This was a tough inclusion because Baker made one of the most impressive catches of camp when he laid out for a Jacoby Brissett offering and pulled it in as he somersaulted out of bounds. His feet didn’t stay in bounds, though.
He also had a drop later in the practice and he had a target from Maye that was picked off. On the interception, it was unclear whether or not Baker should’ve had the reception — it looked like the pass bounced off his chest plate — or if it had been deflected by A.J. Thomas before being picked by Marcellas Dial.
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]]>It’s been an issue for the offense in New England for multiple years now, and it seems as though it’s not going away in 2024. The Patriots still don’t have an identifiable game-changer at the receiver position.
But they aren’t completely devoid of talent there. They have loaded the receiver room with rosterable, NFL-caliber pass-catchers.
Kendrick Bourne and DeMario Douglas have shown they can be impactful with their recent performances. K.J. Osborn was signed this offseason after three productive seasons with the Vikings. Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker — second- and fourth-round picks, respectively — are likely to land on the 53-man roster as well.
If all of those players are healthy, that could be the active-roster group when the Patriots close camp.
But if Bourne needs time to continue to heal from the ACL injury that ended his season in 2023… or if there’s another ailment that inhibits one of the other perceived “locks” to make the team… or if the Patriots simply prefer to keep more depth at that position, preventing a player they like from hitting waivers at the end of camp… They could end up keeping another player or two here.
Who has the best shot at rounding out the receiver-room depth chart for new position coach Tyler Hughes? Who has the most to gain with a strong camp, starting next week?
Let’s comb through some names.
The hierarchy at receiver beyond the five mentioned above is far from clear-cut at the moment. But from this vantage point, Kayshon Boutte is worth mentioning here.
Boutte recently had underage gambling and computer fraud charges against him dropped, per ESPN, which should help him remain available to the team moving forward. He also happened to be one of the team’s most impressive wideouts during minicamp. He reeled in two contested-catch touchdowns from Drake Maye during the two-day mandatory session.
Boutte had maturity questions follow him into the NFL from his days at LSU. He also dealt with injury in his final collegiate season and did not impress with his athletic testing at the combine in 2023, which contributed to him getting drafted as a sixth-round flier. But he has flashed high-end talent before, leading the Tigers in receiving as a freshman with 735 yards in 10 games.
If Boutte can build on what was at times an eye-opening spring, he’ll have a chance to give the Patriots another option at the bottom of the depth chart come the fall.
JuJu Smith-Schuster has to be considered here. He said back in the spring that he felt much healthier than he did headed into the 2023 campaign, but there were times during recent Patriots practices when the 6-foot-1, 215-pound veteran looked limited by lower-body discomfort.
What the 28-year old has going for him in this discussion is that he provides the Patriots with a physical presence at the position. There were times last season when he was blocking linebackers and strong safeties on run plays. He’s unafraid to find contact, and he has the frame to hold up when asked to execute some of those early-down responsibilities.
If the Patriots want another big-bodied middle-of-the-field option as one of their depth pieces at this position, Smith-Schuster would likely have a leg up on Boutte (5-foot-11, 197 pounds), Reagor (5-11, 197) or Tyquan Thornton (6-2, 185).
While the Patriots — owners of the most cap space in football at the moment, per Over the Cap — could afford to release Smith-Schuster, they would be eating a significant amount of dead money by making that move. His $7 million base salary is guaranteed for 2024.
Though Thornton’s speed is a rare trait, he hasn’t been on the field consistently enough since being selected in the second round in 2022 to warrant solidified-roster-lock status. (He missed one of two mandatory minicamp practices in June.) Perhaps his speed will make him worthy of keeping in 2024 as the team looks to threaten opposing defenses deep down the field.
But there’s another specific skill that the Patriots might want to invest in with one of their last receiver spots: Reagor’s kick-return ability.
Would they value that narrow role over what Thornton’s speed could offer? Or Smith-Schuster’s size? Or Boutte’s potential?
These are questions worth asking, particularly with the NFL’s new kickoff rules potentially allowing for more explosive-play opportunities. Reagor returned seven kicks last season for 221 yards (an average of 31.6 yards per return), which included one 98-yard return for a score. In 2021, he returned 12 kicks and 36 punts for the Eagles. In 2022, he returned 27 punts for the Vikings.
There’s a chance that all return opportunities now go to Marcus Jones — who’s expected to be healthy and available after missing most of 2023 injured — which may open up the door for Smith-Schuster, Boutte or Thornton to make the team over Reagor.
But if the Patriots like Reagor’s potential with the new kickoff rules in place, perhaps he’s the under-the-radar receiver who’ll be kept as part of the active roster at the end of camp.
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]]>While Jerod Mayo’s pre-practice press conference was loaded with questions about Brandon Aiyuk and the possibility that the Patriots will add a highly-priced wideout, he did note that the players who are healthy enough to play in Thursday’s game against the Panthers will play.
That includes all four quarterbacks. That includes highly-paid players on new deals. And of course that includes young players vying for new gigs.
In our latest edition of Stock Watch, we have players all across the spectrum represented. Let’s get to the names of note from Day 11…
Kyle Dugger, safety
Dugger is having one of the best camps of anyone on the Patriots roster. After causing a pick at the goal line by breaking up a pass on Day 10, Dugger followed that up with a sack, a pressure and a pass breakup in coverage on Austin Hooper on Tuesday.
Jaheim Bell, tight end
The lone down moment for Dugger was when he was in coverage on rookie seventh-round pick Jaheim Bell in a 7-on-7 period. Drake Maye floated a fade to the back corner of the end zone that Bell reeled in despite tight coverage from the veteran safety.
Bell has missed time with an undisclosed ailment, but when given an opportunity to make a play, he made one.
Chad Ryland, kicker
Ryland has consistently won the kick-off kicker competitions to finish off camp practices this summer.
He won another matchup with Joey Slye on Tuesday by drilling a 50-yarder to finish off the back-and-forth. Slye missed his opportunity from the same distance after going kick-for-kick with Ryland before that.
Kevin Harris, running back
It’s been hard for the Patriots running game to find much room at the line of scrimmage, which isn’t necessarily a Harris issue. But he fumbled a handoff in the wet weather on Tuesday.
He’ll have an opportunity to make up for it by racking up plenty of carries on Thursday night, one would think.
Atonio Mafi, interior offensive lineman
The Patriots appeared to move Mafi off the center position in recent practices, going instead with a rotation of David Andrews, Nick Leverett and Charles Turner at that spot. But he was back at center briefly on Day 11. Once there was a fumbled snap to Drake Maye, though, he was pulled in favor of Leverett.
It looks like if Mafi is going to make the team, it’ll be as a guard. Snapping the football consistently has been an issue for him as he tries a new position.
Javon Baker, wide receiver
This was a tough inclusion because Baker made one of the most impressive catches of camp when he laid out for a Jacoby Brissett offering and pulled it in as he somersaulted out of bounds. His feet didn’t stay in bounds, though.
He also had a drop later in the practice and he had a target from Maye that was picked off. On the interception, it was unclear whether or not Baker should’ve had the reception — it looked like the pass bounced off his chest plate — or if it had been deflected by A.J. Thomas before being picked by Marcellas Dial.
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]]>The Patriots have a clear and obvious path to competitive football in 2024, and it starts with their defense.
The 2023 iteration of the team lost six games in which their opponents scored 21 points or fewer. That included three consecutive losses to the Colts, Giants and Chargers where New England never gave up more than 10 points.
While the two most important Belichicks — Bill and Steve, the latter serving as the Patriots’ play-caller since 2019 — have been removed from the equation on the defensive side of the ball in Foxboro, new head coach Jerod Mayo and defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington remain to run a scheme that will be rooted in recognizable philosophies.
Arguably their best player, Christian Barmore, is back with a new contract. Two of their most dynamic playmakers, safeties Kyle Dugger and Jabrill Peppers, return as well.
And those impressive 2023 numbers — they ranked ninth in DVOA — were generated in spite of the fact that two of the team’s most talented defenders at the two most important defensive positions in the sport were injured for the vast majority of the season.
Matthew Judon suffered a torn bicep that robbed the veteran pass-rusher of 13 games. Rookie corner Christian Gonzalez was also knocked out in Week 4 with a shoulder injury after an impressive first month of his pro career.
Because Gonzalez did enough to establish himself as a clear-cut starter in limited playing time last season, one of the biggest question marks in training camp on the defensive side of the ball — outside of Judon’s contractual future — will be which Patriots corner will play opposite Gonzalez in New England’s scheme.
While Jonathan Jones’ best spot on the field is the “star” role — in Patriots speak, that’s the slot corner — he could very well end up playing on the outside once again. Jones played 92 percent of his corner snaps out wide last season, per Pro Football Focus. In 2022, he was an outside guy as well, playing 94 percent of his plays out there.
The Patriots know what they have in Jones as an outside corner. Teams try to attack his 5-foot-10 frame along the sideline at times, but he’s smart and still has plenty of speed to be able to challenge burners down the field now going into his ninth season. He allowed a passer rating of 86.0 last season when targeted.
Should Jones end up playing opposite Gonzalez, that would then open the door for Marcus Jones to play in the slot at that “star” position.
Speaking of Marcus Jones, it’s important to point out that the Patriots view the third-year corner as having positional versatility in the secondary. He’s even more vertically-challenged than Jonathan Jones at 5-foot-8, but Mayo and Covington could opt to play the 2022 third-rounder outside.
We’ve seen it before. Marcus Jones played 282 of his 389 total defensive snaps outside as a rookie. Before getting injured last season, he played about three quarters of his plays out wide, per PFF.
It was back in 2022 that Jones stood out late in the season for his play on the outside — both good and bad. He helped stymie Davante Adams in Las Vegas but then about a week later against Cincinnati at times had a difficult time with Tee Higgins’ height.
Perhaps they’d be comfortable with Marcus Jones outside only in certain matchups, but one could envision a scenario in which there are two Joneses on the field with Gonzalez in 2024.
Alex Austin saw just over 30 snaps in the slot or in the box last season as he took on a more significant role beginning in Week 15. He played outside on 183 plays and did enough to warrant himself greater consideration for a real role this offseason. He allowed a passer rating of 79.2 last season, intercepting one pass and breaking up two more on 22 targets.
“When we finished up last year he was one of those guys like — look, this is an NFL player,” Mayo said earlier this offseason of Austin. “It’s good to see him coming back in shape and making plays.”
At 6-foot-1, Austin has more of a prototypical build to play on the outside than either Jones, and he impressed at times with tight coverage during shorts-and-T-shirts passing drills in the spring. But with just a handful of games under his belt as an undrafted rookie out of Oregon State last year, he’s less of a sure thing and will have to continue to open eyes in camp to get himself into the conversation as a potential starter.
There are others who could burst onto the scene with good camps, including second-year corner Isaiah Bolden, veterans Shaun Wade and Marco Wilson, newcomers Mikey Victor, Kaleb Ford-Dement and Azizi Hearn and rookie Marcellas Dial.
But if this defense is going to maintain its standing as arguably one of the 10 best in football — potentially allowing the Patriots to have a competitive season in the process — then maybe going with a trusted option opposite Gonzalez is the best path for them. That could mean rolling with Jonathan Jones primarily on the outside for a third straight season.
That might then open the door for Marcus Jones to handle slot duties. Last year’s primary slot defender was Myles Bryant, who signed with the Texans in the offseason.
]]>While Jerod Mayo’s pre-practice press conference was loaded with questions about Brandon Aiyuk and the possibility that the Patriots will add a highly-priced wideout, he did note that the players who are healthy enough to play in Thursday’s game against the Panthers will play.
That includes all four quarterbacks. That includes highly-paid players on new deals. And of course that includes young players vying for new gigs.
In our latest edition of Stock Watch, we have players all across the spectrum represented. Let’s get to the names of note from Day 11…
Kyle Dugger, safety
Dugger is having one of the best camps of anyone on the Patriots roster. After causing a pick at the goal line by breaking up a pass on Day 10, Dugger followed that up with a sack, a pressure and a pass breakup in coverage on Austin Hooper on Tuesday.
Jaheim Bell, tight end
The lone down moment for Dugger was when he was in coverage on rookie seventh-round pick Jaheim Bell in a 7-on-7 period. Drake Maye floated a fade to the back corner of the end zone that Bell reeled in despite tight coverage from the veteran safety.
Bell has missed time with an undisclosed ailment, but when given an opportunity to make a play, he made one.
Chad Ryland, kicker
Ryland has consistently won the kick-off kicker competitions to finish off camp practices this summer.
He won another matchup with Joey Slye on Tuesday by drilling a 50-yarder to finish off the back-and-forth. Slye missed his opportunity from the same distance after going kick-for-kick with Ryland before that.
Kevin Harris, running back
It’s been hard for the Patriots running game to find much room at the line of scrimmage, which isn’t necessarily a Harris issue. But he fumbled a handoff in the wet weather on Tuesday.
He’ll have an opportunity to make up for it by racking up plenty of carries on Thursday night, one would think.
Atonio Mafi, interior offensive lineman
The Patriots appeared to move Mafi off the center position in recent practices, going instead with a rotation of David Andrews, Nick Leverett and Charles Turner at that spot. But he was back at center briefly on Day 11. Once there was a fumbled snap to Drake Maye, though, he was pulled in favor of Leverett.
It looks like if Mafi is going to make the team, it’ll be as a guard. Snapping the football consistently has been an issue for him as he tries a new position.
Javon Baker, wide receiver
This was a tough inclusion because Baker made one of the most impressive catches of camp when he laid out for a Jacoby Brissett offering and pulled it in as he somersaulted out of bounds. His feet didn’t stay in bounds, though.
He also had a drop later in the practice and he had a target from Maye that was picked off. On the interception, it was unclear whether or not Baker should’ve had the reception — it looked like the pass bounced off his chest plate — or if it had been deflected by A.J. Thomas before being picked by Marcellas Dial.
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]]>In front of thousands of fans, with the proceedings broadcasted on Patriots.com, Tom Brady had a party thrown for him and all of his accomplishments over his two decades in New England. There were megastar musical acts. There was a surprise guest. There were emotional moments for Brady and his teammates. And there was an incredibly warm welcome for a recently-departed head coach.
Here were six of some of the most memorable moments from Brady’s big night, culminating in his official induction into the Patriots Hall of Fame…
Patriots fans grew accustomed to hearing Jay-Z’s song Public Service Announcement blaring over the Gillette Stadium speakers for years as Tom Brady hit the field and jogged down the home team’s sideline, punctuating his jaunt with a fist-pump and a scream.
On Wednesday night, the festivities kicked off with Jay-Z performing Brady’s favorite pre-game song live and in person. Brady — dressed in a suit and strolling past the corner where he was always fist-pumping and screaming — clearly appreciated the gesture, dancing to his spot as the guest of honor right in front of the concert stage.
Fitting start to what was a night propelled forward by all kinds of star power. Kenny Chesney performed his song “The Boys of Fall” later in the night, and the event featured two different acts by comedian (and massive Patriots fan) Bill Burr.
It’s hard to come up with anything new when it comes to Brady’s backstory. He’s been arguably the most thoroughly-covered athlete in the history of pro sports. But the in-house team for the Patriots put together an emotional piece that featured Brady’s parents (Tom Sr. and Galynn) and his three sisters (Maureen, Nancy and Julie).
It was light at times, with his sisters identifying moments when he was pushed around by other kids in their Northern California neighborhood many years before he became the greatest quarterback to ever play.
But the piece also helped lay the foundation for one of the more poignant themes of the night when his parents recalled Brady’s first trip to the Pro Bowl, soon after he won his first Super Bowl. It was then that it became clear he felt he couldn’t do everything he had once done with them. Suddenly famous, he was pulled in a variety of directions, and his time was limited.
It was a bittersweet moment for his parents as they looked back. The feeling felt reciprocated by Brady later in the night, when he made his Hall of Fame induction acceptance speech.
He’s someone who clearly values the hundreds of relationships he’s developed in Foxboro and beyond during his football journey. Many of the people with whom those relationships had been built were staring back at him in person as he spoke at the dais late on Wednesday night.
And when he did he acknowledged that — as was the case with his family in Hawaii in early 2002 — he hasn’t been able to give them all the attention he wishes he could.
“I wish I had more time,” he said tearfully at the end of the night. “I wish I had more time to give you all.”
The biggest surprise guest of the night was Brady’s greatest rival, Peyton Manning. “Are you [expletive] kidding me?” Brady asked Manning after the two embraced to loud cheers.
Manning joked that he was always warmly embraced by Patriots fans because he had such a hard time winning in Foxboro. His recollections of watching Brady with the ball in his hands at the ends of games were entertaining, as he painted a picture of himself praying to God to let the Patriots lose because Brady had already won enough.
Maybe the funniest story Manning told was of a time during the 2009 offseason when the two quarterbacks got together to share some tricks of the trade and work out. Throwing to high school kids in Tennessee, they made it clear they wanted their rendezvous to be private.
Manning told them: “If you tell anybody that Tom Brady and I are working out together and that we’re friends, then we’re going to kill all of you.'”
In perhaps one of the most unexpectedly emotional moments of the night, Randy Moss took the stage with some of Brady’s best pass-catchers from over the years. As he began to speak of Brady — with Wes Welker, Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman sitting nearby — the Gillette Stadium crowd erupted with a lengthy standing ovation.
Moss was moved to tears, eventually gathering himself to talk about what he recalled saying soon after arriving in Foxboro.
“Put my locker beside Tom Brady’s,” Moss said, “and the rest will take care of itself.”
Troy Brown and Deion Branch took the microphone near the end of the night to say, “Please welcome the greatest head coach of all time: Bill Belichick!”
The Gillette Stadium crowd proceeded to give Belichick a standing ovation for about two minutes. Then after a brief pause as Belichick began to speak, the crowd got a second wind and showered him with cheers for another 30 seconds or so.
“Thanks so much,” Belichick said. “That’s such a warm, warm welcome. I can’t tell you how much it means to me to come back here and see the great Patriot fans. Thank you.”
Belichick’s speech was loaded with highlights, including a long-winded praising of Brady’s ability to limit bad plays. When he heard some light applause — probably tougher to get the crowd really fired up about mistake-free football than it is memorable highlights — Belichick perked up: “Yeah! Hell yeah!”
But Belichick’s reception after losing his job — and after what has been widely viewed as a negatively-slanted portrayal in the recently-released “The Dynasty” docuseries — was one of the most powerful moments of the night.
Some of the biggest cheers of the night came as a result of a pair of Robert Kraft announcements.
“I promise tonight, it will never be worn again,” Kraft said. “The number 12 is officially retired.”
Kraft also told the crowd that there will be a 12-foot tall statue of Brady coming to the plaza at Patriot Place during the 2024 season.
At that moment, Brady appeared to tear up as the crowd in attendance chanted his name.
When it was time for Brady to speak, he wanted to make it clear — despite his image and No. 12 being splashed all over the stadium — that the night was about the group of people who helped him have the success for which he was being celebrated: family, friends, ownership, teammates, coaches, front-office members, support staff.
He also went out of his way to thank the game of football itself, and to make mention of why he hopes it’s a game that young people will continue to value.
“I encourage everyone to play football for the simple reason that it is hard,” Brady said. “It’s hard when you’re young to wake up in the offseason at 6 a.m. to go train and workout, knowing that all your friends are sleeping in and eating pancakes. It’s hard when you’re on your way to practice, weighed down with all your gear and it’s 90 degrees out, and all the other kids are at the pool or at the beach, and your body is already completely exhausted from workouts and two-a-days.
“It’s hard to throw, catch, block and tackle and hit kids when they’re way bigger and way more developed than you — only to go home bruised and battered and strained, but knowing that you have to show up again the next day for just the chance to try again.
“But understand this: life is hard. No matter who you are, there are bumps and hits and bruises along the way. My advice is to prepare yourself. Football lessons teach us that success and achievement come from overcoming adversity, and that team accomplishment far exceeds anyone’s individual goals.”
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]]>While Jerod Mayo’s pre-practice press conference was loaded with questions about Brandon Aiyuk and the possibility that the Patriots will add a highly-priced wideout, he did note that the players who are healthy enough to play in Thursday’s game against the Panthers will play.
That includes all four quarterbacks. That includes highly-paid players on new deals. And of course that includes young players vying for new gigs.
In our latest edition of Stock Watch, we have players all across the spectrum represented. Let’s get to the names of note from Day 11…
Kyle Dugger, safety
Dugger is having one of the best camps of anyone on the Patriots roster. After causing a pick at the goal line by breaking up a pass on Day 10, Dugger followed that up with a sack, a pressure and a pass breakup in coverage on Austin Hooper on Tuesday.
Jaheim Bell, tight end
The lone down moment for Dugger was when he was in coverage on rookie seventh-round pick Jaheim Bell in a 7-on-7 period. Drake Maye floated a fade to the back corner of the end zone that Bell reeled in despite tight coverage from the veteran safety.
Bell has missed time with an undisclosed ailment, but when given an opportunity to make a play, he made one.
Chad Ryland, kicker
Ryland has consistently won the kick-off kicker competitions to finish off camp practices this summer.
He won another matchup with Joey Slye on Tuesday by drilling a 50-yarder to finish off the back-and-forth. Slye missed his opportunity from the same distance after going kick-for-kick with Ryland before that.
Kevin Harris, running back
It’s been hard for the Patriots running game to find much room at the line of scrimmage, which isn’t necessarily a Harris issue. But he fumbled a handoff in the wet weather on Tuesday.
He’ll have an opportunity to make up for it by racking up plenty of carries on Thursday night, one would think.
Atonio Mafi, interior offensive lineman
The Patriots appeared to move Mafi off the center position in recent practices, going instead with a rotation of David Andrews, Nick Leverett and Charles Turner at that spot. But he was back at center briefly on Day 11. Once there was a fumbled snap to Drake Maye, though, he was pulled in favor of Leverett.
It looks like if Mafi is going to make the team, it’ll be as a guard. Snapping the football consistently has been an issue for him as he tries a new position.
Javon Baker, wide receiver
This was a tough inclusion because Baker made one of the most impressive catches of camp when he laid out for a Jacoby Brissett offering and pulled it in as he somersaulted out of bounds. His feet didn’t stay in bounds, though.
He also had a drop later in the practice and he had a target from Maye that was picked off. On the interception, it was unclear whether or not Baker should’ve had the reception — it looked like the pass bounced off his chest plate — or if it had been deflected by A.J. Thomas before being picked by Marcellas Dial.
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]]>The left tackle spot ultimately could be one of the key factors in determining when and how well Maye plays as a rookie. And it’s still a massive roster-building question mark.
During Monday’s OTA workout, veteran Chukwuma Okorafor was the first lineman up to protect veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett’s blind side. Then came Vederian Lowe. Rookie third-rounder Caedan Wallace filled in on the left side as well.
None are established starters for coach Jerod Mayo at that all-important position. Lowe had a roller-coaster 2023 with the Patriots at tackle, pushed into duty at times due to injury. Wallace accumulated 40 starts at right tackle for Penn State over his collegiate career and is trying to flip to the other side.
Okorafor is a fascinating case as the apparent top choice at left tackle since he has six years of NFL experience under his belt at right tackle. While speaking with reporters following Monday’s practice, the former Pittsburgh Steeler acknowledged the challenge he faces trying to get accustomed to the other side of the line.
“I played right my whole time in Pitt,” he said. “It’s obviously new. I’m trying to learn left as of now. … I’ve taken every single snap that I’ve taken in the last six years at right.
“It’s learning how to set and use my hands. That kind of stuff. This is the first day to actually go against someone live, somewhat live. It’s obviously not real football yet. We don’t even have the pads on yet. It’s just gonna take some time.”
Okorafor is confident, though, that with time he’ll be able to handle the responsibilities his new team throws his way.
“I’ve been in the NFL for a while now,” he said. “If I knew I couldn’t do it, I wouldn’t have chosen to do it. It will take time, but I know who I am and what I can do.”
There are a handful of veteran options available to the Patriots to handle left tackle should they feel as though what they have on the roster isn’t enough.
Donovan Smith started for Kansas City in last year’s Super Bowl, and he has nine years of experience as a starter at left tackle for the Bucs and Chiefs. He remains a free agent, and the Patriots were deemed the “best fit” for Smith’s services by ESPN’s Matt Bowen. Per Bowen, Smith had a pass-block win rate of almost 91 percent last year, allowing six sacks in 438 pass-block reps.
Charles Leno Jr. played 880 snaps at left tackle last season for the Commanders yet remains a free agent as well. Since 2014, he’s started 141 games at left tackle. He went a stretch of seven seasons with the Bears and Commanders showing remarkable durability by not missing a single start. Per Pro Football Focus, Leno had the 16th-best pass-blocking grade among all tackles in 2023.
There’s a third veteran option with whom Patriots de facto general manager Eliot Wolf would be very familiar.
Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, former Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari has been deemed “on schedule” for a return to the field in 2024 by Dr. Brian Cole, chairman of orthopedics at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. Bakhtiari has played just 13 games in the last three seasons — with just one game played in 2023 — and has dealt with knee issues for years. But if the free agent checks out medically? Perhaps Wolf, a former Packers front-office executive, would be open to a reunion with the five-time All-Pro.
The Patriots are experimenting at one of the game’s most important positions for now. And perhaps that experiment will yield positive results. But if Wolf, Mayo and the rest of the Patriots staff have questions as to how their left tackles will pan out, they have other options. And they have more cap space available to them than any team in football.
If Maye is going to play in Year 1, that left tackle spot is one they’re going to want to get solved sooner rather than later.
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]]>“I think there’s going to be a little bit more reliance on playing young players,” Wolf said at the time. “I think it’s really important in today’s football to be able to play young players and develop from within.”
Draft and develop. Draft and develop. That was the drumbeat of the Patriots offseason.
Why, then, at the first Organized Team Activity practice of the spring, was Maye looking like the third-string quarterback?
The 21-year-old from North Carolina took reps behind Jacoby Brissett and Bailey Zappe on Monday, working in ahead of fellow rookie Joe Milton.
Could be a multitude of reasons as to why the No. 3 overall pick would be third up.
Could be that the most efficient way to run practice would be to have the still-learning rookies go third and fourth in the pecking order behind the vets. Could be a nod to the older players that they’ll be given an opportunity to compete for jobs. Could be a message to the young players that they have to earn their stripes.
All would be understandable. Unless and until that type of dispersal of practice reps inhibits Maye’s growth.
At this point, it’s too early to say that things will continue on that way. Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo told reporters before the first of 13 OTA workouts that the rep dispersal for quarterbacks would not necessarily be indicative of how things would function moving forward.
“No, that won’t be indicative of what we do,” Mayo explained. “I think it’s a day-by-day thing. You know, you try to keep all those guys around the same rep count. But at the same time, on any given day, this guy could get 30 reps and another guy could get five. But then as we work through the week, it could kind of flip.”
And it should flip at some point. Maye is in the long-term plans of the organization. He is the long-term plan for the organization. Brissett will be given a real chance to start Week 1. Both need practice with their new teammates. And lots of it.
Zappe and Milton, meanwhile, could be competing for a third spot.
In a story by Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, it’s made clear that the team plans to “narrow the competition down to three guys” by the time training camp begins. Asked on Monday about shrinking the room, Mayo acknowledged that would happen eventually.
“Once we get to training camp, that’s real football,” he said. “So out here in the spring, we’ll rock with four. But, as soon as we get to training camp, you have to start paring down the roster.”
Reporters will be back out on the fields behind Gillette Stadium for OTA work on May 29. The Patriots know that how the work is divided up will get close attention, and perhaps practice will have a different look then.
But on Day 1, in a league where highly-drafted quarterbacks typically play early, it was noteworthy to see New England’s highly-drafted passer wait for his turn behind not one but two of his veteran teammates.
Here are some of our other takeaways from Monday’s work…
The Patriots will hold sessions of their “Quarterback School” on a regular basis with this new offensive coaching staff. Mike McCarthy has brought passer-specific drills with him all over the league and now two of his former assistants in Green Bay — Alex Van Pelt and Ben McAdoo — have an opportunity to do some of the same things in Foxboro.
Quarterbacks worked on gaining ground as they took snaps and moved away from under center. They worked on getting through bags on the ground, with their eyes up, trying to then make accurate throws into a net. They threw from an imagined pocket and outside.
For Maye, whose footwork has been criticized since well before the draft, he looked fluid on the move. There were moments where he seemed deliberate and methodical in his drop. But — outside of one run-in with a bag — you’d be hard-pressed to call his footwork a problem. In real time, it’s not discernibly different from that of his veteran teammates.
He did appear to rush through some steps in a team drill that led to a misfire on a checkdown. But it’s clear he’s a good athlete. It would be interesting to hear from his offensive coaches as to what they deem to be fixable in the short-term and how they’ve seen him progress in a short period of time.
Expect the “Quarterback School” to continue to be a staple in spring practices.
Maye completed six of his seven competitive attempts, with an incompletion (mentioned above) on a checkdown. He threw behind another short throw to a running back but made two throws with zip to the sideline for completions on out routes.
Maye could be seen throughout the practice talking to Van Pelt and McAdoo, and he spent some time going over things with Brissett as well. Late in the practice, Brissett and Maye shared offensive reps on one field while Zappe and Milton took snaps on the other.
When the session was over, Maye threw to rookie wideouts Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker for several minutes. They were the last three on the field.
It’s a different group in the trenches these days. Mike Onwenu remains at right tackle after re-signing in the offseason. Next to him on Monday was veteran newcomer Nick Leverett at right guard. David Andrews manned the center spot with Sidy Sow at left guard and Chukwuma Okorafor at left tackle.
Okorafor signed as a free agent after six years at right tackle with Pittsburgh.
“I think it takes time,” Okorafor said after practice when asked about playing on the left side of the line. “I played right my whole time (with the Steelers). It’s obviously new. I’m trying to learn left as of now. I’m just trying to learn a whole new playbook. I’m trying to learn a whole new city, a whole new town, so everything is kind of new to me now.”
Matthew Judon, Davon Godchaux, Josh Uche and Anfernee Jennings were not spotted at the session.
Judon is in the final year of his deal. After having money moved from 2024 to 2023 last summer, his contract is scheduled to pay him a base salary of $6.5 million. Coming off a season-ending injury, Judon’s contract situation and availability bear watching.
Uche and Jennings signed new deals this offseason. Godchaux, meanwhile, is in the final year of his contract but has no guaranteed money due to him, per Over the Cap.
Cole Strange, Kendrick Bourne and Jahlani Tavai were all present but not participating. Bourne and Strange are coming back off season-ending injuries. Tavai was limping on the field and appears to be dealing with a lower-body ailment.
On Strange’s injury, Mayo said, “He’s more of a, let’s say, week-by-week or you can go month-by-month if you want to.”
On a day that saw the Patriots offense focus on early-down work, Rhamondre Stevenson had plenty to do. Not only did he take a number of zone handoffs. But he was also targeted both in the screen game and the traditional drop-back passing game. He appeared quick and looked well-conditioned.
Kayshon Boutte made the catch of the day along the sideline, sprawling out for a Milton offering… Milton didn’t receive any 11-on-11 reps but was sharp in 7-on-7 work, completing all four of his passes… Milton overshot one receiver on a fade while working against air… K.J. Osborn had a drop… Zappe fumbled a snap… Kyle Dugger broke up a pass from Brissett in seven-on-seven work… Van Pelt wore a microphone during practice, his audio captured by the in-house content team for a video to be released at a later date… Music was played throughout almost the entirety of the session.
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]]>Before they even knew for certain they’d be able to land Drake Maye, they re-signed Mike Onwenu and Hunter Henry to multi-year deals. They acquired veteran free agent quarterback Jacoby Brissett to be a mentor and a stopgap as Maye learns behind the scenes.
Then, soon after taking Maye at No. 3 overall in the draft, the Patriots selected two receivers and two offensive linemen. All four could play critical roles in Maye’s rookie season.
The latest move to buttress the offensive huddle around Maye, whenever he’s leading it?
Re-upping center and longtime captain David Andrews.
Per ESPN, the contract extension will keep Andrews in New England through 2025 and will pay him $8 million fully guaranteed. The soon-to-be 32-year-old was scheduled to be a free agent after the upcoming season.
The deal for Andrews means that at least three of the team’s projected starters on the offensive line for 2024 — Andrews, Onwenu, and second-year guard Sidy Sow — are all under contract for multiple seasons. Third-round tackle Caedan Wallace and fourth-round guard Layden Robinson are about to embark on the first year of what will be four-year contracts.
“I think he’s a staple in the Patriot Way,” Brissett said of Andrews. “He’s somebody that, when I think about the culture, I think he is that. Somebody that’s a worker. A guy that’s fought through his career to get to where he is now.
“I think a lot of players on our team can look up to him. Not just guys on the o-line. Shoot, Drake can look up to him as somebody that built a career in one place but with a lot of hard work, through a lot of trials and tribulations… I’m glad he’s here and he’s our center because I understand and I know what he brings to the team.”
Have the Patriots provided a perfect situation for a young quarterback? No. But it’s improving. And by making Andrews the latest in a long line of offensive players receiving multi-year commitments, the Patriots have ensured that Maye will have a respected veteran voice upon which he can rely through the early portion of his professional career.
]]>Earmark a high-end first-round pick for a young quarterback. Sign a veteran passer to make sure the team doesn’t have to thrust said young quarterback into the starting lineup before he’s ready. Let them compete. See what happens.
It just so happened that when the new league year began in March, when free agency opened, there was an ideal veteran quarterback to fill that need.
Jacoby Brissett had been with the Patriots before, serving as the third-string quarterback in 2016 behind Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo. He played in Alex Van Pelt’s offense as a member of the Browns in 2022. He’d been a backup. He was widely regarded in league circles as one of the best veteran teammates a player could have. And he was available.
The Patriots promptly signed him to a one-year deal worth $8 million, and he now understands that part of his gig will be to help guide New England’s No. 3 overall pick from last month’s draft, quarterback Drake Maye.
“He’s got a lot of talent,” Brissett told reporters Thursday. “He can make all the throws. He wants to learn football. He wants to get better. That’s what you want, in not only your quarterback, but anybody on the team.
“I’m excited to work with him. I remember — he’s 21, I was 22, 23 — but I remember that I was following Tom [Brady] around… [Maye] is already texting me about plays. ‘How do I think about this?’ Cadence. Stuff like that. All the little nuances of being in this position at this level.”
Patriots coach Jerod Mayo said soon after the draft that Brissett understood what his job entailed. Helping a first-year player would likely be part of his responsibilities.
“Look, Jacoby understands, he’s a mentor,” Mayo explained. “He’s very smart, has great leadership skills, and hopefully Drake can learn something from him as well. I would say we’re going to compete all spring, we’re going to compete during training camp, and the best player will start.”
Brissett acknowledged that he’s looking forward to competing alongside Maye as well as Bailey Zappe and Joe Milton III — “I think the good thing about our room is, honestly, everybody wants to be the guy,” Brissett said — but he also wants to make sure he’s helping foster an environment in which there is no animosity between competitors.
“When I was here the first time, you realize everybody’s your mentor that’s older than you in this league or has more experience, and I hope I’m that for more than just Drake,” Brissett said. “I’m a teammate first. I can be a good teammate to not only him but to everybody on this team…
“I have no ego in this to be like, ‘I should do this.’ Whatever is for me is going to happen for me. Whatever is going to happen for the next person is going to happen for the next person. It’s about being ready whenever your time comes.
“The thing that got me to that mindset was my first year here. I’m the third-string quarterback my rookie year. Take no reps in training camp or OTAs with the first team. And in Week 2, I’m in a game against the Dolphins. You never know when your opportunity is going to come.
“It’s just about being ready. Whatever is going to happen for me is going to happen for me.”
]]>How’d it go? About as you’d expect. Flip a coin.
I successfully predicted the winner correctly for just eight of New England’s regular-season games. And the scores? Um… well… let’s not worry about the scores. Suffice it to say you weren’t making a ton of money off of those predictions unless you happened to hop on the bandwagon in Week 13 and hopped off by Week 17, when I went five-for-five picking winners.
Unimpressive.
What, then, would be the harm in trying to execute the same exercise in futility not days but months in advance of the start of the 2024 regular season? And why wouldn’t we simultaneously try to predict when rookie quarterback Drake Maye makes his debut as a starter with percentage odds based on no math whatsoever?
Sounds like a fine idea.
With the regular-season schedule now released, let’s get to it.
Odds of Drake Maye starting: 33 percent
I wouldn’t rule out Drake Maye taking the starting gig in Week 1. Is it likely? No. Not in my estimation. But he’s more advanced and “pro-ready” than some of the other quarterbacks in his class when it comes to his frame, his willingness (and effectiveness) throwing to the middle of the field, and his feel for pressure. He’s also more accustomed to being in a less-than-ideal situation than guys like Jayden Daniels and J.J. McCarthy, both of whom could be Week 1 starters.
Still, with a capable player like Jacoby Brissett in the mix in Foxboro, it’ll be a challenge for Maye to win the job outright in camp. That’s why I’m guessing the veteran is the go-to guy against Joe Burrow in Cincy.
FINAL SCORE: Bengals 20, Patriots 17 (Patriots record: 0-1)
Odds of Drake Maye starting: 0.1 percent
If Maye isn’t starting in Week 1, it’d make little sense for him to get the starting nod in Week 2. If you’re actually trying to get him ready to go — and barring injury — it feels like there’s almost zero chance this is when Maye makes his debut.
It does feel like a good opportunity for the Patriots to get their first win of the season, however, against a beatable West Coast team traveling to the Commonwealth led by a rookie head coach.
FINAL SCORE: Patriots 17, Seahawks 13 (Patriots record: 1-1)
Odds of Drake Maye starting: 1 percent
Again, why choose this as Maye’s entry point for regular-season football in the NFL? Good defense. On the road. In prime time. And coming off a win with Brissett as the starter? Feels like a no-go for the rookie.
FINAL SCORE: Jets 23, Patriots 20 (Patriots record: 1-2)
Odds of Drake Maye starting: 3 percent
As the schedule unfolds here, you get the sense that if Maye isn’t starting in Week 1, it’ll be a little while before he touches the field.
The Patriots could be 1-2 at this stage — or even 0-3 — and running Maye onto the field on the road against one of the best teams in football, featuring one of the best defenses in football, would look like a questionable decision. At best. Even coming off of a “mini bye” provided by the Thursday night-to-Sunday swing between Weeks 3 and 4.
FINAL SCORE: 49ers 26, Patriots 18 (Patriots record: 1-3)
Odds of Drake Maye starting: 35 percent
This game is when things start to feel more realistic when it comes to projecting Maye’s debut.
The Patriots will have just gone through a difficult first month against a challenging slate of opponents. They’ll be back at home. Against a talented division rival, but it’s a team with which Jerod Mayo and DeMarcus Covington are familiar.
If Maye is clearly ready, and if the Patriots offensive line has shown it can protect him — those seem like the two non-negotiable boxes that need to be checked before the No. 3 overall selection is inserted — there’s the potential that Maye takes the reins from here…
FINAL SCORE: Dolphins 31, Patriots 16 (Patriots record: 1-4)
Odds of Drake Maye starting: 45 percent
…Yet this one? This one feels like it could be an even more likely landing spot for Maye’s first start than Week 5.
If the Patriots are coming off three consecutive losses, and if they have just one win under their belt, the masses will be clamoring for him. Maybe even ownership.
They’ll be at home. Houston is a good team, coming off a surprising trip to the preseason 2023. The opponent isn’t ideal. But — particularly with the bye week coming in Week 14 — this might make the most sense as a spot for a Maye midseason debut.
FINAL SCORE: Texans 29, Patriots 23 (Patriots record: 1-5)
Odds of Drake Maye starting: 30 percent
There might be something to be said for playing in front of a relatively neutral crowd. If Maye were to get his first start here, he wouldn’t have the pressure of performing in front of an eager home fanbase. He wouldn’t have the challenge of dealing with hard-to-handle decibel levels on the road.
But there are enough in the way of oddities when playing overseas that this one just feels a tad odd as a starting point for Maye’s pro career.
FINAL SCORE: Patriots 13, Jaguars 9 (Patriots record: 2-5)
Odds of Drake Maye starting: 40 percent
The percentage odds we’ve cooked up here continue to drop, in part, because it feels as though there’s a shot the Patriots are able to stymie Trevor Lawrence in London.
If that’s the case, if Brissett is coming off a win, it still doesn’t make all that much sense for the Patriots to trot out Maye against what could be one of the league’s top defenses (third in yards allowed in 2023).
Let Quinnen Williams chase the veteran around. Bide your time. And if the Patriots are able to muster a split against Aaron Rodgers, then the team can continue to allow Maye to marinate behind the scenes.
FINAL SCORE: Patriots 23, Jets 16 (Patriots record: 3-5)
Odds of Drake Maye starting: 20 percent
This game could represent New England’s best opportunity to go on a veritable win streak in 2024.
On the one hand, the Patriots may like to get Maye a shot against a softer opponent — even if it’s on the road. On the other, if Brissett keeps winning, and if the Patriots are sniffing .500 midway through the season, it feels as though there’s a low likelihood of Jerod Mayo and the rest of the organization opting to trot out their young Tar Heel.
FINAL SCORE: Patriots 28, Titans 14 (Patriots record: 4-5)
Odds of Drake Maye starting: 10 percent
At Chicago. In November. Against a talented defense.
It shouldn’t matter to the Patriots that this would be an entertaining matchup between rookies taken in the top three if Maye was slated to start against Caleb Williams. This would not qualify as a soft landing spot. Another good one for the veteran to shoulder as the Patriots get into the stretch run of their season.
FINAL SCORE: Bears 27, Patriots 26 (Patriots record: 4-6)
Odds of Drake Maye starting: 42 percent
We haven’t had a fugazi Perry-generated percentage chance of Maye starting that was this high since the Texans in Week 6. The reason? The Patriots may have seen a potential hot stretch go cold in Chicago. And while the Rams are the better team with the more potent offense, they have oodles of questions defensively.
The combination of the Patriots slowly working their way out of legitimate contention, being at home, and going against a less-than-imposing defense… Could make for a good opportunity for Maye to take his first meaningful snaps.
FINAL SCORE: Rams 20, Patriots 13 (Patriots record: 4-7)
Odds of Drake Maye starting: 25 percent
While the Patriots’ record might have taken a hit against the Rams, the odds of Maye starting on the road against a divisional opponent — in a spot that has been a house of horrors for them for some time — also drop here.
If he’s gotten this far without starting, maybe wait another week to get him out there. Little upside to making it happen here against Jaelan Phillips, Bradley Chubb, Jalen Ramsey, Jevon Holland and rookie first-round pass-rusher Chop Robinson.
FINAL SCORE: Dolphins 24, Patriots 20 (Patriots record: 4-8)
Odds of Drake Maye starting: 60 percent
This right here? This would be the date I have my eye on if I’m the Patriots. First, you’re going to want to make sure you’ve answered those two questions we mentioned above: Is Maye ready? And can they protect him? If the responses to both are “yes,” then they could be off and running.
The Colts aren’t world-beaters. The Patriots may be out of legitimate postseason contention, but they’ll be at home, and they’ll be staring at a bye the following week.
That time off could give Maye, and his coaching staff, a lengthy opportunity to dissect all that they were able to learn from Game 1. Then they can take what they’ve learned and apply it to the final month of the season. Feels like a healthy launching point for the career of a highly-drafted rookie quarterback.
FINAL SCORE: Patriots 19, Colts 12 (Patriots record: 5-8)
Odds of Drake Maye starting: 55 percent
If it hasn’t happened yet, it could happen here.
Fresh off a bye week, with potentially little to play for in the standings, going to Phoenix in a climate-controlled situation against an up-and-coming but not-yet-great team? Wouldn’t be a bad place to give Maye the nod.
FINAL SCORE: Cardinals 27, Patriots 23 (Patriots record: 5-9)
Odds of Drake Maye starting: 5 percent
Feels like a less-than-ideal place to give Maye the nod. In Buffalo? With who knows what being launched in his direction from the stands? Against a team that could very well be fighting for seeding? This one would make little sense.
If the Patriots are set on getting Maye a taste of regular-season football but they don’t want him to gorge himself on it, waiting a week here would make a lot more sense than letting him try to get his bearings in Orchard Park, New York against Josh Allen.
FINAL SCORE: Bills 34, Patriots 21 (Patriots record: 5-10)
Odds of Drake Maye starting: 37 percent
We’re not exactly sure when this game will be played, but it wouldn’t be the worst time in the world to give Maye a little bit of game action. Even if it would come against the modern-day NFL quarterback to whom Maye has been most compared.
The Patriots have been able to keep Justin Herbert in check — he has a 59.7 quarterback rating in three career games against New England — in the recent past so as long as they’re able to keep that up, and as long as Maye can manage the game with all the information he’s gleaned over 16 regular-season weeks as a spectator, this could end up a nice little home win in Maye’s first game if that’s how it plays out.
FINAL SCORE: Patriots 13, Chargers 10 (Patriots record: 6-10)
Odds of Drake Maye starting: 28 percent
This would qualify as the Patrick Mahomes Plan, if it plays out this way.
Two very different situations, to be sure. Mahomes watched one of the league’s most productive passers at the time, Alex Smith, help the Chiefs to the postseason in 2017. They had nothing to play for in the season-finale that year.
Maye, meanwhile, could be on a team that’s out of the playoff mix well before this point. But the idea would be similar: A talented quarterback in need of seasoning spent almost an entire year on the bench, but less than one calendar year before he takes over as the clear-cut starter, he gets some game experience upon which to build with a long offseason approaching.
Right now, just based on how highly-drafted quarterbacks are handled when taken by non-playoff teams, it seems likely that this will not be Maye’s first game. But if it is, that might mean Brissett and the Patriots have surprised with their performance, allowing the future face of the franchise to take his time as his teammates do what they can to keep their playoff hopes alive for as long as possible.
FINAL SCORE: Bills 19, Patriots 16 (Patriots record: 6-11)
]]>While Jerod Mayo’s pre-practice press conference was loaded with questions about Brandon Aiyuk and the possibility that the Patriots will add a highly-priced wideout, he did note that the players who are healthy enough to play in Thursday’s game against the Panthers will play.
That includes all four quarterbacks. That includes highly-paid players on new deals. And of course that includes young players vying for new gigs.
In our latest edition of Stock Watch, we have players all across the spectrum represented. Let’s get to the names of note from Day 11…
Kyle Dugger, safety
Dugger is having one of the best camps of anyone on the Patriots roster. After causing a pick at the goal line by breaking up a pass on Day 10, Dugger followed that up with a sack, a pressure and a pass breakup in coverage on Austin Hooper on Tuesday.
Jaheim Bell, tight end
The lone down moment for Dugger was when he was in coverage on rookie seventh-round pick Jaheim Bell in a 7-on-7 period. Drake Maye floated a fade to the back corner of the end zone that Bell reeled in despite tight coverage from the veteran safety.
Bell has missed time with an undisclosed ailment, but when given an opportunity to make a play, he made one.
Chad Ryland, kicker
Ryland has consistently won the kick-off kicker competitions to finish off camp practices this summer.
He won another matchup with Joey Slye on Tuesday by drilling a 50-yarder to finish off the back-and-forth. Slye missed his opportunity from the same distance after going kick-for-kick with Ryland before that.
Kevin Harris, running back
It’s been hard for the Patriots running game to find much room at the line of scrimmage, which isn’t necessarily a Harris issue. But he fumbled a handoff in the wet weather on Tuesday.
He’ll have an opportunity to make up for it by racking up plenty of carries on Thursday night, one would think.
Atonio Mafi, interior offensive lineman
The Patriots appeared to move Mafi off the center position in recent practices, going instead with a rotation of David Andrews, Nick Leverett and Charles Turner at that spot. But he was back at center briefly on Day 11. Once there was a fumbled snap to Drake Maye, though, he was pulled in favor of Leverett.
It looks like if Mafi is going to make the team, it’ll be as a guard. Snapping the football consistently has been an issue for him as he tries a new position.
Javon Baker, wide receiver
This was a tough inclusion because Baker made one of the most impressive catches of camp when he laid out for a Jacoby Brissett offering and pulled it in as he somersaulted out of bounds. His feet didn’t stay in bounds, though.
He also had a drop later in the practice and he had a target from Maye that was picked off. On the interception, it was unclear whether or not Baker should’ve had the reception — it looked like the pass bounced off his chest plate — or if it had been deflected by A.J. Thomas before being picked by Marcellas Dial.
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]]>While Jerod Mayo’s pre-practice press conference was loaded with questions about Brandon Aiyuk and the possibility that the Patriots will add a highly-priced wideout, he did note that the players who are healthy enough to play in Thursday’s game against the Panthers will play.
That includes all four quarterbacks. That includes highly-paid players on new deals. And of course that includes young players vying for new gigs.
In our latest edition of Stock Watch, we have players all across the spectrum represented. Let’s get to the names of note from Day 11…
Kyle Dugger, safety
Dugger is having one of the best camps of anyone on the Patriots roster. After causing a pick at the goal line by breaking up a pass on Day 10, Dugger followed that up with a sack, a pressure and a pass breakup in coverage on Austin Hooper on Tuesday.
Jaheim Bell, tight end
The lone down moment for Dugger was when he was in coverage on rookie seventh-round pick Jaheim Bell in a 7-on-7 period. Drake Maye floated a fade to the back corner of the end zone that Bell reeled in despite tight coverage from the veteran safety.
Bell has missed time with an undisclosed ailment, but when given an opportunity to make a play, he made one.
Chad Ryland, kicker
Ryland has consistently won the kick-off kicker competitions to finish off camp practices this summer.
He won another matchup with Joey Slye on Tuesday by drilling a 50-yarder to finish off the back-and-forth. Slye missed his opportunity from the same distance after going kick-for-kick with Ryland before that.
Kevin Harris, running back
It’s been hard for the Patriots running game to find much room at the line of scrimmage, which isn’t necessarily a Harris issue. But he fumbled a handoff in the wet weather on Tuesday.
He’ll have an opportunity to make up for it by racking up plenty of carries on Thursday night, one would think.
Atonio Mafi, interior offensive lineman
The Patriots appeared to move Mafi off the center position in recent practices, going instead with a rotation of David Andrews, Nick Leverett and Charles Turner at that spot. But he was back at center briefly on Day 11. Once there was a fumbled snap to Drake Maye, though, he was pulled in favor of Leverett.
It looks like if Mafi is going to make the team, it’ll be as a guard. Snapping the football consistently has been an issue for him as he tries a new position.
Javon Baker, wide receiver
This was a tough inclusion because Baker made one of the most impressive catches of camp when he laid out for a Jacoby Brissett offering and pulled it in as he somersaulted out of bounds. His feet didn’t stay in bounds, though.
He also had a drop later in the practice and he had a target from Maye that was picked off. On the interception, it was unclear whether or not Baker should’ve had the reception — it looked like the pass bounced off his chest plate — or if it had been deflected by A.J. Thomas before being picked by Marcellas Dial.
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.
]]>While Jerod Mayo’s pre-practice press conference was loaded with questions about Brandon Aiyuk and the possibility that the Patriots will add a highly-priced wideout, he did note that the players who are healthy enough to play in Thursday’s game against the Panthers will play.
That includes all four quarterbacks. That includes highly-paid players on new deals. And of course that includes young players vying for new gigs.
In our latest edition of Stock Watch, we have players all across the spectrum represented. Let’s get to the names of note from Day 11…
Kyle Dugger, safety
Dugger is having one of the best camps of anyone on the Patriots roster. After causing a pick at the goal line by breaking up a pass on Day 10, Dugger followed that up with a sack, a pressure and a pass breakup in coverage on Austin Hooper on Tuesday.
Jaheim Bell, tight end
The lone down moment for Dugger was when he was in coverage on rookie seventh-round pick Jaheim Bell in a 7-on-7 period. Drake Maye floated a fade to the back corner of the end zone that Bell reeled in despite tight coverage from the veteran safety.
Bell has missed time with an undisclosed ailment, but when given an opportunity to make a play, he made one.
Chad Ryland, kicker
Ryland has consistently won the kick-off kicker competitions to finish off camp practices this summer.
He won another matchup with Joey Slye on Tuesday by drilling a 50-yarder to finish off the back-and-forth. Slye missed his opportunity from the same distance after going kick-for-kick with Ryland before that.
Kevin Harris, running back
It’s been hard for the Patriots running game to find much room at the line of scrimmage, which isn’t necessarily a Harris issue. But he fumbled a handoff in the wet weather on Tuesday.
He’ll have an opportunity to make up for it by racking up plenty of carries on Thursday night, one would think.
Atonio Mafi, interior offensive lineman
The Patriots appeared to move Mafi off the center position in recent practices, going instead with a rotation of David Andrews, Nick Leverett and Charles Turner at that spot. But he was back at center briefly on Day 11. Once there was a fumbled snap to Drake Maye, though, he was pulled in favor of Leverett.
It looks like if Mafi is going to make the team, it’ll be as a guard. Snapping the football consistently has been an issue for him as he tries a new position.
Javon Baker, wide receiver
This was a tough inclusion because Baker made one of the most impressive catches of camp when he laid out for a Jacoby Brissett offering and pulled it in as he somersaulted out of bounds. His feet didn’t stay in bounds, though.
He also had a drop later in the practice and he had a target from Maye that was picked off. On the interception, it was unclear whether or not Baker should’ve had the reception — it looked like the pass bounced off his chest plate — or if it had been deflected by A.J. Thomas before being picked by Marcellas Dial.
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]]>Christian Gonzalez’s impressive rookie season was cut short due to a shoulder injury, but he told reporters on Tuesday that he’s “healthy” now.
“That’s in the past,” he said. “I’m ready for right now.”
The Patriots will need him. Under new head coach Jerod Mayo and defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington — two Bill Belichick pupils — the bones of the team’s defensive structure shouldn’t be all that different than it’s been in years past. That means a lot of man-to-man coverage in the secondary, relying on the coverage skills of Gonzalez and others to thwart opposing passing games on a weekly basis.
Gonzalez was Pro Football Focus’ No. 9 cornerback through four weeks of last season before he was injured in a loss to the Cowboys. He picked off a pass against the Dolphins and had a quarterback rating of 58.5 when targeted — seventh among qualifiers in that span.
Not bad for a rookie who had the difficult task of tracking wideouts like A.J. Brown, Tyreek Hill, Garrett Wilson and CeeDee Lamb as he got his feet wet in professional football.
Gonzalez said he relishes the opportunity to continue to get those types of assignments in his second season. He’ll do whatever is asked of him, but he went on to say, “Obviously, I want that matchup. I think any corner wants that matchup.”
Gonzalez indicated that he is still rehabbing his shoulder injury as he preps for Year 2. He would not answer directly when asked if he was prepared to be a full participant in spring practices. He also would not divulge whether or not he was 100 percent healthy.
But it sounds as though he’s healthy enough to provide the Patriots with a sense of optimism that their first-round pick from a year ago — who will turn 22 next month — will be back on the field when the snaps matter.
]]>The Patriots were 29th in the NFL last season in yards per rushing attempt (3.3) when running outside zone or stretch run calls, per Sports Info Solutions. They ran just 69 of those types of plays over the course of the season, leading to second-worst-in-the-league mark of 13.5 yards per game on those types of plays.
But under new offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, it appears as though the Patriots will be leaning into those types of calls more frequently. Van Pelt hails from the Browns, where head coach Kevin Stefanski — a disciple of Gary Kubiak, longtime assistant to Mike Shanahan — implemented his version of a wide-zone rushing attack.
Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye said that he and Van Pelt discussed that type of offense, and how it looked with Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay, during the course of the pre-draft process. Rhamondre Stevenson has been open about the changing running game in New England as well.
“More outside zone heavy, not just straight gap scheme,” Stevenson said of the new offense this week. “More of a plethora of runs and just different schemes.”
During a meeting with Patriots reporters on Thursday, newly re-signed right tackle Mike Onwenu was open about the plan to shift styles under Van Pelt.
“It is a lot of wide-zone and more emphasis on actually stretching the ball, and having the ball go on the outside,” Onwenu said. “Whereas last year we were more cut-back, where everything was a lot of cut-back.
“It’ll be interesting to see how it plays. It’ll probably allow us to finish our blocks and really stay on our blocks, without worrying about the guy falling off or worrying about where the running back is going to go. He’s going to make us right.”
The Patriots weren’t necessarily a dominant gap-running team throughout the course of last season, but they finished the season averaging 4.0 yards per attempt on duo, power and inside-zone runs. They ranked 19th in the NFL in that category, and better than a half-yard per attempt than they were on wide-zone calls.
When the Patriots were at their best in the running game in 2023, they often ran behind Onwenu and then-rookie Sidy Sow, whose power off the snap was apparent in their forceful double-teams that could create room for backs to gain a head of steam before getting to the second level of opposing defenses.
While David Andrews has proven to be a scheme-versatile center, Onwenu and Sow look like a good foundation for a downhill running team based on their strength being… their strength. Even the rookies that have been brought in to New England look like maulers who would fit a gap-running offense.
Both Caedan Wallace (taken in the third round) and Layden Robinson (fourth round) have yet to take an NFL snap so it’s difficult to say how their skill sets will play as pros. But both sound like they could be beat-you-up-in-a-phone-booth types as opposed to rangy athletes in the trenches.
Via The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, the following scouting notes are portions of the “strengths” and “weaknesses” section for each player from Brugler’s draft guide.
On Wallace: “Flashes violence through engagement and sustains through the whistle… Doesn’t have elite range in his lateral movements.”
On Robinson: “Matches power with power at the point of attack… Noticeable lack of explosion in his movements.”
It’s up to Van Pelt to get the scheme to benefit the players available to him, whatever he plans on calling. But Onwenu believes that he and others can execute that which Van Pelt would like to run.
“Definitely,” Onwenu said. “At the end of the day, we’re all football players. Whatever scheme you put in front of us, we’re going to run and we’re going to execute. I think whatever they call, the play is going to be ran. And it’s going to be ran well.”
]]>In with “Process… Progress… Payoff.”
It sounds as though the Patriots have made myriad changes within — and on — the walls of the team’s facility. That includes a variety of new slogans that can be found throughout One Patriot Place.
Patriots veteran linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley pointed out his favorite of the newly-highlighted mottos when meeting with reporters after an on-the-field workout Thursday afternoon at Gillette Stadium. He went with, “Process… Progress… Payoff.”
“That’s one right when you walk in the door that’s big for us,” Bentley said. “Our biggest thing, not only about the slogans, is not letting them just be slogans. Everybody has a war cry. Everybody has a slogan they just say every day or write down every day. But do you actually live by it?
“That’s our main thing. How can we figure out a way, each and every day, to live by what we’re saying and not letting it just be words? So each and every day, just constantly getting better.
“The slogan thing goes far beyond football. It’s just life stuff, too. Being able to recognize that you have each and every day to make progress. Enjoy that process, each day you’re making progress, that’s part of the process. And hopefully at the end of the day, you’re seeing some type of payoff. If you’re not, you’re going to the drawing board and starting over from scratch.”
The Patriots are starting from scratch now, trying to establish something for 2024 and beyond under new head coach Jerod Mayo.
The process is underway.
The progress and resulting payoff? To be determined.
But there’s a reminder for players every time they step into the facility of what they’re after. The three “Ps” are all over, with the apparent intention that they slowly make their way into the team’s collective consciousness.
“You’ll be seeing it around,” Bentley said. “You’ll be hearing it around. I’ll try to say it as much as I can when I’m at a mic too so I can trickle it down to you guys.”
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]]>While Jerod Mayo’s pre-practice press conference was loaded with questions about Brandon Aiyuk and the possibility that the Patriots will add a highly-priced wideout, he did note that the players who are healthy enough to play in Thursday’s game against the Panthers will play.
That includes all four quarterbacks. That includes highly-paid players on new deals. And of course that includes young players vying for new gigs.
In our latest edition of Stock Watch, we have players all across the spectrum represented. Let’s get to the names of note from Day 11…
Kyle Dugger, safety
Dugger is having one of the best camps of anyone on the Patriots roster. After causing a pick at the goal line by breaking up a pass on Day 10, Dugger followed that up with a sack, a pressure and a pass breakup in coverage on Austin Hooper on Tuesday.
Jaheim Bell, tight end
The lone down moment for Dugger was when he was in coverage on rookie seventh-round pick Jaheim Bell in a 7-on-7 period. Drake Maye floated a fade to the back corner of the end zone that Bell reeled in despite tight coverage from the veteran safety.
Bell has missed time with an undisclosed ailment, but when given an opportunity to make a play, he made one.
Chad Ryland, kicker
Ryland has consistently won the kick-off kicker competitions to finish off camp practices this summer.
He won another matchup with Joey Slye on Tuesday by drilling a 50-yarder to finish off the back-and-forth. Slye missed his opportunity from the same distance after going kick-for-kick with Ryland before that.
Kevin Harris, running back
It’s been hard for the Patriots running game to find much room at the line of scrimmage, which isn’t necessarily a Harris issue. But he fumbled a handoff in the wet weather on Tuesday.
He’ll have an opportunity to make up for it by racking up plenty of carries on Thursday night, one would think.
Atonio Mafi, interior offensive lineman
The Patriots appeared to move Mafi off the center position in recent practices, going instead with a rotation of David Andrews, Nick Leverett and Charles Turner at that spot. But he was back at center briefly on Day 11. Once there was a fumbled snap to Drake Maye, though, he was pulled in favor of Leverett.
It looks like if Mafi is going to make the team, it’ll be as a guard. Snapping the football consistently has been an issue for him as he tries a new position.
Javon Baker, wide receiver
This was a tough inclusion because Baker made one of the most impressive catches of camp when he laid out for a Jacoby Brissett offering and pulled it in as he somersaulted out of bounds. His feet didn’t stay in bounds, though.
He also had a drop later in the practice and he had a target from Maye that was picked off. On the interception, it was unclear whether or not Baker should’ve had the reception — it looked like the pass bounced off his chest plate — or if it had been deflected by A.J. Thomas before being picked by Marcellas Dial.
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.
]]>While Jerod Mayo’s pre-practice press conference was loaded with questions about Brandon Aiyuk and the possibility that the Patriots will add a highly-priced wideout, he did note that the players who are healthy enough to play in Thursday’s game against the Panthers will play.
That includes all four quarterbacks. That includes highly-paid players on new deals. And of course that includes young players vying for new gigs.
In our latest edition of Stock Watch, we have players all across the spectrum represented. Let’s get to the names of note from Day 11…
Kyle Dugger, safety
Dugger is having one of the best camps of anyone on the Patriots roster. After causing a pick at the goal line by breaking up a pass on Day 10, Dugger followed that up with a sack, a pressure and a pass breakup in coverage on Austin Hooper on Tuesday.
Jaheim Bell, tight end
The lone down moment for Dugger was when he was in coverage on rookie seventh-round pick Jaheim Bell in a 7-on-7 period. Drake Maye floated a fade to the back corner of the end zone that Bell reeled in despite tight coverage from the veteran safety.
Bell has missed time with an undisclosed ailment, but when given an opportunity to make a play, he made one.
Chad Ryland, kicker
Ryland has consistently won the kick-off kicker competitions to finish off camp practices this summer.
He won another matchup with Joey Slye on Tuesday by drilling a 50-yarder to finish off the back-and-forth. Slye missed his opportunity from the same distance after going kick-for-kick with Ryland before that.
Kevin Harris, running back
It’s been hard for the Patriots running game to find much room at the line of scrimmage, which isn’t necessarily a Harris issue. But he fumbled a handoff in the wet weather on Tuesday.
He’ll have an opportunity to make up for it by racking up plenty of carries on Thursday night, one would think.
Atonio Mafi, interior offensive lineman
The Patriots appeared to move Mafi off the center position in recent practices, going instead with a rotation of David Andrews, Nick Leverett and Charles Turner at that spot. But he was back at center briefly on Day 11. Once there was a fumbled snap to Drake Maye, though, he was pulled in favor of Leverett.
It looks like if Mafi is going to make the team, it’ll be as a guard. Snapping the football consistently has been an issue for him as he tries a new position.
Javon Baker, wide receiver
This was a tough inclusion because Baker made one of the most impressive catches of camp when he laid out for a Jacoby Brissett offering and pulled it in as he somersaulted out of bounds. His feet didn’t stay in bounds, though.
He also had a drop later in the practice and he had a target from Maye that was picked off. On the interception, it was unclear whether or not Baker should’ve had the reception — it looked like the pass bounced off his chest plate — or if it had been deflected by A.J. Thomas before being picked by Marcellas Dial.
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.
]]>In spite of their desperation for something — anything — that would help their passing game, they were able to come away with two players whose skill sets seem to be tailored to fit the abilities of New England’s No. 3 overall pick, Drake Maye.
“Obviously,” Patriots de facto general manager Eliot Wolf told the team’s website soon after making the Maye pick on Thursday night, “Drake’s a really good downfield thrower.”
Of the top three quarterbacks taken in this year’s draft, none had more yards on completions of passes that traveled 20 yards or more down the field than Maye over the last two years (2,667 compared to 2,398 for Caleb Williams and 1,864 for Jayden Daniels).
Maye was tops among the top three when it came to Pro Football Focus’ big-time-throw metric — which records downfield passes with excellent accuracy and timing — with 66 since 2022. That exceeded the number of big-time throws for both Williams (44) and Daniels (38). And that Maye accumulated that volume of deep-and-accurate completions with just six turnover-worthy plays is indicative of some polish in that area.
The Patriots didn’t end up adding a burner to capitalize on Maye’s deep-passing abilities, necessarily. But they did get two receivers — one on Day 2 and one on Day 3 — who have shown an ability to make explosive plays down the field and could complement Maye’s strengths.
Second-round wideout Ja’Lynn Polk finished last season with a 99.9 deep-receiving grade from Pro Football Focus in Washington’s downfield passing offense. He picked up 39.6 yards per catch on 22 targets of 20 yards or more down the field, and he was eighth in the draft class in yards per route run on those deep shots. He didn’t drop a deep pass all season, and he snagged five of his eight contested down-the-field targets.
Fourth-round pick Javon Baker, meanwhile, ended up with a 98.3 deep-receiving from PFF. He averaged 38.2 yards per catch on those shots — deep throws made up 35.2 percent of his overall targets — and he was 10th in the class in yards per route run on throws of 20 yards or more. He dropped just one of his 25 deep targets, and he snared four of his six contested throws deep.
Baker, in particular, is someone accustomed to working down the field and scouts consider him to have a better shot at playing the “X” position. An eye-opening 77 percent of his targets last season (55 of 71) traveled at least 10 yards beyond the line of scrimmage, and he has more than a handful of acrobatic down-the-field grabs on his tape.
“Just come to the home stadium and bring your popcorn,” Baker told reporters after being selected. “I make people in wheelchairs stand up.”
Polk, meanwhile, while capable down the field, may be best suited to function in another role as a pro. One league executive compared Polk to Jakobi Meyers. Another NFL evaluator compared him to Tyler Boyd. Both are work-the-middle types of players as opposed to true deep threats.
“Smart, tough,” one offensive assistant said of Polk. “He’s not a No. 1. He’s not an ‘X.’ He tracks the ball well down the field, he’s just not a blazer speed-wise. You’ll want him off the ball. He’ll work the middle of the field. He’s just a good football player. I like him.”
“Strong contested-catch guy,” texted one AFC executive after Polk was drafted. “Not a ton of RAC. High character.”
Of Polk’s 87 targets last season, 58 came in the short (0-9) or intermediate (10-19) range. On 37 catches in that area, he picked up 459 yards, an average of 12.4 yards per catch.
Among receivers drafted in this class, he was 10th in the class with 10 forced missed tackles last season, and he was eighth in the draft class in terms of yards per reception against man coverage. He’s comfortable working in tight spaces, fighting for extra yards, and doing some of the dirty work in the crowded areas of the field that not all wideouts are fond of doing.
Another number suggesting Polk thrives in traffic? His most efficient spot on the field as a pass-catcher last year was in the intermediate center of the field — between the numbers and between 10-19 yards down the field — where he racked up a quarterback-rating-when-targeted figure of 135.7.
How does that mesh with Maye? He just so happened to be one of the most aggressive middle-of-the-field passers in this draft class.
Over the last two seasons, No. 2 overall selection Jayden Daniels attacked the center of the field with intermediate and deep targets 105 times. No. 1 pick Caleb Williams threw to that area 131 times. Maye targeted that same range a whopping 180 times.
Maye has been efficient, too — especially in the intermediate middle — suggesting that he and Polk may be able to find an early connection there.
Last season, Maye had 48 attempts in the intermediate middle, picking up 11.1 yards per attempt and an adjusted completion percentage of 70.8. Williams (9.7 yards per attempt, 61.2 adjusted completion percentage) fell short of Maye in both categories.
Over the last two seasons, Maye’s numbers exceed Daniels’ in that same area. The LSU product posted 767 yards on 44-of-75 passing (59 percent), for 10.2 yards per attempt, with nine touchdowns and just two picks. Extremely effective. But not quite as good as Maye, who accumulated 1,369 yards on 70-for-113 (62 percent), for 12.1 yards per attempt, with 11 touchdowns and one pick in that area.
“I think Drake Maye is one of the best middle-of-the-field throwers I’ve ever seen in college football,” PFF’s Steve Palazzolo told Next Pats prior to the draft. “As far as the feel of throwing a seam route, throwing the ball around defenders, throwing with touch, layering it — the middle of the field is outstanding.”
Cynthia Frelund, analytics expert for NFL Media, shared with Next Pats one number in particular that backed that up: Maye’s intermediate completions had a speed variance — showing his ability to layer targets to that area — of about seven miles per hour. Over the last three seasons, Power Five quarterbacks had an average speed variance of about half that (3.4).
“He attacks the middle of the field,” Nate Tice of The Athletic told the GoJo and Golic podcast earlier this offseason. “I think that is the 3-pointer for quarterbacks. It’s where the YAC is. It’s where the juiciest areas are. But it’s also the hardest area to attack. And he does it already.”
In Polk and Baker, the Patriots might not have landed one of the consensus future-No.-1-wideouts in this draft class. But they nabbed two players whose skill sets could end up getting the best out of New England’s new face-of-the-franchise quarterback.
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.
]]>While Jerod Mayo’s pre-practice press conference was loaded with questions about Brandon Aiyuk and the possibility that the Patriots will add a highly-priced wideout, he did note that the players who are healthy enough to play in Thursday’s game against the Panthers will play.
That includes all four quarterbacks. That includes highly-paid players on new deals. And of course that includes young players vying for new gigs.
In our latest edition of Stock Watch, we have players all across the spectrum represented. Let’s get to the names of note from Day 11…
Kyle Dugger, safety
Dugger is having one of the best camps of anyone on the Patriots roster. After causing a pick at the goal line by breaking up a pass on Day 10, Dugger followed that up with a sack, a pressure and a pass breakup in coverage on Austin Hooper on Tuesday.
Jaheim Bell, tight end
The lone down moment for Dugger was when he was in coverage on rookie seventh-round pick Jaheim Bell in a 7-on-7 period. Drake Maye floated a fade to the back corner of the end zone that Bell reeled in despite tight coverage from the veteran safety.
Bell has missed time with an undisclosed ailment, but when given an opportunity to make a play, he made one.
Chad Ryland, kicker
Ryland has consistently won the kick-off kicker competitions to finish off camp practices this summer.
He won another matchup with Joey Slye on Tuesday by drilling a 50-yarder to finish off the back-and-forth. Slye missed his opportunity from the same distance after going kick-for-kick with Ryland before that.
Kevin Harris, running back
It’s been hard for the Patriots running game to find much room at the line of scrimmage, which isn’t necessarily a Harris issue. But he fumbled a handoff in the wet weather on Tuesday.
He’ll have an opportunity to make up for it by racking up plenty of carries on Thursday night, one would think.
Atonio Mafi, interior offensive lineman
The Patriots appeared to move Mafi off the center position in recent practices, going instead with a rotation of David Andrews, Nick Leverett and Charles Turner at that spot. But he was back at center briefly on Day 11. Once there was a fumbled snap to Drake Maye, though, he was pulled in favor of Leverett.
It looks like if Mafi is going to make the team, it’ll be as a guard. Snapping the football consistently has been an issue for him as he tries a new position.
Javon Baker, wide receiver
This was a tough inclusion because Baker made one of the most impressive catches of camp when he laid out for a Jacoby Brissett offering and pulled it in as he somersaulted out of bounds. His feet didn’t stay in bounds, though.
He also had a drop later in the practice and he had a target from Maye that was picked off. On the interception, it was unclear whether or not Baker should’ve had the reception — it looked like the pass bounced off his chest plate — or if it had been deflected by A.J. Thomas before being picked by Marcellas Dial.
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.
]]>While Jerod Mayo’s pre-practice press conference was loaded with questions about Brandon Aiyuk and the possibility that the Patriots will add a highly-priced wideout, he did note that the players who are healthy enough to play in Thursday’s game against the Panthers will play.
That includes all four quarterbacks. That includes highly-paid players on new deals. And of course that includes young players vying for new gigs.
In our latest edition of Stock Watch, we have players all across the spectrum represented. Let’s get to the names of note from Day 11…
Kyle Dugger, safety
Dugger is having one of the best camps of anyone on the Patriots roster. After causing a pick at the goal line by breaking up a pass on Day 10, Dugger followed that up with a sack, a pressure and a pass breakup in coverage on Austin Hooper on Tuesday.
Jaheim Bell, tight end
The lone down moment for Dugger was when he was in coverage on rookie seventh-round pick Jaheim Bell in a 7-on-7 period. Drake Maye floated a fade to the back corner of the end zone that Bell reeled in despite tight coverage from the veteran safety.
Bell has missed time with an undisclosed ailment, but when given an opportunity to make a play, he made one.
Chad Ryland, kicker
Ryland has consistently won the kick-off kicker competitions to finish off camp practices this summer.
He won another matchup with Joey Slye on Tuesday by drilling a 50-yarder to finish off the back-and-forth. Slye missed his opportunity from the same distance after going kick-for-kick with Ryland before that.
Kevin Harris, running back
It’s been hard for the Patriots running game to find much room at the line of scrimmage, which isn’t necessarily a Harris issue. But he fumbled a handoff in the wet weather on Tuesday.
He’ll have an opportunity to make up for it by racking up plenty of carries on Thursday night, one would think.
Atonio Mafi, interior offensive lineman
The Patriots appeared to move Mafi off the center position in recent practices, going instead with a rotation of David Andrews, Nick Leverett and Charles Turner at that spot. But he was back at center briefly on Day 11. Once there was a fumbled snap to Drake Maye, though, he was pulled in favor of Leverett.
It looks like if Mafi is going to make the team, it’ll be as a guard. Snapping the football consistently has been an issue for him as he tries a new position.
Javon Baker, wide receiver
This was a tough inclusion because Baker made one of the most impressive catches of camp when he laid out for a Jacoby Brissett offering and pulled it in as he somersaulted out of bounds. His feet didn’t stay in bounds, though.
He also had a drop later in the practice and he had a target from Maye that was picked off. On the interception, it was unclear whether or not Baker should’ve had the reception — it looked like the pass bounced off his chest plate — or if it had been deflected by A.J. Thomas before being picked by Marcellas Dial.
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.
]]>While Jerod Mayo’s pre-practice press conference was loaded with questions about Brandon Aiyuk and the possibility that the Patriots will add a highly-priced wideout, he did note that the players who are healthy enough to play in Thursday’s game against the Panthers will play.
That includes all four quarterbacks. That includes highly-paid players on new deals. And of course that includes young players vying for new gigs.
In our latest edition of Stock Watch, we have players all across the spectrum represented. Let’s get to the names of note from Day 11…
Kyle Dugger, safety
Dugger is having one of the best camps of anyone on the Patriots roster. After causing a pick at the goal line by breaking up a pass on Day 10, Dugger followed that up with a sack, a pressure and a pass breakup in coverage on Austin Hooper on Tuesday.
Jaheim Bell, tight end
The lone down moment for Dugger was when he was in coverage on rookie seventh-round pick Jaheim Bell in a 7-on-7 period. Drake Maye floated a fade to the back corner of the end zone that Bell reeled in despite tight coverage from the veteran safety.
Bell has missed time with an undisclosed ailment, but when given an opportunity to make a play, he made one.
Chad Ryland, kicker
Ryland has consistently won the kick-off kicker competitions to finish off camp practices this summer.
He won another matchup with Joey Slye on Tuesday by drilling a 50-yarder to finish off the back-and-forth. Slye missed his opportunity from the same distance after going kick-for-kick with Ryland before that.
Kevin Harris, running back
It’s been hard for the Patriots running game to find much room at the line of scrimmage, which isn’t necessarily a Harris issue. But he fumbled a handoff in the wet weather on Tuesday.
He’ll have an opportunity to make up for it by racking up plenty of carries on Thursday night, one would think.
Atonio Mafi, interior offensive lineman
The Patriots appeared to move Mafi off the center position in recent practices, going instead with a rotation of David Andrews, Nick Leverett and Charles Turner at that spot. But he was back at center briefly on Day 11. Once there was a fumbled snap to Drake Maye, though, he was pulled in favor of Leverett.
It looks like if Mafi is going to make the team, it’ll be as a guard. Snapping the football consistently has been an issue for him as he tries a new position.
Javon Baker, wide receiver
This was a tough inclusion because Baker made one of the most impressive catches of camp when he laid out for a Jacoby Brissett offering and pulled it in as he somersaulted out of bounds. His feet didn’t stay in bounds, though.
He also had a drop later in the practice and he had a target from Maye that was picked off. On the interception, it was unclear whether or not Baker should’ve had the reception — it looked like the pass bounced off his chest plate — or if it had been deflected by A.J. Thomas before being picked by Marcellas Dial.
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.
]]>While Jerod Mayo’s pre-practice press conference was loaded with questions about Brandon Aiyuk and the possibility that the Patriots will add a highly-priced wideout, he did note that the players who are healthy enough to play in Thursday’s game against the Panthers will play.
That includes all four quarterbacks. That includes highly-paid players on new deals. And of course that includes young players vying for new gigs.
In our latest edition of Stock Watch, we have players all across the spectrum represented. Let’s get to the names of note from Day 11…
Kyle Dugger, safety
Dugger is having one of the best camps of anyone on the Patriots roster. After causing a pick at the goal line by breaking up a pass on Day 10, Dugger followed that up with a sack, a pressure and a pass breakup in coverage on Austin Hooper on Tuesday.
Jaheim Bell, tight end
The lone down moment for Dugger was when he was in coverage on rookie seventh-round pick Jaheim Bell in a 7-on-7 period. Drake Maye floated a fade to the back corner of the end zone that Bell reeled in despite tight coverage from the veteran safety.
Bell has missed time with an undisclosed ailment, but when given an opportunity to make a play, he made one.
Chad Ryland, kicker
Ryland has consistently won the kick-off kicker competitions to finish off camp practices this summer.
He won another matchup with Joey Slye on Tuesday by drilling a 50-yarder to finish off the back-and-forth. Slye missed his opportunity from the same distance after going kick-for-kick with Ryland before that.
Kevin Harris, running back
It’s been hard for the Patriots running game to find much room at the line of scrimmage, which isn’t necessarily a Harris issue. But he fumbled a handoff in the wet weather on Tuesday.
He’ll have an opportunity to make up for it by racking up plenty of carries on Thursday night, one would think.
Atonio Mafi, interior offensive lineman
The Patriots appeared to move Mafi off the center position in recent practices, going instead with a rotation of David Andrews, Nick Leverett and Charles Turner at that spot. But he was back at center briefly on Day 11. Once there was a fumbled snap to Drake Maye, though, he was pulled in favor of Leverett.
It looks like if Mafi is going to make the team, it’ll be as a guard. Snapping the football consistently has been an issue for him as he tries a new position.
Javon Baker, wide receiver
This was a tough inclusion because Baker made one of the most impressive catches of camp when he laid out for a Jacoby Brissett offering and pulled it in as he somersaulted out of bounds. His feet didn’t stay in bounds, though.
He also had a drop later in the practice and he had a target from Maye that was picked off. On the interception, it was unclear whether or not Baker should’ve had the reception — it looked like the pass bounced off his chest plate — or if it had been deflected by A.J. Thomas before being picked by Marcellas Dial.
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.
]]>While Jerod Mayo’s pre-practice press conference was loaded with questions about Brandon Aiyuk and the possibility that the Patriots will add a highly-priced wideout, he did note that the players who are healthy enough to play in Thursday’s game against the Panthers will play.
That includes all four quarterbacks. That includes highly-paid players on new deals. And of course that includes young players vying for new gigs.
In our latest edition of Stock Watch, we have players all across the spectrum represented. Let’s get to the names of note from Day 11…
Kyle Dugger, safety
Dugger is having one of the best camps of anyone on the Patriots roster. After causing a pick at the goal line by breaking up a pass on Day 10, Dugger followed that up with a sack, a pressure and a pass breakup in coverage on Austin Hooper on Tuesday.
Jaheim Bell, tight end
The lone down moment for Dugger was when he was in coverage on rookie seventh-round pick Jaheim Bell in a 7-on-7 period. Drake Maye floated a fade to the back corner of the end zone that Bell reeled in despite tight coverage from the veteran safety.
Bell has missed time with an undisclosed ailment, but when given an opportunity to make a play, he made one.
Chad Ryland, kicker
Ryland has consistently won the kick-off kicker competitions to finish off camp practices this summer.
He won another matchup with Joey Slye on Tuesday by drilling a 50-yarder to finish off the back-and-forth. Slye missed his opportunity from the same distance after going kick-for-kick with Ryland before that.
Kevin Harris, running back
It’s been hard for the Patriots running game to find much room at the line of scrimmage, which isn’t necessarily a Harris issue. But he fumbled a handoff in the wet weather on Tuesday.
He’ll have an opportunity to make up for it by racking up plenty of carries on Thursday night, one would think.
Atonio Mafi, interior offensive lineman
The Patriots appeared to move Mafi off the center position in recent practices, going instead with a rotation of David Andrews, Nick Leverett and Charles Turner at that spot. But he was back at center briefly on Day 11. Once there was a fumbled snap to Drake Maye, though, he was pulled in favor of Leverett.
It looks like if Mafi is going to make the team, it’ll be as a guard. Snapping the football consistently has been an issue for him as he tries a new position.
Javon Baker, wide receiver
This was a tough inclusion because Baker made one of the most impressive catches of camp when he laid out for a Jacoby Brissett offering and pulled it in as he somersaulted out of bounds. His feet didn’t stay in bounds, though.
He also had a drop later in the practice and he had a target from Maye that was picked off. On the interception, it was unclear whether or not Baker should’ve had the reception — it looked like the pass bounced off his chest plate — or if it had been deflected by A.J. Thomas before being picked by Marcellas Dial.
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.
]]>While Jerod Mayo’s pre-practice press conference was loaded with questions about Brandon Aiyuk and the possibility that the Patriots will add a highly-priced wideout, he did note that the players who are healthy enough to play in Thursday’s game against the Panthers will play.
That includes all four quarterbacks. That includes highly-paid players on new deals. And of course that includes young players vying for new gigs.
In our latest edition of Stock Watch, we have players all across the spectrum represented. Let’s get to the names of note from Day 11…
Kyle Dugger, safety
Dugger is having one of the best camps of anyone on the Patriots roster. After causing a pick at the goal line by breaking up a pass on Day 10, Dugger followed that up with a sack, a pressure and a pass breakup in coverage on Austin Hooper on Tuesday.
Jaheim Bell, tight end
The lone down moment for Dugger was when he was in coverage on rookie seventh-round pick Jaheim Bell in a 7-on-7 period. Drake Maye floated a fade to the back corner of the end zone that Bell reeled in despite tight coverage from the veteran safety.
Bell has missed time with an undisclosed ailment, but when given an opportunity to make a play, he made one.
Chad Ryland, kicker
Ryland has consistently won the kick-off kicker competitions to finish off camp practices this summer.
He won another matchup with Joey Slye on Tuesday by drilling a 50-yarder to finish off the back-and-forth. Slye missed his opportunity from the same distance after going kick-for-kick with Ryland before that.
Kevin Harris, running back
It’s been hard for the Patriots running game to find much room at the line of scrimmage, which isn’t necessarily a Harris issue. But he fumbled a handoff in the wet weather on Tuesday.
He’ll have an opportunity to make up for it by racking up plenty of carries on Thursday night, one would think.
Atonio Mafi, interior offensive lineman
The Patriots appeared to move Mafi off the center position in recent practices, going instead with a rotation of David Andrews, Nick Leverett and Charles Turner at that spot. But he was back at center briefly on Day 11. Once there was a fumbled snap to Drake Maye, though, he was pulled in favor of Leverett.
It looks like if Mafi is going to make the team, it’ll be as a guard. Snapping the football consistently has been an issue for him as he tries a new position.
Javon Baker, wide receiver
This was a tough inclusion because Baker made one of the most impressive catches of camp when he laid out for a Jacoby Brissett offering and pulled it in as he somersaulted out of bounds. His feet didn’t stay in bounds, though.
He also had a drop later in the practice and he had a target from Maye that was picked off. On the interception, it was unclear whether or not Baker should’ve had the reception — it looked like the pass bounced off his chest plate — or if it had been deflected by A.J. Thomas before being picked by Marcellas Dial.
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.
]]>While Jerod Mayo’s pre-practice press conference was loaded with questions about Brandon Aiyuk and the possibility that the Patriots will add a highly-priced wideout, he did note that the players who are healthy enough to play in Thursday’s game against the Panthers will play.
That includes all four quarterbacks. That includes highly-paid players on new deals. And of course that includes young players vying for new gigs.
In our latest edition of Stock Watch, we have players all across the spectrum represented. Let’s get to the names of note from Day 11…
Kyle Dugger, safety
Dugger is having one of the best camps of anyone on the Patriots roster. After causing a pick at the goal line by breaking up a pass on Day 10, Dugger followed that up with a sack, a pressure and a pass breakup in coverage on Austin Hooper on Tuesday.
Jaheim Bell, tight end
The lone down moment for Dugger was when he was in coverage on rookie seventh-round pick Jaheim Bell in a 7-on-7 period. Drake Maye floated a fade to the back corner of the end zone that Bell reeled in despite tight coverage from the veteran safety.
Bell has missed time with an undisclosed ailment, but when given an opportunity to make a play, he made one.
Chad Ryland, kicker
Ryland has consistently won the kick-off kicker competitions to finish off camp practices this summer.
He won another matchup with Joey Slye on Tuesday by drilling a 50-yarder to finish off the back-and-forth. Slye missed his opportunity from the same distance after going kick-for-kick with Ryland before that.
Kevin Harris, running back
It’s been hard for the Patriots running game to find much room at the line of scrimmage, which isn’t necessarily a Harris issue. But he fumbled a handoff in the wet weather on Tuesday.
He’ll have an opportunity to make up for it by racking up plenty of carries on Thursday night, one would think.
Atonio Mafi, interior offensive lineman
The Patriots appeared to move Mafi off the center position in recent practices, going instead with a rotation of David Andrews, Nick Leverett and Charles Turner at that spot. But he was back at center briefly on Day 11. Once there was a fumbled snap to Drake Maye, though, he was pulled in favor of Leverett.
It looks like if Mafi is going to make the team, it’ll be as a guard. Snapping the football consistently has been an issue for him as he tries a new position.
Javon Baker, wide receiver
This was a tough inclusion because Baker made one of the most impressive catches of camp when he laid out for a Jacoby Brissett offering and pulled it in as he somersaulted out of bounds. His feet didn’t stay in bounds, though.
He also had a drop later in the practice and he had a target from Maye that was picked off. On the interception, it was unclear whether or not Baker should’ve had the reception — it looked like the pass bounced off his chest plate — or if it had been deflected by A.J. Thomas before being picked by Marcellas Dial.
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.
]]>While Jerod Mayo’s pre-practice press conference was loaded with questions about Brandon Aiyuk and the possibility that the Patriots will add a highly-priced wideout, he did note that the players who are healthy enough to play in Thursday’s game against the Panthers will play.
That includes all four quarterbacks. That includes highly-paid players on new deals. And of course that includes young players vying for new gigs.
In our latest edition of Stock Watch, we have players all across the spectrum represented. Let’s get to the names of note from Day 11…
Kyle Dugger, safety
Dugger is having one of the best camps of anyone on the Patriots roster. After causing a pick at the goal line by breaking up a pass on Day 10, Dugger followed that up with a sack, a pressure and a pass breakup in coverage on Austin Hooper on Tuesday.
Jaheim Bell, tight end
The lone down moment for Dugger was when he was in coverage on rookie seventh-round pick Jaheim Bell in a 7-on-7 period. Drake Maye floated a fade to the back corner of the end zone that Bell reeled in despite tight coverage from the veteran safety.
Bell has missed time with an undisclosed ailment, but when given an opportunity to make a play, he made one.
Chad Ryland, kicker
Ryland has consistently won the kick-off kicker competitions to finish off camp practices this summer.
He won another matchup with Joey Slye on Tuesday by drilling a 50-yarder to finish off the back-and-forth. Slye missed his opportunity from the same distance after going kick-for-kick with Ryland before that.
Kevin Harris, running back
It’s been hard for the Patriots running game to find much room at the line of scrimmage, which isn’t necessarily a Harris issue. But he fumbled a handoff in the wet weather on Tuesday.
He’ll have an opportunity to make up for it by racking up plenty of carries on Thursday night, one would think.
Atonio Mafi, interior offensive lineman
The Patriots appeared to move Mafi off the center position in recent practices, going instead with a rotation of David Andrews, Nick Leverett and Charles Turner at that spot. But he was back at center briefly on Day 11. Once there was a fumbled snap to Drake Maye, though, he was pulled in favor of Leverett.
It looks like if Mafi is going to make the team, it’ll be as a guard. Snapping the football consistently has been an issue for him as he tries a new position.
Javon Baker, wide receiver
This was a tough inclusion because Baker made one of the most impressive catches of camp when he laid out for a Jacoby Brissett offering and pulled it in as he somersaulted out of bounds. His feet didn’t stay in bounds, though.
He also had a drop later in the practice and he had a target from Maye that was picked off. On the interception, it was unclear whether or not Baker should’ve had the reception — it looked like the pass bounced off his chest plate — or if it had been deflected by A.J. Thomas before being picked by Marcellas Dial.
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.
]]>While Jerod Mayo’s pre-practice press conference was loaded with questions about Brandon Aiyuk and the possibility that the Patriots will add a highly-priced wideout, he did note that the players who are healthy enough to play in Thursday’s game against the Panthers will play.
That includes all four quarterbacks. That includes highly-paid players on new deals. And of course that includes young players vying for new gigs.
In our latest edition of Stock Watch, we have players all across the spectrum represented. Let’s get to the names of note from Day 11…
Kyle Dugger, safety
Dugger is having one of the best camps of anyone on the Patriots roster. After causing a pick at the goal line by breaking up a pass on Day 10, Dugger followed that up with a sack, a pressure and a pass breakup in coverage on Austin Hooper on Tuesday.
Jaheim Bell, tight end
The lone down moment for Dugger was when he was in coverage on rookie seventh-round pick Jaheim Bell in a 7-on-7 period. Drake Maye floated a fade to the back corner of the end zone that Bell reeled in despite tight coverage from the veteran safety.
Bell has missed time with an undisclosed ailment, but when given an opportunity to make a play, he made one.
Chad Ryland, kicker
Ryland has consistently won the kick-off kicker competitions to finish off camp practices this summer.
He won another matchup with Joey Slye on Tuesday by drilling a 50-yarder to finish off the back-and-forth. Slye missed his opportunity from the same distance after going kick-for-kick with Ryland before that.
Kevin Harris, running back
It’s been hard for the Patriots running game to find much room at the line of scrimmage, which isn’t necessarily a Harris issue. But he fumbled a handoff in the wet weather on Tuesday.
He’ll have an opportunity to make up for it by racking up plenty of carries on Thursday night, one would think.
Atonio Mafi, interior offensive lineman
The Patriots appeared to move Mafi off the center position in recent practices, going instead with a rotation of David Andrews, Nick Leverett and Charles Turner at that spot. But he was back at center briefly on Day 11. Once there was a fumbled snap to Drake Maye, though, he was pulled in favor of Leverett.
It looks like if Mafi is going to make the team, it’ll be as a guard. Snapping the football consistently has been an issue for him as he tries a new position.
Javon Baker, wide receiver
This was a tough inclusion because Baker made one of the most impressive catches of camp when he laid out for a Jacoby Brissett offering and pulled it in as he somersaulted out of bounds. His feet didn’t stay in bounds, though.
He also had a drop later in the practice and he had a target from Maye that was picked off. On the interception, it was unclear whether or not Baker should’ve had the reception — it looked like the pass bounced off his chest plate — or if it had been deflected by A.J. Thomas before being picked by Marcellas Dial.
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]]>What were the physical or production-related thresholds he seemed to value at quarterback? Receiver? Tackle? Pass-rusher? Corner?
The more picks Belichick made, the more information we had, and — theoretically — the more we could zero in on the players Belichick coveted on draft weekend.
Now? The entire process is a little tougher.
De facto Patriots general manager and director of scouting Eliot Wolf has no track record as a franchise’s primary front-office decision-maker. It’s not entirely clear what he’ll prefer on a position-by-position basis.
All we can do, then, is work off clues from personnel chiefs alongside whom Wolf has studied in the past. That includes his father, Ron Wolf, who built the Packers in the early 1990s and beyond.
The elder Wolf tutored the likes of Ted Thompson, John Dorsey, John Schneider, Reggie McKenzie, Scot McCloughan and Brian Gutekunst. Aside from McCloughan, who left the Packers in 1999, the younger Wolf worked with all of those future general managers in Green Bay. He worked directly under Dorsey in Cleveland as assistant GM.
As we go through this year’s Prototypical Patriots series, we’ll use evidence from all the branches of the Ron Wolf executive tree, pointing out what they valued in their early-round selections.
At tight end, there are 11 players who were drafted by a member of the Wolf executive tree in the first, second or third rounds. We have official pre-draft measurements for all of them, thanks in part to the extensive library from Kent Lee Platte’s site RAS.football.
Of those 11 players, here’s what we can say the Wolf tree has coveted at tight end.
On average, these players checked in at 6-foot-4, 252 pounds. They ran, on average, a 4.72-second 40 time and clocked a short-shuttle time of 4.36 seconds. They had average jumps of 34 inches in the vertical and 9-feet-11 in the broad. A player at that position with those measurements would be given a strong Relative Athletic Score of 8.36.
Per Platte’s RAS metric, one of the closest comps to this composite average Wolf tree tight end would be Austin Hooper, who was just signed by Eliot Wolf as a free agent.
When taking a glance at all 11 players these Wolf types drafted relatively early, there are a couple of trends that stick out. They like size. And specifically players who check in at 250 pounds or more. Of the 11 studied, only two — Josiah Deguara and Jermichael Finley — didn’t eclipse the 250-pound mark.
These execs also seemed to value some baseline quickness requirement: 10 of the 11 players studied clocked short-shuttle times before the draft, and nine of those came in under 4.50 seconds.
Were you to look at this year's draft class and remove all the tight ends who don't tip the scales at 250 pounds, you'd suddenly have a much smaller group. That collection gets whittled down further when looking at the bigger bodies who also had shuttle times that came in under 4.50 seconds.
Those will be the two measurements we weigh most heavily here in trying to determine our "prototypes" at the position since some of the other metrics are all over the map.
Schneider's third-rounder for the Seahawks in 2016, Nick Vannett, ran a 4.89-second 40. McCloughan's first-round freak at tight end for the 49ers in 2006, Vernon Davis, blazed a 4.38 40. Finley jumped just 27.5 inches in the vertical somehow, Meanwhile McKenzie's third-rounder in 2015, Clive Walford, hit 35 inches in that particular event before the draft.
Both Luke Musgrave (6-foot-6, 253 pounds, 4.41-second shuttle) and Tucker Kraft (6-foot-5, 254, 4.29) -- Day 2 picks of the Packers last season -- hit the weight and shuttle markers relatively easily. So did Dorsey's third-round selection for the Chiefs back in 2013, Travis Kelce (6-foot-5, 255, 4.42).
With further ado, let's get to the options who fit the bill. We identified five.
Arguably the most impressive athlete at the position in this year's class, Johnson carries with him a whopping 9.93 RAS due to his size and eye-opening explosiveness. He recorded a 39.5-inch vertical and a 10-foot-5 broad jump at this year's combine. He also clocked an impressive 4.57-second 40 and a (for our purposes) noteworthy 4.19-second shuttle time.
If Eliot Wolf is after traits at this position, Johnson has them. He may need a little encouragement when it comes to his work in the running game, but he has the movement skills to be a weapon at a position that seems as reliant on athleticism as any other in the sport.
Sinnott just barely gets into the club this year based on his frame. But his athleticism is more than worthy for this list. He posted big-time jumps of 40 inches in the vertical and 10-foot-6 in the broad -- in the 97th and 94th percentiles, respectively -- and then put up a very quick shuttle time of 4.23 seconds.
Sinnott isn't going to be blowing hardened defensive ends off the line of scrimmage one-on-one in the running game at the next level. But if you can get him on the move? In an Alex Van Pelt scheme that may rely on horizontal movement along the line of scrimmage? He has enough grit to compete there.
And as a receiver, he appears to have the size and hands to be a reliable target for whichever quarterback is behind center in Foxboro, while also bringing enough juice to the table to create after the catch.
His 4.41-second shuttle time isn't going to blow anyone away. But it is enough to land him here. Add in a 7.02-second three-cone time, and there's some real quickness to work with there.
He also has experience playing in-line as part of a pro-style offense -- not something all prospects at this position bring with them to the NFL -- that could make him attractive to Eliot Wolf and the Patriots front office. He's not the most dynamic receiver on this list this year, but he blocks well enough to make him a real dual threat.
If New England feels he can do enough as a chain-mover when absolutely necessary, they could turn to him as a depth option on Day 3 of the draft or soon after.
Don't be thrown off by that weight. Reiman can scoot. His 1.55-second 10-yard split ranked him in the 91st percentile. He also posted a 4.26-second shuttle time and a 7.02-second three-cone that were extremely impressive (both ranked him in the 77th percentile) for someone with his size.
Reiman was a walk-on for the Illini and eventually earned the title of captain in 2023. He'll block. He'll play special teams. And if his hands are dependable enough, he could be a big-bodied target in the passing game.
Don't be stunned if you hear the Patriots call his name on Day 3 given his mentality and his rare physical tools.
Thought this fifth spot would be reserved for Iowa tight end Erick All, didn't you? Well... he probably does deserve it at 6-foot-4, 252 pounds and with enough quickness to be viewed as a capable route-runner when healthy. But he's recovering from an ACL he tore in October. Therefore he hasn't been able to test. Therefore it's unclear whether or not he would've satisfied the thresholds laid out here to make this list of "prototypes."
Stogner, though? Stogner does. He may end up an undrafted signee. But his size and good-enough athletic traits (4.39-second shuttle) land him here. He caught 17 passes for 196 yards and a score last year for the Sooners.
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