A few more post-draft thoughts while I wait for my appearance on Felger & Mazz today from 2-4 p.m. ...
• I've heard some questionable sports talk radio takes, but this one has to take the cake. ... Let me get this straight, the Mac Jones pick is somehow less effective because ... they didn't trade up for him? How does that make any sense? Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to tell you the Patriots were smart or brilliant or anything for staying put at 15 and getting the QB they wanted. It doesn't have to be a superlative one way or the other. But you can say they were effective in executing their plan, just like on the football field.
What the Michael Felgers of the worlds don't get, or don't want to get, is it wasn't really rocket science to how the Patriots just stayed put through process of elimination, and freezing the pick.
- How many teams were left that really needed to take one of the top 5 QBs? Let's say Bears, Washington, Saints, Patriots, Texans, Broncos, maybe Raiders, Panthers and Lions.
- How many still run a traditional dropback passing game and Mac Jones would definitely appeal to them? Bears ... no. Washington ... maybe with Scott Turner. Saints ... no question. Texans ... yes. Broncos ... maybe (Pat Shurmur, West Coast). Raiders ... maybe (West Coast). Panthers ... no, preferred Justin Fields. Lions ... sure.
- You can now eliminate the Saints and Texans because they had so far to move. Panthers, Lions and Broncos all picked ahead of the Patriots. That leaves Washington ... and that's about it. With two QBs left on the board, the Patriots could have made a move if someone picked Justin Fields at 7, 8 or 9. They did not. When the Bears came up to 11 for Fields, the Patriots likely knew they had their guy.
- Even if there is an unknown element, you can still make sure you get your guy by "freezing the pick." Basically, you sketch out the parameters of a deal before the draft — if X is there, would something along the lines of this package work for you? — to gain, in essence, right of first refusal. If someone comes up for the pick, the team on the clock would call the Patriots and say someone has made us an offer. You need to do this deal or we're trading it to Y. At that point in time, the Patriots could either take the deal or punt. Evidently, it never came to that. That would be an effective execution of the draft pick.
• I think — I don't know because I don't read a lot of other people's work to keep my mind clean — there's another storyline that the Patriots picked Jones because that's what Robert Kraft wanted and he might have asked for it, for the free-agent spending spree? The Patriots suddenly had cap space, no one else did and it's a big surprise they spent a lot of money after the first losing season in 20 years? And we think Patriots fans would be less enthused for, say, a trade-up for Kellen Mond or Davis Mills in the second round?
• By not taking a tackle in the draft, the Patriots all but assured themselves of picking up Isaiah Wynn's fifth-year option. No issues with that. Not a big deal on Sony Michel, he could still return. Both players could still get extensions.
• Not exactly the greatest source in the world, but doesn't sound like Warren Sapp — who met and worked out Christian Barmore — is a big fan:
“Let’s wait for the evaluation,” Sapp said. “Because what I saw when I went over to the Yo Murphy Performance (Compound) was not even third-round material.”
Elaborating on that thought, Sapp spoke about when he traveled to Yo Murphy Performance Compound in Tampa to work with Barmore, who had eight sacks last year for the Crimson Tide.
“I had a chance to get him on the football field and walk him through the five steps to the quarterback, and if they’re telling me that this is a first round guy then Aaron Donald really did get blocked 70 percent on the double teams,” Sapp said. “I just promise you this, if these eyes right here that you’re looking at are telling a lie about talent, then shoot me. I won’t talk anymore football. If this kid’s a first-round pick then I won’t talk football (on social media) for a full year. I won’t make a tweet or an Instagram post unless the kids’ playing sports. It’s nothing personal, but I’ll take off a whole year if Barmore is a first-round pick.”
Sapp discussed some of the details about what went wrong with Barmore’s session with the QB Killa.
“I got up at 5:30 a.m. and drove to Tampa to get there by 10:30 a.m.,” Sapp said. “I threw my hat and my lovely ROKA sunglasses . . . I’ve thrown my hat and my sunglasses, and at one point I’m sitting there like, ‘Do this,’ and he’s doing something else. To the point where another person said, ‘You’re not doing that,’ and he looked at both of us like, ‘What?’ So I tried it one more time, and then when he didn’t do it that time I picked up my glasses and my visor and I walked off. I didn’t say another word to anybody. I just left.”
Sapp believes that despite Barmore’s high ranking from draft analysts, they stand alone in that evaluation while those with the responsibility of actually making the draft picks likely view him much differently.
“I guarantee you they do,” Sapp said about draft analysts ranking Barmore higher than NFL front offices. “Because what you look at as a scout is the eye test on the tape. He was in the National Championship and I thought, ‘that the kid was a baller’ myself. I couldn’t wait to get up [to Tampa to work Barmore out.]”
And while Sapp argues that he wasn’t at the facility to coach Barmore up, but simply to help him round out parts of his game, the Hall of Famer wasn’t able to get through to the young defensive tackle despite his best efforts.
“I’m not coaching you up,” Sapp said of his time with Barmore. “I’m just watching what you’re doing to see if I can shave a little corner for you because I’ve watched the position. These eyes aren’t going to lie to me four feet down.”
Cook followed up Sapp’s statement with a question, does Barmore’s issue lie in the fact that he wasn’t willing to take his directions or that he couldn’t follow the directions? Sapp responded bluntly.
“Both,” Sapp said. “If I tell you to swing your left arm and you move your right, I’ve got a real issue – and that’s just one example. Trust me. For me to throw my visor and throw my $300 glasses, I’m telling you. I’m like, ‘Is there something wrong with me?'”