FOXBOROUGH — Five thoughts after the first day of the Patriots minicamp that focus on the depth at receiver and offensive tackle with DeAndre Hopkins and D.J. Fluker set to visit, one impressive rookie and another that will have much to prove, and Mac Jones continuing to be a little cool when it comes to Bill Belichick and Bailey Zappe:
1. Patriots should be giving DeAndre Hopkins anything he wants.
On paper, New England doesn't have the most talented offensive weapons in the world, but they have a deep group between the receivers, tight ends and back - enough to get the job done should the offensive line and running game perform well.
However, that depth is really starting to make me nervous. Yes, it's only the middle of June and training camp is much more important, but the lack of players on the field to this point is really concerning. DeVante Parker has missed time already, and did last year (and every other year of his career). Juju Smith-Schuster hasn't been on the field, and he hasn't been a workhorse his previous two seasons. Tyquan Thornton, after being limited to 13 games as a rookie, is dealing with something again. And the Patriots have been lucky so far, but both tight ends, Hunter Henry and Mike Gesicki, have not been ironmen.
Also wouldn't be counting on rookies Kayshon Boutte (not on the field) and Demario Douglas (small) to be breakout starts either.
Do the Patriots have enough right now? Yes, if everything goes perfectly. That doesn't happen very often. They are one soft-tissue injury away in the regular season from being really tested to put a good receiving product on the field.
Hopkins would change that dynamic. Is he a perfect prospect at this point? Hell no, but what do you expect in the middle of June with no trade compensation needed? It's not like you're cruising the lot looking at a bunch of brand-new BMWs. The Patriots are roaming the used car lot, hoping to find something that will last 12 months.
Mac Jones, of course, said all the right things about Hopkins.
"Yeah, I think that's definitely a hypothetical, but I think DeAndre's a great player," Jones said. "I mean, you watch his film from college all the way through the NFL, he's done a great job. Obviously, we'd love to have him, but we do have a great group of guys, and we just know that we want to win, and I know that all the guys feel the same way. But I've been really pleased with all the playmakers we have on our team.
"We've come out here and really bought into the system, and that'll really show in training camp and preseason. Sometimes it's hard to show that out here, but I've been really pleased with the tight ends, running backs and all the receivers, the young guys, the old guys, like D.P. (DeVante Parker) and everybody. So we have a good group and definitely feel like we just need to keep growing together, and whoever's in that room, we're gonna try and dominate together."
The Patriots shouldn't be screwing around with money on Hopkins, especially after they handed Nelson Agholor $22 million over two seasons. They made their bed in that regard and now have to lay in it. You can't offer Hopkins less than that. $12 million with upside in incentives should do the trick, and they need to do it.
"We're working through it, so I don't really have anything to add to that," Belichick said of Hopkins. "I think it relates more to logistics and things like that. So, I'm not really a travel agent here. I'm not going to say it's going to happen here, or not going to happen or whatever.
"There's a lot of other stuff going on that I'm not directly involved in, and so I'm not going to say anything and then you turn around and say I misled you in some way because that's not what I'm going to do."
(ADAM RICHINS FOR BSJ)
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2. Yes, tackle has been a disaster to this point.
The Patriots are having issues at offensive tackle ... who could have ever seen this coming?
Not only has Trent Brown not been around, but they had to put Riley Reiff at second-team left tackle (leaving Conor McDermott as the starting right tackle) today.
MassLive first reported that Brown wasn't absent for contract issues — it was a hail storm in Texas that delayed his travel. There was a hail storm in Dallas ... on Sunday night. That normally doesn't go over real well with teams, but Bill Belichick is no longer the tyrant to players that he used to be (where have you gone, LateGate?).
Still, Brown has never been all that reliable, and he still has to prove he's in shape — which has always been an issue for him, to the point that it's in his contract. And not many agents like to publicly tussle with the Patriots on contracts. The smart ones say the right things but make their feelings known behind the scenes. Brown didn't like playing LT at RT money last year, and he's going to do that even more this year. You could say Brown's contract could be an issue at some point.
That the Patriots are reportedly bringing 2013 11th overall pick DJ Fluker in for a visit speaks to the team starting to get a little panicky too. Fluker played in a game on Jan. 3, 2021, but has reportedly gotten his weight under control. He was once an unreal talent, but he underachieved hard and fast in the NFL, and played on seven teams in his final six seasons (Smith-Schuster is working on this).
If Brown doesn't work out — and play really, really well — the Patriots are staring at choosing between two journeymen (Reiff, McDermott), a career swing tackle (Calvin Anderson), a well-traveled player who hasn't been on a roster since Jan. 2, 2022, when he was inactive for the Jaguars in their 50-10 loss to the Patriots (he was also inactive for five games with the Raiders that 2021 season) and a rookie who played guard in college (Sidy Sow) to play a lot at tackle for them.
The Patriots might not have any recourse but to pay Brown and pray that he plays well for a full season. It's only June, but it feels like desperation time.
(Adam Richins for BSJ)
3. Marte Mapu looks and sounds like the team's first-round pick.
Not that Christian Gonzalez has done anything wrong — he looks great in shorts and has been at CB1 since he stepped on the field, but third-round pick Marte Mapu gets more impressive every day. If you took out the names and numbers, and just watched the practice field and listened to how they spoke with the media for the first time on Monday. Mapu might not have gotten a ton of time with the starters the first day, but he was basically paired with Kyle Dugger all practice — a very nice sign for the rookie.
“If we’re going to be on the field together, it’s in my best interest as a teammate to help you get lined up,” Mapu said. “I’m hoping that — I know that they would do the same for me. I feel like that’s just part of being a Patriot.”
And it wasn't so much what Mapu said in front of the media, it was how he conveyed himself. This kid is smart, confident and knows how to handle himself.
Gonzalez is really young (he turns 21 in a little over a week) and it shows. Smart kid, but he's about as far from being one of those swaggy No. 1 corners as Matt Patricia is from being Bill Belichick. Look, players come in all shapes, sizes and soundbites, but you see/hear how some teams weren't sold on him as a No. 1 corner. The bottom line is how he plays on the field, and he'll surely be tested this summer early and often.
This is more about Mapu than Gonzalez. You can't help but feel that kid is going places, and quickly.
4. Mac Jones avoids direct answers about Bailey Zappe and meeting with Bill Belichick.
“We have a great coaching staff. I’ve been really blessed to work with some great coaches,” Jones said when asked if he's had any meetings with Belichick. “I always talk about high school, college, and here. I always try to learn stuff from everybody, and ask questions. OB (Bill O’Brien) has done a great job with that. Coach Belichick has done a great job."
Ok, then.
What about Zappe?
"I think we have a really good room,” Jones said. “It’s all about coming together and just coming as one. It’s a big thing, whoever is out there, you can learn from. Always trying to get the mental reps when you’re not in.”
Ok, then.
I think it's fair to say that Jones is not chummy with either of them, especially off their limited interactions in practice. Not that it means all that much.
5. James Robinson's release must be a good sign for Kevin Harris.
Not a surprise the Patriots released the veteran back. He seemed to be a non-guaranteed-money placeholder until the younger backs, Kevin Harris (primarily) and Pierre Strong, showed they could take the next step. This should be taken as a good sign, but it wouldn't be a surprise if the Patriots added another veteran back. Robinson didn't show much.