The NFL is a relationship business.
That’s why it’s important to monitor the comings and goings of key staff members and how they can influence war rooms when it comes to personnel matters. In fact, NFL front office movement is at an all-time high! In addition, there were eight new head coaches (25% of the league) hired this off-season, including Jerod Mayo.
The reality is that the football ops staffs around the league bounce around from team-to-team moreso than the players; it’s a trend that seems to be on the uptick.
In the old NFL Films clip, ball coach Jerry Glanville quips that the league’s acronym stands for, ‘Not For Long.’ Truer words could not be more spoken in 2024. Each year we see teams go from worst to first and vice versa. Rarely do head coaches survive more than two or three consecutive losing seasons nowadays.
Amazingly, Bill Belichick lasted 24 years as the Patriots head coach. While there is no telling how long, or how short the leash will be for Mayo, it’s remarkable that 129 new head coaches entered the NFL (not including all the re-hired head coaches that were given second chances during that span), since Belichick was named HC of NE in 2000, according to Pro-Football-Reference.com.
When assessing the new regime and trying to identify potential New England draft targets, there are some hieroglyphics to be detected when attempting to read the tea leaves. Several recent hires have garnered attention when it comes to how it could benefit, or impact how the Patriots could look to stack their internal big board.
It holds true that the further in the draft process you get, especially towards the later rounds and undrafted (UDFA) targets, traits carry weight but so do familiarity and comfort level. With that being said, let’s examine the backgrounds of influential New England personnel and coaches, as some of the clues can become quite obvious once you start to connect the dots.
Take the hiring of Boston-born and former Patriots staffer Bill O’Brien as the new head coach at Boston College for example. New England will have a direct conduit with their former coach when it comes to local prospects. This hiring is viewed as a win for the Eagles but also for the Patriots. Having inside access and intel on players in your own backyard is invaluable!
A little further west, New England now has strong in-roads with the Pitt Panther program, where newly hired Pats wideout coach Tiquan Underwood previously served in the same capacity for the past two seasons. His relationship and/or endorsement could carry sway for some of the Pitt prospects such as under-the-radar offensive lineman Matt Goncalves, or MJ Devonshire, a potential late-round cornerback prospect who also dueled as an All-ACC punt returner. Most notably, one player worth keeping an eye on is wide receiver Bub Means. The former Tennessee corner-turned-receiver possesses an excellent combination of size and speed, demonstrating the ability to bust loose for big gains (averaged 17.2 yards per catch for his career).
The New Brunswick, NJ native Underwood who hails from Rutgers and played for the Patriots quickly earned a reputation as an outstanding recruiter during his time as a wideout coach at Rutgers before joining Pitt — he also played under Scarlet Knights head coach Greg Schiano. New England has had a long history of RU defensive backs (Jason and Devin McCourty, Duron Harmon, Logan Ryan). With the I-95 pipeline still intact, Rutgers cornerback Max Melton is a legitimate Day 2 target for the Pats. A strong, physical boundary cover man, Melton could immediately vie for a starting position.
Another Patriots coach with ties to the Panthers program is new offensive coordinator and Pittsburgh-born Alex Van Pelt. A former record-setting signal-caller as a player at Pitt, New England would be wise to have Van Pelt do a deep dive on quarterback Keon Slovis. A former four-star recruit who began his career at USC, Slovis spent one season with Underwood at Pitt before finishing up his career at BYU. While he has been medically red-flagged by multiple NFL teams, Slovis could be an undrafted developmental quarterback worth bringing into camp. He has played in an array of offensive schemes and is said to have an extremely high football IQ.
When it comes to the top of the NFL Draft, specifically the number three overall selection that they currently hold, New England could look to lean on their LSU ties to do their due diligence on Tigers dual-threat Jayden Daniels. Patriots quarterbacks coach TC McCartney was once a walk-on at LSU under Les Miles and twice served on the LSU coaching staff. Having inside sources is extremely useful when it comes to learning the DNA makeup, work habits and passion of individual players. These characteristics are as equally as important as evaluating physical attributes. When personalities don’t mesh, it can result in a toxic environment such as the situation that has been reported on inside the Pats QB room with Mac Jones the past couple of years.
Even if New England decides to pull the trigger on a quarterback at No.3, don’t be surprised if they add an additional rookie arm later in the draft, or as an UDFA. In that case, Samford gunslinger Michael Hiers could be a candidate. Over the past two seasons, Hiers has thrown for 6,600 passing yards, with a 54;12 touchdown-to-interception ratio. More notably, Patriots defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington is an alumnus of Samford and Hiers was impressive at the Tropical Bowl all-star game in January. This could be one pro day workout that New England will be well represented at, something to remember.
In terms of finding local talent, New England has always done a thorough job as an organization of navigating the pro day landscape with a fine-tooth comb. Traditionally, New England has been one of the few, and in some years, the only team who has attended the Holy Cross pro day. This year shall be different, as a pair of Crusaders have landed on the NFL radar in wide receiver Jalen Coker and offensive lineman CJ Hanson. However, this is an example of how relationships can carry cache when it comes time to the undrafted free agent frenzy; scouts cultivate relationships year after year hoping to build connections for these exact circumstances. The real value in these circumstances lies within building the bottom of the roster, as approximately 25% of every NFL team consists of UDFAs.
When it comes to small school players whom the Patriots could consider, we need to make sure we highlight Yale offensive tackle Kiran Amegadijie. The All-Ivy League standout was invited to the Senior Bowl but was unable to participate due to a partially torn left quad, which prematurely ended his season. While the injury has thrown a curveball into his draft projection, Amegadijie projects as a solid mid-round investment due to his length, athleticism and smarts, which should make for a smooth transition to the pros. He is expected to be medically cleared in time to conduct a private pro day for NFL teams in April but having played his entire career 90 minutes south of Foxboro, the Patriots are well aware of what Amegadijie brings to the table.
Lastly, when deciphering alumni relationships, it’s important to note that both front office executives Elliot Wolf and Alonzo Highsmith graduated from the University of Miami. The Hurricanes have a couple of prospects worth monitoring that would fit what the Patriots need. They include feisty offensive guard Javion Cohen and ferocious safety-turned-linebacker James Williams, who brings an imposing presence in the middle of the defense. Both players are rated near the top-100 overall range and project as potential starters at the next level.
These are just some of the types of perspectives and relationships that have entered the building at One Patriot Place. We will continue to bring you inside the draft process here at BSJ. Thanks for reading!
* For more from Ric Serritella be sure to follow him @ricserritella.
