While I mainline caffeine this Sunday morning in an attempt to feel like a somewhat normal (normal for me) human being, here are five thoughts on the Patriots' draft.
- The Pats tried and failed to get back into the first round but were denied by several teams, including the last one on the clock Thursday night, the Buffalo Bills. They were targeting a wide receiver, and considering Xavier Legette went #32 to the Panthers (who the Bills did consummate a deal with) and then Buffalo tabbed Keon Coleman at #33, it's a safe bet that one of those two was the apple of Eliot Wolf's eye. Considering the overall athleticism of Legette and the way those at South Carolina spoke of him, my "belief" is he would have been the pick at #32 if Wolf had been able to Jedi mind trick GM Brandon Beane into trading with him.
For the record, Wolf publicly said he has good relationships with the other three teams in the division and was of the opinion that they weren't denied moving up because Beane was unwilling to deal with them.
"Yeah, I think that's something that can happen," he said post-day two of the draft Friday night. " Again, that hasn't happened yet for us so far."
As I second-guess our Q&A, I would say we in the media missed a chance at a follow-up, in which we questioned whether the cost of making that trade with Buffalo, in particular, was higher than what it took Carolina to move up. I would also say the Bills knew who the Pats liked, and even if Legette weren't their choice, they wouldn't allow Wolf to jump them in line. That's just smart business. As an aside, the fact that I could get my microphone to work in said Q&A was pathetic. Old man vs. technology. Technology won.
- I couldn't help but wonder what the old regime's reaction to Javon Baker's live Instagram story would have been, and then his brashness in the first-ever meeting with local media (via videoconferencing). I believe I texted Bedard and said Baker would have gotten a call from Berj Najerian (Belichick's right-hand man) ASAP telling him to get off the 'Gram and that Baker would have been handed the list of cliches upon arrival in Foxborough with a strong message to "learn 'em, live 'em, love 'em." That, however, was then, and this is now. The Pats hope that absurd level of confidence translates to the field, where Baker told us he can "do anything" as a receiver. He sure did a lot - albeit inconsistently - at UCF. 81% of his catches last year went for a first down or a touchdown.
- As we haven't seen any of these guys in a pro setting yet, and even when we do, the competition won't ramp up until training camp, I'm willing to have an open mind about Caedan Wallace being able to make the switch from collegiate right tackle to left tackle. He does have some good movement skills and is consistent with how he sets up in pass pro. However, his difficulties against speed off the edge while he was at Penn State have made me leery about Wallace's ability not just to survive but thrive on the left side in the NFL. We'll watch the big boy closely as we get deeper and deeper into the summer. One thing I can tell you you'll love about Wallace - wherever he lines up - is how engaged he remains in run blocking. He gets his mitts on a defender and stays on them.
- Joe Milton has an NFL arm. In fact, he has a high-end NFL arm. But despite being a six-year senior and having played for both Jim Harbaugh at Michigan and then former collegiate QB Josh Heupel at Tennessee, he lacks a great deal of polish when it comes to reading a defense, decision-making, timing, and touch. Aside from that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play? His tape has flashes of brilliance because of the athleticism and the howitzer that doubles as his right arm, and he isn't afraid of getting smacked (there's that toughness trait that Wolf and Mayo were talking about back in January/February), but this could be a tear-down/rebuild situation. That said, why the hell not? If this coaching staff can develop both Drake Maye and Milton, you have a cheap backup quarterback or someone you can flip down the road for a higher pick. I'm always going to be in the draft a QB camp on day three, if not every year, then every other.
- Here's the list of undrafted free agents coming to Foxborough: Mikey Victor (CB/Alabama State), Charles Turner (LSU/C), John Morgan (Edge/Arkansas), Zuri Henry (T/UTEP), Dell Pettus (S/Troy), Kaleb Ford-Dement (CB/Texas State), Jacob Warren (TE/Tennessee), DeShaun Fenwick (RB, Oregon State), Jett Bush (LB, Texas), Jontrey Hunter (LB/Georgia State), Trajan Bandy (CB/Miami), Vince Blanchard (K/Laval), Tairiq Stewart (T/North Carolina A&T)
As I will say here, do kickers on your own time, though I confess to having to look up where the hell Laval is. That's Canada, baby. Little known fact - I like Canada. Montreal. Toronto. Vancouver. Give me all of them.
Hunter is an intriguing player who played inside and outside backer for Georgia State, with plenty of special teams work.
Fenwick catches the eye on highlight reels and with Alonzo Highsmith's penchant for finding good UDFA RBs. Color me curious.
Victor is a 6'3" cornerback. Sure, why the hell not? There's a good amount of ball production from last season (2 INTs/15 PBUs).
Turner is, for my money, the best player on this list, a two-year starter at center for LSU, and someone I thought would get drafted. Well, he didn't, and now he's here.
Pettus played in 61 games for Troy. That's a lot of football.
- Bonus thought (or statement in this case): Thanks to all of you who consumed our content both leading up to the draft and over these last few days. I hope we helped educate you or at least gave you something to think about. I appreciate the back-and-forth. I can't wait to see this group get on the field.