Patriots rookies will be in Foxborough at the end of the week, and we’ll get our first chance to lay eyes on them Saturday as part of the rookie mini-camp. To kick the festivities off, Caleb Lomu is expected to join ownership for the traditional on-field photo op sometime Thursday. Considering the absolute trainwreck Boston pro sports were this past weekend, I suspect there’ll be a healthy media contingent fawning over the proceedings.
Meanwhile, as promised, here’s a detailed look at the draft class and a UDFA or two with intel gathered from talking to league sources. It took a little longer to put together than I wished, but I think everyone - myself included - was a little tapped out and needed to immediately flip the page to what’s coming.
FIRST ROUND (28TH OVERALL), CALEB LOMU, T, UTAH: “I think he’s the cleanest pass protector in the tackle class. Damn good feet, balance, rarely gets out over his skis,” said a line coach I spoke with.
“I don’t know what their plans are, but if you told me Lomu eventually unseats (Will) Campbell, I wouldn’t bat an eye,” a scout texted. “Campbell’s nastiness could serve him well inside or even on the other side at right tackle.”
“He (Lomu) allowed zero sacks last year,” added another scout. “I don’t care where you play, that’s hard to do. And he played good competition, which just adds to his profile.
“Does he need to develop more as a run blocker? Absolutely. Little too much leaning on the defender and not enough displacement. They’ve gotta work on his hands. He’s gotta keep firing them when he gets to the second level.”
“Everyone knows he needs to get stronger. That’s not just specific to him. That’s almost all these guys,” pointed out an exec. “But he’s an impressive kid. Someone that size with those movement skills…they don’t grow on trees. In this draft, getting that level of talent at that stage in the round shows good process by (Eliot) Wolf.”
SECOND ROUND (55TH OVERALL), GABE JACAS, EDGE, ILLINOIS: “Give me 10 more of (Jacas) on my defense, and I know you will never outwork us, and you won’t be more physical,” said an exec. “Just a tough, tough guy who absolutely loves the game. He’s going to be a productive player in this league. I have no doubt.”
“The wrestling background is so evident,” a scout admired. “Just understands leverage and hand usage. Yeah, he can get stuck on bigger tackles if they get their mitts into him, and I’ve seen him flail at times trying to get free, but he doesn’t surrender. That kid is a worker.”
“The fit makes all the sense in the world,” added another scout. “Strong. Relentless, especially when he knows he’s playing kill the quarterback. An intelligent pass rusher. He will work with the number of games they play up front.
“Can get lost with misdirection, but has the speed to recover. His play identification is the only thing that’s gonna keep him from making an impact in year one, and I’m not even sure that will hold him back.”
THIRD ROUND, ELI RARIDON, TE, NOTRE DAME: “One of my favorite picks in rounds three,” said a former NFL GM (no, not Scott Pioli). “A really good athlete and you can see that on tape. Runs well. Can get vertical on linebackers and safeties. Catches well. From what I watched, he doesn’t make mistakes.
“The negative: I saw him struggle with some edge players who aren’t on anyone’s radar. He absolutely needs to get stronger and needs to bring his feet with him. That frame should carry more weight. That’s a must, or he’ll just be a passing game player.”
“This kind of athlete, if he develops, he could be the kind of three-down tight end you can build around,” said an assistant coach. “I trust Josh (McDaniels) to play to his strengths, and if that coaching staff does the same job this year that it did last, and he (Raridon) stays healthy and embraces coaching, he’ll impact them this year and start next.”
FIFTH ROUND, KARON PRUNTY, CB, WAKE FOREST: “We didn’t spend much time on him. Just never popped up on a radar, and the times we were there (at Wake), no one was pounding the table for him,” a scout admitted.
“This entire draft was about reaches,” added another scout. “They bet on the size/speed model. He’s got that (6’2”, 190, 4.45 40).
“There was a lot of intel to gather with Prunty. Three transfers, with 3 years at A&T. Some of it didn’t jibe with someone with that talent and profile after year one (at Kansas).
“There’s enough on tape to think he can play at this level. And we know he’s played a lot of football. I’m lukewarm on the player in this range, but again, that’s what this draft was.”
SIXTH ROUND, DAMETRIOUS CROWNOVER, T, TEXAS A&M: “He’s so big he could eclipse the sun, moon, and stars,” said one assistant coach. “If this doesn’t work out, he should give pro wrestling a try. He could be the next Big Show.
“But seriously, he’s a pretty good mover for someone that size (6’7”, 320) and you see defenders struggle to go through him. Plus, he’s got that reach (35 3/8” arm length) that lets him keep defenders off him when he’s setting properly. But like all these big guys, he ends up too upright a little too much, and when he does, it’s not pretty. He can be a traffic cone.”
“To get someone with that size and experience in a major conference (27 starts) in round six, absolutely,” said an exec. “I’d argue he could have gone a little earlier, especially in this draft. I mean, he’s right tackle only in our book, but there’s good value.”
SIXTH ROUND, NAMDI OBIAZOR, LB, TCU: “I think he’s a special teams/pass game only player,” said one scout. “I mean, he’s physical on tape, but at this level, he’s gonna find himself on his back a lot.”
Contrast that with this: “He intrigues me. Pretty explosive athlete, tough, fairly instinctive. Why can’t he be in the rotation a year from now, if he gets a little stronger?” - Assistant coach, who added, “A big thing for me is how the league is trending. There was less 11-personnel last year. More 12, 13, 21 and 22. If that continues (editor’s note: there were a lot of TEs selected), are the smaller, faster LBs that have been the trend for, let’s call it the (Sean) McVay era, does he not fit going forward? Is he just a cover LB who didn’t fare very well when he was in man at TCU?”
SEVENTH ROUND, BEHREN MORTON, QB, TEXAS TECH: “Why the hell not?” asked a QB coach. “He’s played a lot of football, will stand in there and deliver the football, even if it means taking a shot, and is accurate.
“I’d like to see him manipulate coverages better, and see those coverages better as well. That’s where some of his tape doesn’t mesh fully with his experience.”
“He attacks the middle of the field, which I always see as a plus for a college QB,” texted a scout. “Not an elite athlete, and that shows up with the way he stiffens up at times in the pocket. Also, because he can make throws from all kinds of arm angles doesn’t mean he needs to. Misses some easy ones because of that.”
SEVENTH ROUND, JAM MILLER, RB, ALABAMA: “He had a horrible, rotten, no-good season, but I’ll bet on the traits,” said an NFC running backs coach. “He runs hard. He played for a big-time program. He wasn’t overworked like some of those ‘Bama RBs have been.”
“Year got off to a bad start (the collarbone injury that cost him 3 games). Between that and a subpar offensive line, there just wasn’t much there. My biggest critique is that there were times when it was there and he didn’t see or hit it hard enough.”
SEVENTH ROUND, QUINTAYVIOUS HUTCHINS, EDGE, BOSTON COLLEGE: “Right away, you know this kid can play special teams for you. He was awfully good at that at BC,” said a DL coach. “Now, can you develop him into a rotational piece on the edge? He’s got a good first step, even if he’s not a great athlete. But, to this point, that’s how he has to win. There’s not much there in terms of moves/plan after that.”
UDFA, KYLE DIXON, CULVER-STOCKTON (NAIA), WR: “Freak athlete. Has the measurables you want for a big ‘X’ receiver (6’2”, 220 and 4.5 40). It’s a massive jump from where he was to where he’s going, but guys with this kind of hand-eye and athleticism aren’t normal. Worth a flier and trying to develop. This is where the expanded practice squad is a great thing.”
Played Division 1 baseball before reinvesting in football.
UDFA, CHANNING CANADA, TCU, CB: “If you had told me they had drafted Canada late and not Prunty, I wouldn’t have blinked. Runs well. Fluid athlete. Easy change of direction. Experience in a tough conference (38 games at TCU, including starting all 13 this past year).”
Was a former 4-star JUCO recruit.