Patriots Draft CountdownPatriots Draft Countdown: Previewing the Quarterbacks
This is Patriots Draft Countdown presented by bud Light.
Welcome to an NFL draft hosted by the writers of Patriots dot Com from now until you here the New England Patriots. What the countdown is on? Welcome to the Patriots Draft Countdown presented by bud Light.
All right, welcome everybody. We're back with another edition of the Patriots Draft Countdown, presented by bud Light. Easy to Drink, Easy to enjoy, bud Light, the official beer sponsor of the New England Patriots. Guys, today we have the quarterback segment, which is what everybody's been waiting for obviously, But before we get into that, we're gonna go over some latest news. We got Chris Cassidy, Evan Zar, Paul Parillo, and guys, I think the news of the weekend is Michael Pennix. It is supposed to show up right, yeah.
Today, I think a dinner tonight and then dinner last night, visit today, which is what they've been doing with all the quarterbacks. So h the first time that they've shown real interest in Michael Penix. They did meet with him at the senior role, but they've met with pretty much everybody that plays in the Senior Bowl down in mobiles. So this is the first time that I think Elliott Wolfe and Girod Mayo are going to have a legitimate time to get to know Michael Pennix a little bit. And obviously the medicals are going to be big with him for every team, So getting him here, getting probably a physical exam by your doctors and your facility, all those things play a big factor. We can obviously talk about different scenarios of how they end up with Michael Pennix, but I think the overall takeaway from me is just no stone unturned. You know, this is a guy that deserves a seat at the table and a spot in the conversation, and I think it would have been a little bit disappointing if they went the whole process and essentially just ignored Michael Pennix. Even if it ends up being Drake may or Jaden or JJ McCarthy at three, I still like the idea of at least getting to know some of these guys.
Agreed, Paul, you got a think on this.
No, well, that's four of the quarterbacks though, now that they used official thirty visits on so I agree with Evan. I think that it's one of those deals if something out of outside the box comes up, come the April twenty fifth, and I don't know, maybe Washington takes Drake May and Drake May was the one. You know, something happens, you know, along those terms, and somebody comes after you, you know, with a really overly aggressive bag. You know, as Mao said, now you have to have some some fallback. You have to have some intel on the guy who you might have to get, you know, early in the second round, or do you want to trade up out of the early second round into the late first round, And Michael Pennix would be probably the best candidate for that.
Are Yeah, yeah, I was gonna just chime in there. I mean, I think the Patriots are right now, are just testing the waters. I think it's you gotta be able to see all these guys, especially in any scenario where again, if there is a trade back situation where the Patriots do fall back and end up with a quarterback in the second round, like you have to you have to look at these guys. It's important to look at these guys and see what you're going to get from them, how they're going to be personality wise, and obviously health wise, so it's all important.
Yeah, there's no doubt that off of the film, Michael Penix is probably QB four in this draft. I think his draft yere film is better than what JJ McCarthy did at Michigan last year. And if it wasn't for the medical situation, who knows how high he could go in this draft. You know, he's a little bit older of a prospect. It did take him a while in college with all the injuries, but there's not a very you know, very few guys in this draft. I would say with the pinpoint downfield accuracy, you know, in terms of the downfield ball, placement on the deep ball is exceptional on film with Penick. So I still think that he as much as I feel like a lot of people have cooled on him, I feel like in some ways from since you know, the season, in the Michigan game, obviously in the college football playoff, I think is a big reason why after the Texas game, this guy was like everybody's darling, right, Like everybody was all all over the place, you know, talking about Michael Pennix. So I definitely I think that he's someone that can go early in this.
Draft, like if he's if there's a second tier, then you know air quote for that, he's probably the top guy I think. So, you know, that's a good fallback. But as I said, guys, this episode is mostly on quarterbacks, so we're going to get way more into this. We got JJ McCarthy talk Jayden Daniels and of course Drake May So we hope you enjoy this episode and we'll talk to you later.
All right, we're here with our final positional preview here in twenty twenty four Patriots Draft countdown, and guys, it's the quarterback position. It's a huge one for the Patriots. It's really kind of what we've been talking about all spring. I don't know if it was good to save this one to the end because I feel like we're talked out on this already. But let's just give a nice broad overview. And Paul, I want to start with you and Caleb Williams, who you know, exciting dynamic player and it seems like a luck he's going to go to Chicago.
Yeah. The first time we had this show on I don't know, November thirteenth, Yeah, I felt like there was a clear separation between Williams and the rest. Yeah, and it's certainly seems like it's stayed the that way, you know, in the media. I think it kind of fluctuates with the off field stuff and the crying and you know, other factors there. But I just feel like his ability off platform to make some plays. He's very accurate, obviously dynamic running as well. He's a little small, you know, at six ' one ish and he's definitely loose with the football. So there's no such thing as a perfect prospect any year, but this year, no one's talking about Kayleb Williams as sort of that special generational kind of talent. I don't think he is, but I think he's clearly QB one as Evan and the kids.
Say, do you think Evan? Do you think he could be that guy? Though if he kind of irons out some of those details.
I would say that his his arm talent generational. I don't know. I agree with Paul that he's got wartz to his game, that he's going to have to work out with ball security and taking too many sacks and things like that, but his arm talents generational. You know, he's got that ability, like Paul is saying off platform to not just throw the ball down the field, you know, ten yards, he can throw it sixty yards and accurately off platform. You know, he makes some throws on film that are just disgusting, like you're just like, come on, like really, like what are you supposed to do about that? So he's incredibly incredibly talented. I know that his personality is not for everybody. We're going to leave that to the side. His football ability is, you know, his ability on film is is exceptional. And I've I've wired a wire, I've had him one one, I've had him in his own tier, like he's he's a tier above everybody else in this class tom Me. Is he in the Andrew luck sphere? Probably not, but he's right below that sphere. I would say that maybe we all should have thought of Trevor Lawrence like a little bit less of that generational type mate, And I think that Caleb's in a similar category.
Which tis I'm not going to We've covered. I feel like we covered Caleb if you don't need to believe labor the point. So let's just get right to Drake. May I mean, I think all of us are will be very excited if the Patriots were able to land and him, you know, just prototypical size. He's got some athleticism, he's got some of the off platform stuff, he's got some creativity to his game. He's just kind of a radic at times. But he's still just twenty one years old. But it seems like he's got all the tools in the shed.
Yeah, I mean, he carried a bad UNC team last year, not this past season. Year before. I mean, it really was Drake May and Kale Williams and even there were some scenarios where Drake May was going to be the number one guy. So that's a guy you can come in. He's young, if you know the offense, Say the Patriots, we're lucky enough to get him at three. We're not ready for him. You can sit him. He'll just grow behind Jacobe Burssett. We don't know what's going to happen, but at this point, I just hope the Commanders don't take him. So that's all of us.
But you guys, I mean, this is this is the guy we should probably spend the most time on. Bright Paul. I mean, yeah, like.
Him and Daniels. Daniels a little bit more than you do, but May would be my pick as well. I just I think think there's a lot of athleticism there, you know, prototypical size six ' four to twenty five or so. I think he can run, He's he's been an effective runner. There's inconsistencies. Again, there's no perfect guys. He's loses his accuracy at times. The mechanics are an issue. I think those things are coachable. I think he has the things that you can't teach in terms of the physical tools. I mean, I think there's a lot to like there.
Yeah, that's a great way to put it. I think the biggest thing is with Drake May is that this mold, this archetype is working out more and more in the league now that they are these private quarterback coaches in the offseason, and there's a little bit more knowledge of what's important and what's not when it comes to footwork and things like that. You see so many of these guys now, and I think that Drake May is right in the mold of Alan Herbert Jordan Love, like all those types of players, that it'll work itself out more times than not. Now, you know, maybe twenty years ago we had trouble with these kinds of players now, it feels like the developmental track is a lot easier for them. You look at the high end throws, like the big time throws down the field. Nobody's made more of them in college football over the last two years than Drake May. So you see those big time throws, those high level franchise QB plays, he has those. Just to Paul's point, he has to be more consistent with the layups. It's actually the easy throws that he has harder trouble with than the big time throws. So that's a little bit backwards, but in a lot of ways, I just kind of described Josh Allen, you know, coming out of college. So that's the way that I look at it with Drake May is that we've we've gotten better of developing that kind of talent in the league, and I think it has panned out more times than not recently.
Yeah, we talked about it's a good transition though to Jayden and Daniels, who you know similar, I mean, has to kind of develop probably more along the lines of a Lamar Jackson. You know, Paul, you mentioned that, you know, I'm a little bit I'm a little bit more concerned. There are a few just traits in him that I see that I see coming and if they don't develop, you know, I be kind of mad at myself. But you know, why don't you set up Jade Daniels a little bit?
Yeah. I just think that the the ability to run is the X factor there, and these guys are all mobile. Caleb Williams is a terrific runner too. I'm not saying that Daniels is the only guy, but I do think that he separates himself a little bit as a runner, and I think sometimes that can make up for some of the inefficiencies. He's like everybody else, though he's going to have to learn how to do it from the pocket and you know, get the ball out on time and being rhythm make his progressions. I think for a lot of these guys, there was a lot of one read stuff. Evan would probably speak to that a little bit more than I would. But there's a lot to like about Daniels. And you know, I think the fact that the size of the frame, you know, it's not that much different than Lamar Jackson, a little smaller. So I think some people felt like that durability would be an issue I was one of them. You know, it looks like he's you know, if he can play it two ten or you know, two fifteen. I think that's big enough. There's a lot to like there.
Yeah.
I think he's very different stylistically than Lamar. He runs differently tax different areas of the field as a thrower, but the way that defenses have to account for his mobility is very similar to Lamar. So you're gonna get into a game plan defensively against the Patriots and you are going to have to have a coordinated rush plan of how are we going to contain Jaden Daniels in the pocket, Because when he gets out of the pocket and runs, he's a fifty yard touchdown waiting to happen. I mean, he will turn on the tape against Florida or Alabama and he is just taking off running for huge chunks, not just ten yards at a time. Fifty sixty seventy eighty five yard touchdown against Florida running the football. So that's a difference making trait that he has as a passer, though there are has some hesitations with his profile. He has a lot of overlap as a thrower with justin fields and with Jalen Hurts. So that's the scale that I have put him on. Jalen Hurts is like, well, I think what it could be if everything around him is in the right order. And I think with him, it's really about having those outside receivers that can win one on one because he's not somebody that likes to throw the ball to the middle of the field. He's not gonna hit the layered anticipatory rhythm throws between the numbers. It's not his game. That's where the Justin Fields thing kind of comes in. There's a lot of sacks on film. There's a lot of you know, when he gets pressure, he's gonna get sacked. He's not elusive, overly in the pocket, and he's not big, so when you hit him, he's gonna go down. So those are the things that I think give you concern about Jayden Daniels. Is just that we look at what just happened with Justin Fields in Chicago. If you don't give him a good offensive line and he really you know, DJ Moore is like the best receiver he's ever worked with, then it's gonna be a little bit of a projection of what he can do as a thrower, but I think he's a much better natural runner than Justin fields is, So I put him more in the Lamar category that in that what.
Do you think you got Daniels? Should we move on to to McCarthy.
Well, what I want to add about Daniels real quick is that the difference between him and Lamar's Lamar is a bit better avoiding the hits. I mean, there's some footage of Jade Daniels getting absolutely planted, and I'm also worried that he had the way to get as Evan said Malik neighbors Brian Thomas, I just don't know if that'd be a great fit for the Pats. Well, once again, it's something we haven't had before because Cam kind of didn't have the arm when.
He was here.
Yeah, Lamar is more creative as a runner too, Like Lamar is more elusive and more jitterbuggy as a runner, Jaden Daniels is a shot out of a cannon type of runner, Like when he sees a gap, he's going to just explode through it. You know. If you want to compare him as a runner, I see a lot of Kaepernick and how he runs the ball. That's it's a straight line speed. He's not a dancer like Lamar is. You know, Lamar's got at all. I think that that still can be really valuable, but it's just a little bit of a different running style.
All right. So let's move now to you know, probably the most polarizing prospect, Jaj McCarthy, who wasn't really even I mean, I don't feel like he was even polarizing like to start the process, and then just in the last month or so, Paul, he's really become the guy that you know, just everyone has him going all the way up to three of the Patriots. I mean, does that sound crazy.
We're a couple of weeks out now, and it certainly seems like I'd be surprised at this point with the amount of buzz that he's gotten if he doesn't go in the top ten. So I'm not necessarily sure how this all happened, but there is a skill set there that I think is a little underrated. He is polarizing, you, right, Mike, but I do think he has a good degree of athleticism in mobility. He's not the runner per se that the other guys are, but he can move and he's got a terrific arm. Matter of fact, some people criticize that it's all fastballs, like he needs to sort of vary the routine a little bit. But there's to me, it's that the cliched question. He never had to carry the team at Michigan, so that's a projection. You don't know if he can do it.
Yeah, what do you think?
Yeah, I mean, I've been pretty critical of the McCarthy stuff. I think his floor is probably the Minnesota at eleven, Like if they just waited out and do the mac jones thing, or you just hope he falls in your lap at eleven, then maybe you know that ends up happening there. I think the biggest thing with McCarthy is that the strains there are that he plays with instructure of a pro style offense at Michigan. So that's nice and easily translate to the NFL. Like when he's on time and he's on the first read, this is what he's capable of doing. We can see that on film, even in a small sample size. He's also, to Paul's point, he's very very quick and agile in the pocket. He's nimble, he can move around the pocket, he can evade rushers. He can keep his eyes downfield and throw off of that. He's not a scrambler, but he's a thrower within that confine. So he's very good there. He put down a six point eight two three cone, so you can see the quickness, like he's got that change of direction ability. I think the biggest thing with him is just a lack of creativity. You know, he's an instructure player, and there's just not a whole lot of times in structure that I see him really using some of the different quarterback tools to hit bigger plays down the field, Like let's come off. Yeah, the first read might be an open six yard completion, but if I come off the first read, the second reads an eighty yard touchdown. You see him stick on to the first read a little bit too often. There's not a lot of pump fakes or manipulation or real creativity or playmaking to his game. So that's why I've really consistently compared him to Purty because I feel like Brock Purdy is one of those guys that, yeah, if it's all on time and if the guys are getting open and the scheme is working and all this kind of stuff, he could be a prolific you know, he's what runner up for MVP last year, really efficient guy. But is he going to be the reason that you look back and say JJ McCarthy carried us that day, like he was the reason why we won this game. I don't see that in the league. And I think that that's if you're picking at three, your guy has to have that type of potential. He has to be able to do that.
Yeah, I just don't think he's the dynamic player worth the number three pick. You don't go four and thirteen to take bow NICKX, you don't go forur and thirteen to take JJ McCarthy. It's just it's not the right move. If you're at eleven, it makes more sense. That's kind of player you hope falls in your lap. I just don't think he's worth that high a pick.
So let's round out just the big names to talk to group. Michael Pennis last you know, last one obviously had really nice game in the semifinals. Injury history, big arm down the field.
Paul.
I mean, he's certainly got some trade, but he's a guy that seems kind of like he's fallen off a little bit with.
The high Quiet yeah, and the Patriots really haven't expressed much interest or haven't had much of their interest publicized at least around him. So but yeah, terrific passer. I think, maybe arguably the best passer in the draft, but you do not get the dynamic elements that most of these other guys give you.
Yeah, other than May, he's probably the most pinpoint accurate on the deep ball. You know, him and May are kind of in that category, and Caleb obviously too, but I don't really count him because he's going to the Bears. So you know, between the guys that are going to be Patriots potentially, I'd say Penix is downfield throws and just those absolutely perfect, pletely placed passes like the Penix has that. The issues with Penix, other than the injuries, of course, which you have to mention, is under pressure. His accuracy and his velocity on the football dips when he's got pressure in his face, he's got people at his feet, things like that. We saw that in the National Championship game. But it comes up in other pockets when he was under pressure during the season against better teams. He like an Oregon or something like that. So that does happen with him. But if you put the injuries to the side, and you're a team that clears him medically and feel good about him medically, which some teams I think do, then you can convince yourself that he's got that leadership, that it thing that we were talking about with McCarthy a little bit. He's got good downfield accuracy for the most part, so you know, you could talk yourself into Michael Pennix. But based off of what they've done pre draft, I just think it's risky to take Penix without doing real homework on him. And maybe it's all been private and maybe it's all been to behind closed doors, but to not have him here for a thirty visit, to not go to his pro day with the big decision makers and all this kind of stuff, it's I would I would be a little bit scared. Yeah, he might be.
It's interesting. You can't ignore the injuries. But I think the year before he had about three thready won thirty two touchdowns, falls up with thirty six kind of crazy. Think what one game can do. He had the match a game against Texas, doesn't play as well in the final, so it kind of be interesting where he'd be at if that Texas game was the final game. But it is risky, but he's one of those players if you hit, it could be good news for the franchise.
So it seems like, I mean some more than others, but this hopefully the Patriots. One of these guys is on the Patriots, like hopefully one of those top six. But as we get down here, and I know Evan you said before, like, I mean, it's just not a great class after that kind of top six, and it's just who kind of intrigues you a little bit. I just throw out two names that I kind of like. I mean, Joe Milton. I don't even know if I like him. I'm just like, I just like watching him chuck the deep can ignore, you know and walk away and just put the finger up.
Might be the best.
Yeah, I mean, it's it's fun to watch. And I look at that as you know, it's a late round guy where hey, I'm always a fan of drafting quarterbacks, but you know, giving him a chance, like just to come into training camp and watch him as like you almost like JJ Taylor was where I'm like, oh, he'll be fun in training camp. He's never going to play it down a meaningful down for the team, but at least it'll make kind.
Of make some fun preseason games, you know. I think Milton would be interesting in a year like the Kenny Pickett year where there's not really that consensus. One guy, I see what team takes a reach on him.
He's got I mean, he's got traits. The other one, I just, you know, throw out Jordan Travis from Florida State, who I know, you know, really undersize coming off a big injury. But I just wonder. I just think there's something there. I just like him. I like listening to him with the combine, you know. But again, like this is like we're talking to day three developmental guy. I don't know, Paul, you got any comments on those guys or if there's other guys that you know, just two guys.
Are also both a little older, you know, I had a longer career. I think they both were in college for six years.
Yeah, Travis is almost twenty four years.
Yeah, the million so he had some time at Louisville before Florida State. In Milton obviously at Michigan before Tennessee. I don't I like Travis Moore. Milton has gotten opportunities to play and not been overly productive. Travis was very productive. He was very much in the Heisman Trophy running with Daniels this year before he got suffered that injury. But the size worries me. To me, if you look him down here, then you're gonna roll the dice. It's Rattler's Spencer Rattler, who I don't love. But the ability, I think the tools combined with the production in college, I think at a higher level, if you're going to roll the dice on a on a mid mid round pick, I think he'd beat the guy.
Yeah, Joe Milton's not good at football, like Joe Milton is. If it's a pro day, if it's a combine, he's going to be the star of the show. When you actually watch him play football, He's not good.
You know.
It's also a system that no one has really thrived in. Yeah, Josh Hippel's system in the NFL. It's a college system. It's just that's what it is.
He's got a cannon of an arm, he's got size, he's got athleticism, you know, in a lot of ways, like there's guys like that, you know, Anthony Richardson, right, But Anthony Richardson's got natural quarterback in stinks and ability to play the game. Joe Milton is not like that. I think that, you know, we did, I don't know if we mentioned bo Nicks. You know, Boonix is probably skipped over the early day too. You know, I've called him vanilla ice cream in the past, like he's one of those guys with bow Knicks though that is accurate and on time, and he's gonna hit the short game and he's gonna do hit the layups in the offense. He's not gonna do anything else. Like, it's not gonna be it's not gonna be explosive, it's not gonna be fun. It's not gonna be creative. But if you're just looking for a distributor, a point guard at the position, and bow Knicks has some ability to do that. I've heard, you know, Alex Smith, you know, best case scenario maybe like a Baker Mayfield, you know, like those types of comps for him. He's a little bit more athletic than like a mac Jones, Like he can run around a little bit more so, he's got some skill. Spencer Rattler, I think has two things going for him. He's got a huge arm. He's got natural arm talent, can flick it from any platform. He's really got a good arm, and he's got a decent feel for navigating pressure in the pocket. You know, he's got some of that bob and weave to him in the pocket. But he holds the ball a lot. It doesn't see the field particularly great.
And his skills a lot. Yeah, he has a lot of skill, but he sometimes relies a little too much on him.
Yeah, and he's a shade over six feet tall, so he's not the biggest guy either. I think great com for him is Gardner Minshew. You know, you can see that there is ability there. But is he ever going to be the guy that is your guy, like this is our franchise quarterback. Probably not, but I think he's gonna kick around the league for like a decade as like a high end backup type of player.
Does any other guys, these these late round guys.
That Rattler was my other guy, Rattler Penix and Penix is probably gonna go higher than Ratler, or hopefully he does. But other than that, Drake Maybaby, anybody we missed anyone else?
A little high on the.
Yeah, Bradley from Southern Alabama or South Alabama, I don't know which one it is. Carter Bradley, he's got he's athletic. You know, he's a good athlete. He can run around a little bit. You know, Between him and Michael Pratt, one of those guys is going to stick in the league as the same kind of category as Spencer Rattler, like a high end backup, low end starter, spot starter, that type of player. Bradley probably available a little bit later than Pratt. Pratt has a chance, I think to be like a top one fifty pick. You know, he'd probably go by the end of the fourth round. I like Pratt, Yeah, you know, he's he's not what you think he is. Pratt. Like you think that you're turning on a tape of like a guy that just doesn't have the physical tools but has the timing and the rhythm down. He's actually the opposite. Like he's actually pretty toolsy for a guy that went to that level of school. But he's he's just not in the category of some of these other guys in terms of physical ability, and he's you know, the timing is not always great either, So there's some developmental stuff that needs to be done there. But he's bigger and stronger and faster than you would think for for where he went to school.
I just wanted to bring those guys up. For those of you looking for the double dip. You know they're going to get somebody in the first round and oh it's the fifth round. You know what's let's do the Kirk Cousins RG three thing. Pratt could be a you know, a good pick for that. Yep, Yeah, guy Brad be a good pick for that.
Yeah.
I think Pratt is the guy for that, not just because he kind of looks like Kirk Couzin, but I also do like that because I think that Rattler, Nicks, Pennix, like those guys are going to be top one hundred picks. So if you're really looking for the double dip, you're thinking fourth or fifth round at the earliest is when you're going to take the other quarterback.
All right, well that's going to do it here. For all of our positional previews, certainly quarterback an important one. Hopefully the Patriots are able to nab one of those top prospects. So just over a week to go, folks, we're getting close.
All right, guys, Thanks for tuning in. That wraps up all of our positional prospect previews.
Guys.
The last show is going to be a live show April twenty fourth, the night before the draft, and we'll be live from twelve to one pm. We're all going to be here to go over everything. We might do a little live mock draft, but we don't want to tease too much here. But thanks for tuning in.
