The latest edition of our Patriots mailbag answers questions about the draft, Caedan Wallace, and more.
After an all-around disaster in Miami, the New England Patriots welcome the Indianapolis Colts to Foxboro on Sunday for what may be their most winnable game remaining on the schedule.
Before we get to Sunday and then the bye week, let’s get into this week’s #PostPulpit mailbag.
good article by MSJ here earlier showing how difficult it will be to rebuild the offensive line in one year, they obviously need to make some investment but given that the Pats are likely to have a top 5 pick in 2025 what do you do? EDGE, CB, WR? Trade down?
It’s tough to truly project these things with the draft when, A. I haven’t started many deep dives into prospects, B. Free agency hasn’t taken place, and C. We don’t know where New England is picking.
But, it’s always fun to hypothesize so let’s do it.
When it comes to needs, offensive tackle is still the No. 1 need on my current board. I get WR Tet McMillan is appealing, and Vederian Lowe’s play of late maybe cracked the door open to go elsewhere, but Sunday’s loss to Miami served as a loud reminder of the need at tackle.
Where things currently stand, LSU’s Will Campbell and Texas’ Kelvin Banks are the top two tackles in the top-10 range. Aireontae Ersery from Minnesota, Cameron Williams (right tackle) from Texas, Josh Simmons from Ohio State, and Josh Conerly from Oregon are in the following tier.
Depending on free agency and how Campbell and Banks go through the draft process (with some thinking they may be guards), I would not rule out best player available either — which could lead to a defensive player, especially in a strong edge class. As always, getting one of these players and more draft capital after a trade down is the ideal outcome.
Is Caeden Wallace still alive? Any chance he contributes this year? – ParaMeds
Caedan Wallace is in fact alive. Jerod Mayo said Tuesday that he’s very close to retuning from injured reserve and the projection here would be that he’s back on the practice field during/following the bye week. The right tackle position is up for grabs after Trey Jacobs’ performance in Miami, and Wallace ending the year strong at his natural position would be an encouraging development.
At this point, what’s the best hope for helping Drake Maye out? Reducing pre-snap penalties? Better performance from his WRs? Balancing the running/passing game? – 1stStateSoxFan
The penalties simply have to stop as almost no offense can survive being behind the sticks that often. But for helping Maye, the whole unit needs to get back to getting on the same page. That includes the line picking up blitzes, receivers running the right routes at the right depth, and then Maye seeing it all as well.
They did well in this area against the Rams, but broke down in their details against Miami. It led to a rocky performance and some of Maye’s old habits breaking through. That has to stop and the good news is that is something they can control no matter what the talent level is.
“I think the biggest thing is just being on the same page,” Maye said on Tuesday. “I think these guys are working hard during the week, and I feel like we’re putting some good practices together. I think we’ve just got to translate it to the field. I think it’s different when those reps do count, and I think it’s something we’ll figure out.”
Fast forward three years. Only one of Douglas, Polk, Baker, and Boutte is starting at WR for our New England Patriots. Who is it? – Matt1102
I’ll go Douglas. Polk and Baker’s rookie seasons have been extremely unproductive. And while Kayshon Boutte deserves credit for working into the lineup and making some plays, he has faced his own struggles of late. That included just one catch and two OPIs last week in Miami.
While Douglas has his flaws himself — with reoccurring issues of late in terms of route details and struggles settling in space — he’s proven to be a capable part of a NFL offense. They’ve also found a nice role for him letting him run crossers and RPO screens and slants.
Huge Marcus Jones fan. He’s always been our most dynamic weapon. What is the best way to split his workload across all three phases to maximize his week-to-week impact without totally wearing him out? – Matt1102
While I’m not sure how the new coaching staff looks at it (something to dig around on), last year’s staff would try to get players who helped on special teams at a 100 percent snap rate. That means if they played 70 percent of the team’s defensive snaps, they could contribute on 30 percent of the special teams plays.
Currently, Marcus Jones is playing 68 percent of the defensive snaps and 16 percent of the special teams snaps. That would leave another 16 percent, give-or-take, for some offensive plays. I would never expect Marcus Jones to play more than a handful of offensive snaps in a week, however.
Not so much a question…just thankful. I’m thankful to have the NE Patriots to root for. They’re facing adversity, taking it on the chin from the media and fans alike and they keep on swinging. That’s all I ask for and they do it – day in, day out. Thank you NE Patriots and the Pulpit Staff for enduring along with them. Times are difficult, fans are difficult (myself included) and the staff remarkably holds themselves well. Kudos to you Brian and all the others…Happy Thanksgiving! – PatsHowYouDoIt
Thanks for the kind words, PatsHowYouDoIt. Hope you and everyone else here had a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoy the home stretch of the Patriots season.
That’s all for this week’s #PostPulpit mailbag. If you have questions you’d liked to be answered next week, submit them online in our weekly submission post or on Twitter using #PostPulpit. Make sure to be following @iambrianhines and @PatsPulpit as well.