The latest edition of our Patriots mailbag answers questions about the draft, Ja’Lynn Polk, and more.
The early parts of the offseason continue for the New England Patriots, who are turning their attention to player acquisition. With the NFL Combine later this month and free agency shortly after, free agency and draft speculation are heating up.
So let’s talk about it all and get right into this week’s #PostPulpit mailbag.
A lot pundits were saying that not moving up to draft Kingsley Suamataia last year was a big miss by the Pats, but he was (at least for a year) a bust in KC. Seems like drafting O-lineman might be as big a crapshoot as WR for NE.
The Patriots need to take an absolute can’t miss prospect in the 1st round. Who is the least risky player? It seems to me it’s Mason Graham. – c. lassiter
There is really no such thing as can’t miss in the draft but to me the “hit it down the fairway” option this year is Will Campbell. For the fair conversation about arm length and whether or not he’ll stick at tackle (which we’ll have in a second), Campbell is the best offensive lineman in the class.
Maybe that features a move inside to guard at some point but he’ll still a Pro Bowl caliber player at that spot. It’s tough not seeing him be successful at some position at the next level which could be appealing for a Patriots team that currently feels good about just one position (Michael Onwenu, right guard) along their offensive line.
How much of the Will Campbell arm length talk is warranted? 34+ inch long arms seems to be the standard, but Dante Scarnecchia, a pretty good o-line coach, thought arm length was over-rated. Matt Light had 33.5 inch arms and he managed to protect Brady’s blindside for 11 years and 3 SB’s. Made a couple pro-bowls along the way.
I respect the Combine process but where do you draw the line between measurable and production? The kid started 3 years at LSU blocking the best pass rushers in the country. Plus, ever listen to any interviews with him? He’s absolutely the kind of guy you want in your NFL foxhole. 4th overall might be too rich but if they can trade down and stay in the top 10-12 then I think he absolutely can succeed in the NFL as an OT. – ParaMeds
This is the annual debate with the Combine and it’s why some teams do not even attend the event anymore. That includes the Los Angeles Rams, who have taken advantage of drafting good football players (Puka Nacua, Kam Kitchens, etc.) who may not exactly dominate in the underwear olympics.
But while some of those debates — like Nacua — draw back to 40-yard dash speed vs. live speed play, there are many measurements and check points that do matter. Arm length for tackles is one of those even if the threshold has fallen from 34+ inches to 33+ inches as players like Rashawn Slater (33-inch arms) have succeeded in past years.
When it comes to Campbell, we’ll see how close the arms are to that 33-inch mark. If they measure in nearby, I think he deserves the right to start his career at tackle (where he is reportedly training for) due to his high level of play in the SEC and other skills such as his footwork and balance. He will need to clean up the inside losses, however.
Simple math will leave one of 4 scenarios on Draft Day:
1. Abdul Carter falling to 4
2. Travis Hunter falling to 4
3. One or both of Ward/Sanders falling to 4, opening up the potential of a trade down.
4. Pats ignoring trade offers and making a selection at 4 (likely one of the OT’s, or Mason Graham).
Which do you think is the most likely scenario? What is your preferred scenario, and who do you see getting selected? – Sdpatsfan84
The order you have them here is still my preferred scenario. Abdul Carter is the run-the-card-to-the-podium picks if he makes it to No. 4. Hunter is likely with him if he’s open to playing more wide receiver. It’s tough to go wrong with elite athletes but I slightly lean Carter over Hunter due to positional value.
If they are both gone, moving back to accumulate assets is then the preference. If they’re no offers then we stick in pick likely between Campbell or Mason Graham — which could be the most appealing option for Mike Vrabel to start to rebuild the lines.
If you could go back and change any draft pick from last year who would it be and who would you pick? Feels like the obvious choice is Polk but… – Terry S.
It’s tough not to look back at anything other than that second pick. Without hindsight and looking back at my big board from last year, WR Ladd McConkey and DB Cooper DeJean were my top rated players remaining when the Patriots were on the clock at pick No. 34.
McConkey, who posted 1,000-plus yards last season, would have been a dynamic option to pair with Drake Maye moving forward at an obvious position of need.
And despite him being on the defensive side of the ball I was always a fan of DeJean, who has already established himself as an elite, versatile defensive back beyond just his Super Bowl pick six. He could have been an awesome partner to work off of Christian Gonzalez in the secondary.
I really don’t want to be the guy defending Ja’Lynn Polk, however considering his draft status, they have to try to get something out of him. So why did we insist all last year to keep forcing him to be an outside WR? He clearly isn’t, but out of the 436 snaps where he was on the field, he only lined up in the slot 69 times.
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again the same way and expecting a different result. He was abysmal lining up outside. I’m not saying moving him to slot fixes it, but it has to be worth a shot, right?
Was that a Mayo coaching failure? Lack of other options when Bourne was hurt and Osborne not fitting? or did he just fail that bad at learning the offense? If it’s the latter, then that’s an even bigger task now because McDaniels offense is so hard to learn for newcomers. I know Pop can be a productive slot but they have to try to get something, ANYTHING, out of the 37th overall pick.
The most alarming thing to me about Polk is, to me, that he was never going to be a guy who blows you away with speed/athleticism, rather he was billed as a high character, tenacious “dog” who had great hands and was a tough guy who could win contested catches. Last year his drops were brutal and he came off a lot as a whiny child, not a tenacious dog. – Para Meds
Speaking of Polk, a lot to break down here. To start, I don’t think he is as bad as he was last year. Based off both his college film/production and then his play in training camp, there’s a useful pass catcher in their somewhere.
The problem appeared to be mainly mental as he couldn’t get the football early in the season and then failing to get his heel down vs. Miami seemed to derail everything. I also believe the lack of development from the inexperienced coaching staff did not help. You could also point to his role in the offense hindering him as he did spend more time playing X early in the year out of necessity.
Then to complete the mess came the off-field stuff (cryptic Instagram posts, saying he had the best hands in the league, etc.) which was a bit strange due to that billing of a high-character player coming out of Washington.
Moving forward, I believe the best case scenario is that a new coaching staff leads to a fresh start from Polk on the mental side of things. Then based off his skillset, perhaps he can carve out a Jakobi Meyers-type role under Josh McDaniels. As we always say though on this discussion, it would be a historical outlier at this point for Polk to become a productive pass catcher after that rookie season.
How many of the players who were on the roster this year do you expect to be on the opening day roster for the 2025 season? No names needed. I come up with 35. – coolbeanz
I would expect some pretty significant roster turnover with Mike Vrabel in the building. Going over the current roster, I’m right in the low part of the 30-to-35 range when it comes to players I would comfortably bet on being in Foxboro next 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.