He is one of the great promises of the draft and a lot will depend on what happens with Commanders
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Here are some quick notes on the New England Patriots and the NFL.
1. The Daniels situation: When Patriots coach Jerod Mayo envisions how the 2024 NFL draft, which owner Robert Kraft has called the most anticipated in his 31 years in charge, will play out, he sees the Commanders like the wild card.
The Patriots have the No. 3 pick, the highest in their history under Kraft. The Commanders number 2.
“I don’t think anyone knows exactly what Washington is going to do. I think everyone knows what Chicago is going to do in the 1. But, honestly, the rest is up in the air,” Mayo thinks.
Mayo, like many who assume, believes the Bears will select USC quarterback Caleb Williams. So they’re preparing for multiple scenarios after that, and if the rumors emerging from the NFL’s annual meeting in Orlando, Florida, last week are any indication, Commanders have too.
Part of the reason the new regime in Washington, led by General Manager Adam Peters and coach Dan Quinn came to watch LSU quarterbacks Jayden Daniels and North Carolina quarterback Drake May last week, as did the Patriots’ top decision-makers. , is that they say they are still undecided about their plans.
Jayden Daniels could mean the QB promise that the Patriots need for the future. Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images
Many view Daniels and Maye as the most likely choices to go second and third, and if Daniels is somehow there for the Patriots, his first college coach believes it would be the ultimate coup.
“If I had the No. 1 pick, I’d pick Jayden Daniels. I might be a little biased because I know the guy,” said Herm Edwards, who recruited Daniels to Arizona State in 2019 and coached him for three seasons before Daniels left. transferred to LSU.
“When he came to us, his whole thing was that he wanted to serve three [años] and finish. I advised him: ‘You have to gain more weight. You need more repetitions.’ So the best thing is that when you decided to go [a LSU], he came to my office, I gave him a hug and told him: ‘You have to go.’ He has now played 56 college games and has a lot of video and that helps him.”
Jayden Daniels elevated his performance in 2023 to win the Heisman Trophy, completing 72.2% of his passes, finishing 236 of 327 for 3,812 passing yards with 40 touchdowns and only 4 interceptions. He added 1,134 rushing yards on 135 carries (8.4 YPC) with 10 touchdowns.
In some ways, Edwards compares Daniels’ skills to his last season playing for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1985, when the team was about to transition from pocket passer Ron Jaworski to Randall Cunningham.
“When Randall arrived… he was the athlete who could run and also throw, especially on the field. That’s what Jayden does,” he analyzed.
“This is the guy who goes off script and can make plays that the defense can’t defend, that they haven’t seen. That’s the hardest thing when you have a quarterback like this: you can’t anticipate what he’s going to do.” You just don’t know, because he doesn’t know, until he sees it with his eyes and says, ‘I have to get out of here and make a play.'”
One of the questions scouts have about Jayden Daniels is whether his style of play is designed to last in the NFL because he could be vulnerable to more contact. Daniels did not take official measurements at the NFL combine in February, choosing to wait until LSU’s pro day last Wednesday, at 6-foot-4, 210 pounds, which could be heavier than when he was at LSU. In contrast, Maye was 6.4 feet tall and weighed 223 pounds.
Edwards stressed that when Daniels first arrived at Arizona State, he weighed 189 pounds. He has watched Daniels grow since then, in more ways than one.
“I had him when I was 18. He’s 23 now, so he’s a young man and he understands it, he understands the quarterback position. He played in the SEC the last two years and didn’t get beat up. He was in every game. ”Edwards acknowledged.
Specifically for the Patriots, Jerod Mayo said some of the things he will look for when evaluating quarterbacks is how they learn and deal with adversity. He also coined the phrase “add culture” and stressed the importance of evaluating one’s leadership style and personal character.
For this part, Edwards believes that Daniels would not only provide an electrifying game but also a constant presence.
“He’s outgoing, but he’s not loud. He’s very calm. He’s not a confrontational type, like you saw with Tom Brady. He’s more of the type to come and talk to guys and fix it. In adverse and urgent situations, he doesn’t There is panic in this guy.”
2. Brady Night: The greatest player in Patriots history deserves the best send-off, and plans are moving forward for Tom Brady’s unprecedented Patriots Hall of Fame induction ceremony inside Gillette Stadium on Wednesday, Nov. 12. June.
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Next week, Patriots season ticket members will receive ticket information and be given preferential pricing for the event through April 12. If inventory remains after the pre-sale process, it will be available to the general public later in April. For longtime New England sports fans, it looks like this could be similar to the historic “Larry Bird Night” in 1993.
3. Highsmith’s role: Last Monday, Mayo relayed something recently hired senior personnel executive Alonzo Highsmith told him based on his front office experience with the Packers (2012-2017), Browns (2018-2019 ) and Seahawks (2020-2022).
“He said all the bad drafts he’s seen have really been ones where not everyone was on the same page. You hope to have everyone on the same page: coaches and also scouts. If you have just one person drafting, that’s not [bueno]” Mayo said. “…We have scouts across the board where everyone has different opinions. So you want to start by listening to them, but at some point you have to narrow the group down and reach common ground. We are close”.
Two days later, Highsmith was among a nine-person contingent of Patriots scouts and coaches at Daniels and Maye’s Pro Days, a reflection of his position as top assistant to scouting director Eliot Wolf and Mayo, and also how the Patriots are trying to achieve that alignment.
4. ‘Systems change’: One of the themes of Kraft’s comments at the NFL’s annual meeting, which shed more light on his decision-making process with Mayo, is his view on “how systems have changed.” systems” in the last 10 years, 15 years. That topic also came up during Kraft’s appearance on “The Shop,” the show starring LeBron James and businessman Maverick Carter, who have conversations and debates in a barbershop.
“In the last decade, the players that come into the locker room are different,” Kraft noted as he sat next to the Raiders wide receiver, Davante Adams. “So how you relate to them, how you connect… I think [Mayo] can relate to today’s young people.
Adams, entering his 11th NFL season, agreed with the general point, adding: “In order for the team to realize it and reach its full potential, you need someone they’re willing to play with. You’re seeing a difference. [desde cuando llegué a la liga]…the way you talk to them, the verbiage or understanding with which you approach them; when you have guys who have lived it a little [como jugadores] “You can unlock a little bit of something with a few players.”
5. DMac’s Dream Draft: The Patriots held their annual pre-draft meeting for season-ticket members on Saturday at Gillette Stadium, with former safety and current NBC “Football Night in America” analyst Devin McCourty serving as panel member and Mayo interviewer and college scouting director Camren Williams.
One of the highlights came when McCourty described his ideal draft for the team, prompting an audible cheer from the several thousand spectators: “As much as I like defense, I’d love to see first-round offense, second-round “offensive, third round offensive. Offensive guys! That’s where it’s needed most.”
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6. Coaches Week: Mayo emphasized the importance of next week for his coaching staff and how coaches are making a significant transition in preparation for the draft. The Patriots could have started their voluntary offseason program on Monday, but Mayo decided to wait until April 8 so he could focus on personnel.
“I want this week to be dedicated to the coaches, because now we are not reviewing as much,” he noted. “We brought in 17 new coaches. It’s a balance between having those guys scouting and also learning our own offense and defense, and teaching the other coaches.”
7. The Rise of Reagor? With the NFL adopting a new rule to encourage more kickoff returns, it could improve the chances of Jalen Reagor to remain on the roster as a receiver. Reagor had one of four NFL kickoff returns for a touchdown last season (98 yards vs. Buffalo). Overall, the Patriots had just 18 kickoff returns in 2023. As a reflection of how much kickoff returns have declined, consider that from 2000 to 2009, the Patriots averaged 61.2 kickoff returns per season. From 2010 to 2019, they averaged 34.6.
8. It was said: “They have been excellent [conversaciones]; with Coach Mayo, and just there talking to new offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, and learning things from him. Such a relevant program, team and history there in New England, so having the opportunity to meet them, what they’re about and their championship mentality of going back to the glory days has been great.” — Maye, on Thursday, about his meeting with the Patriots.
9. Preseason plans: Nothing is definitive, but rumors at the NFL annual meeting had the Patriots likely hosting the first two preseason games before traveling in week three. Preseason games may lack spark, but if the Patriots draft a quarterback with the third, it could spark more interest in them because that prospect would likely play a significant part of the game.
10. Did you know that Mayo (first round) and the Vikings coach, Kevin O’Connell (third round) were part of the Patriots’ 2008 draft class? This is just the second time in the common draft era that a team selected two players from the same class who became head coaches. The Bears’ class of 1981, with Mike Singletary (second round) and Jeff Fisher (seventh round), was the other.
2024-03-31 16:36:49
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