Senior Moment: Catch-All Thread for this week's practices and game

[Mugsy's Walk-Off Bunt]

As much as any other team in the league, the Patriots tend to focus on Senior Bowl activities and participants. That may change with the new regime, but this remains a key week for pre-draft evaluation. There are few writers as geeked-out, pumped and jacked about this as Patriots.com's rookie of the year, Evan Lazar, so here's a link to his column previewing what to watch in Mobile...

https://www.patriots.com/news/analysis-top-patriots-related-storylines-at-the-senior-bowl

 

[BaseballJones]

Two of my UConn guys will be in the Senior Bowl: OG Christian Haynes, and DE Eric Watts. I am really rooting hard for them to play well. I don't see either of them ending up on the Pats - they're not positions of need - but I'm hopeful that both get drafted, and think Haynes may end up going in round 2 or 3.

 

[Cellar-Door]

Xavier Legette came in 2+ inches shorter than listed, (small hands as well), might hurt him

 

[Dewey's 'stache]

Troy Brown relayed via interview that some of the prospects had headphones on during meetings. He said those guys were off the list. So we know at least some of their criteria for judging players

 

[ehaz]

Lots of media listing Roman Wilson and Ladd McConkey as the standouts so far among the WR group.

View: https://twitter.com/ezlazar/status/1752405179603816826


View: https://twitter.com/jacobinfante24/status/1752405547536589023


View: https://twitter.com/ezlazar/status/1752374813245452553


View: https://twitter.com/DBro_FFB/status/1752371356526682214

 

[NextBigThing8184]

I could see McConkey getting into the late 1st. He is likely going to test really well at the combine and his skill set is as pro-ready as anyone you’ll find at the position. A team like KC, Buffalo or Tampa could be interested

 

[DJnVa]

Troy Brown relayed via interview that some of the prospects had headphones on during meetings. He said those guys were off the list. So we know at least some of their criteria for judging players

It's essentially a job interview, folks should look the part. Sheesh.

 

[BigJimEd]

Troy Brown relayed via interview that some of the prospects had headphones on during meetings. He said those guys were off the list. So we know at least some of their criteria for judging players

Tell them to get off your lawn too. I'll grant that no one should wear headphones into these meetings. However, at a position with a reputation for divas, you're going to take someone completely off your list for having headphones on? Seems a bit of an overreaction. Wonder how many WRs are now going to wear headphones so the Patriots won't draft them. NE can't be high on the list of most of these guys.

 

[jcd0805]

Tell them to get off your lawn too. I'll grant that no one should wear headphones into these meetings. However, at a position with a reputation for divas, you're going to take someone completely off your list for having headphones on? Seems a bit of an overreaction. Wonder how many WRs are now going to wear headphones so the Patriots won't draft them. NE can't be high on the list of most of these guys.

Isn't the point for most players to be drafted as highly as possible to make the most money? And sorry it's not an old person take to think players should listen in meetings, which if you have air pods in you're most certainly not doing.

 

[BigJimEd]

Isn't the point for most players to be drafted as highly as possible to make the most money? And sorry it's not an old person take to think players should listen in meetings, which if you have air pods in you're most certainly not doing.

Says who? I've been in plenty of meetings and have had conversations with people that have headphones on or earbuds in. Does not mean they are not listening. Again I'm not saying they should do it but I'm not taking MHJ off my board if he has headphones on his head. Nor Nabors, McConkey, Wilson etc. That would be foolish imo. You want to knock them a little sure but taking them off your board is just another data point that maybe Troy Brown should not be on this staff despite how great he was as a player..


As for avoiding being drafted by the Pats that was mostly tongue in cheek. I doubt anyone is actually going to do that. However, guys at the top have been known to try to steer themselves to or away from a specific team. In the 2nd or later rounds, the money difference is minimal if you drop a half dozen spots. Much more important to land in the best possible spot to prove themselves. Of course, in the later rounds most are just hoping to get drafted.

 

[jcd0805]

Says who? I've been in plenty of meetings and have had conversations with people that have headphones on or earbuds in. Does not mean they are not listening.

Maybe it is an old person take then because I would lose it if someone I was trying to talk to didn't have the decency to take out their earbuds.

 

[thehitcat]

Also it's the senior bowl. The best guys here are Day 2. I think they can probably rule out a couple of these guys without having to worry about MHJ or Rome Odunze. Also it's disrespectful and it's a job interview.

 

[ElcaballitoMVP]

For the OT's, Tyler Guyton (Oklahoma) had himself a really nice day trying to work his way into round 1. Dude kicked some ass out there.

Patrick Paul (Houston) is a monster. If the guy masters his craft he's going to be really good. Definitely helped himself out with today's showing.

Christian Jones (Texas) is another guy who helped his draft stock today but he might be an OT/OG tweener.

For the WR's not mentioned above, Ricky Pearsall looked good from what I saw. Johnny Wilson is a huge human- looked like he was playing against middle schoolers at times. Devontez Walker, while very fast, had trouble against press coverage.

 

[chilidawg]

Maybe it is an old person take then because I would lose it if someone I was trying to talk to didn't have the decency to take out their earbuds.

You'd think at the Senior bowl there'd be at least some respect for the mores of seniors.

 

[NextBigThing8184]

Also it's the senior bowl. The best guys here are Day 2. I think they can probably rule out a couple of these guys without having to worry about MHJ or Rome Odunze. Also it's disrespectful and it's a job interview.

There are plenty of day 1 considerations, not sure why you think the best guys are Day 2

Quinyon Mitchell
Laiatu Latu (top 15 potential)
Taliese Fuaga (top 15 potential)
Jordan Morgan
Bo Nix
Michael Penix
Chris Braswell
TVondre Sweat
Tyler Guyton
Troy Fautanu
Byron Murphy
Patrick Paul
Xavier Legette
Ladd McConkey
Kamren Kinchins
Kingsley Suamataia

Now, lot of those guys are back half of round 1 types who may or may not go Day 1 but Fuaga and Latu are two of the best prospects in the draft (although Latu’s medical may or may not sink him) and a few of the others will definitely find their way into Day 1. Certainly 2 of the other tackles and one or two of the DL will end up round 1 and I’d bet on one of those QB’s.

Unless you’re specifically referring to WR’s but even then McConkey and Legette are worth late first round consideration for sure. How the WR’s come off the board after the big 3 will be interesting to watch. I don’t know that there’s much separation between the next group or any guaranteed 1st rounders beyond Harrison, Nabors and Odunze. Thomas seems most likely to be a first rounder but some of these other guys could solidify themselves with a good pre-draft process including the guys at the senior bowl.

 

[Ale Xander]

McConkey gives me a Welker-y impression.

 

[Cellar-Door]

Most people who were there seem to have the same couple guys in their good/bad days

Good:
Roman Wilson
Tyler Guyton
Ladd McConkey
Taliese Fuaga
Patrick Paul
QUinyon Mitchell
Cam Hart


Down:
Bo Nix
Tez Walker
Xavier Legette
Jordan Morgan (more physical, arms measured real short may push him inside?)

Edit- moved Joe Milton out as some people thought he wasn't that good

 

[Dewey's 'stache]

Most people who were there seem to have the same couple guys in their good/bad days

Good:
Roman Wilson
Tyler Guyton
Ladd McConkey
Taliese Fuaga
Patrick Paul
QUinyon Mitchell
Cam Hart


Down:
Bo Nix
Tez Walker
Xavier Legette
Jordan Morgan (more physical, arms measured real short may push him inside?)

Edit- moved Joe Milton out as some people thought he wasn't that good

I watched some of it. Bo Nix kept missing targets. He looked really bad

 

[Dewey's 'stache]

Tell them to get off your lawn too. I'll grant that no one should wear headphones into these meetings. However, at a position with a reputation for divas, you're going to take someone completely off your list for having headphones on? Seems a bit of an overreaction. Wonder how many WRs are now going to wear headphones so the Patriots won't draft them. NE can't be high on the list of most of these guys.

Well if Troy does that then he can’t see if their disrespectful ass is worth drafting after all. . How can anything they are listening to be more important than that meeting? I mean to me it is at least heavy demerit, especially if they clown up the plays after the meeting. If they go out and crush it, well then maybe I just say “hey keep up the great work, and as a sign of respect, take out the headphones in meetings”

 

[NextBigThing8184]

Well if Troy does that then he can’t see if their disrespectful ass is worth drafting after all. . How can anything they are listening to be more important than that meeting? I mean to me it is at least heavy demerit, especially if they clown up the plays after the meeting. If they go out and crush it, well then maybe I just say “hey keep up the great work, and as a sign of respect, take out the headphones in meetings”

A lot of younger people who work for me leave their earbuds in and just mute/pause whatever they’re listening to when I’m talking to them. I don’t think these guys are actually listening to music instead of the coaches, I think it’s a generational thing.

 

[Mugsy's Walk-Off Bunt]

It's probably a little overblown, but at the very least it exhibits poor instincts. Have the awareness to understand that it's a bad look. Situation awareness. Also, how does a coach/agent/parent/friend not mention this? I guess it happens, and again, not as huge a deal as some of us might want to make it, but...not smart.

 

[BaseballJones]

I could see McConkey getting into the late 1st. He is likely going to test really well at the combine and his skill set is as pro-ready as anyone you’ll find at the position. A team like KC, Buffalo or Tampa could be interested

Good lord he would be incredible with Mahomes in KC. He's exactly the kind of player we do NOT want them to draft.

 

[Dewey's 'stache]

Watching senior bowl practice now, Bo Nix not playing well. Missing folks by a few feet, dropped a snap, would have been sacked twice in game (late to recognize need to scramble).

 

[Dewey's 'stache]

It's probably a little overblown, but at the very least it exhibits poor instincts. Have the awareness to understand that it's a bad look. Situation awareness. Also, how does a coach/agent/parent/friend not mention this? I guess it happens, and again, not as huge a deal as some of us might want to make it, but...not smart.

Yeah, I guess my thought is never give your potential employer a reason to rule you out before they get to know you a little better. I too had folks who would wear earbuds mainly to blunt the noise of a “open office floor plan” which I can completely understand the reason to do that. At the same time they did shut them off before any face to face interactions. Your point about a friend, parent, coach, agent not mentioning this is spot on. My son would wear the Beats over ear headphones before hockey games (circa 2014ish) . He relayed that some teammates moved one earphone off their ear when the coach spoke and still had music playing. I made sure he knew to take them completely off any time the coaches were talking to the team.

 

[ElcaballitoMVP]

Roman Wilson with a ridiculous 1 handed catch during 1 on 1's, my goodness.

 

[wonderland]

Yeah, I guess my thought is never give your potential employer a reason to rule you out before they get to know you a little better. I too had folks who would wear earbuds mainly to blunt the noise of a “open office floor plan” which I can completely understand the reason to do that. At the same time they did shut them off before any face to face interactions. Your point about a friend, parent, coach, agent not mentioning this is spot on. My son would wear the Beats over ear headphones before hockey games (circa 2014ish) . He relayed that some teammates moved one earphone off their ear when the coach spoke and still had music playing. I made sure he knew to take them completely off any time the coaches were talking to the team.

There’s a big difference between a quick chat (no issues with leaving them in) and having a more formal interview.

 

[NextBigThing8184]

Roman Wilson with a ridiculous 1 handed catch during 1 on 1's, my goodness.

Interested to see how he tests at the combine. He was the embodiment of the cliche “QB’s best friend” at Michigan. Something about his game reminds me a bit of Amendola. Makes the big time plays at big moments, tough, always seems to be in the right place, occasional spectacular play, takes some brutal hits but doesn’t shy away from going right back into a dangerous spot.

 

[ehaz]

Patriots have met with Sam Hartman and twice with Devontez Walker:

View: https://twitter.com/thepatriotsbeat/status/1752809951016157560?s=46

 

[ehaz]

A couple other guys who said they met with the Pats per the above account:

• Ladd McConkey WR - Georgia
• Laiatu Latu EDGE - UCLA
• Jaylin Simpson DB - Auburn
• Max Melton DB - Rutgers

 

[Mugsy's Walk-Off Bunt]

Good stuff from Lazar at patriots.com

https://www.patriots.com/news/senior-bowl-notebook-standouts-from-the-first-day-of-practices-in-mobile

edit to add this bit:

2. Michigan WR Roman Wilson is the Real Deal, and Other Winners and Losers at Wide Receiver
From this perspective, Michigan wide receiver Roman Wilson was the best player on the field for either session.
Wilson has all the attributes of a high-volume Z/slot receiver who can win from multiple alignments and at all three levels. The Michigan product has a knack for winning early in his routes and is crafty through the breakpoint to create vertical separation — a really impressive blend of route-running IQ, quickness, and burst. The pro comparison is Amon-Ra St. Brown.

 

[Mugsy's Walk-Off Bunt]

Day 2 Senior Bowl analysis:

https://www.patriots.com/news/senior-bowl-notebook-evaluating-the-quarterbacks-in-mobile-from-a-patriots-perspective

-Three running backs that stood out as receivers this week: Dylan Laube (UNH), Marshawn Lloyd (USC), and Daijun Edwards (Georgia). I'm buying Luabe stock. His skills all translated against better competition.

 

[chilidawg]

Also from Lazar:

"Bazooka" Joe Milton (Tennessee) - Milton's arm strength to drive the ball through the middle of the field and throw on the move stood out above the rest of his American squad teammates. Milton has a live arm with good arm elasticity to generate velocity from different angles and platforms. He made the best throw during a 7-on-7 session where he worked a seam route to K-State tight end Ben Sinnott and looked natural, throwing to different levels off bootleg actions. My comparison for Milton is day three Anthony Richardson. He's not as freakish with his mobility and arm talent, but it's a similar skill set as the Colts QB, who went fourth overall in 2023.

Color me intrigued.

 

[NickEsasky]

Patriots have met with Sam Hartman and twice with Devontez Walker:

View: https://twitter.com/thepatriotsbeat/status/1752809951016157560?s=46

Well with Hartman the attractiveness level of our QBs would be Brady level again.

 

[BaseballJones]

Also from Lazar:

"Bazooka" Joe Milton (Tennessee) - Milton's arm strength to drive the ball through the middle of the field and throw on the move stood out above the rest of his American squad teammates. Milton has a live arm with good arm elasticity to generate velocity from different angles and platforms. He made the best throw during a 7-on-7 session where he worked a seam route to K-State tight end Ben Sinnott and looked natural, throwing to different levels off bootleg actions. My comparison for Milton is day three Anthony Richardson. He's not as freakish with his mobility and arm talent, but it's a similar skill set as the Colts QB, who went fourth overall in 2023.

Color me intrigued.

Sure. Sixth round flier on Milton? Sign me up.

But you still gotta get a QB at 3.

 

[chilidawg]

Sure. Sixth round flier on Milton? Sign me up.

But you still gotta get a QB at 3.

Thanks for setting that straight.

 

[NextBigThing8184]

Makes sense for the Pats to do their homework on any and all QB’s in this class. I would think it’s just due diligence in the event they really don’t like QB3, or that guy has an issue pop up between now and April (medical, legal etc) or they get a godfather offer for a trade down or they find a veteran option they want to pair with MHJ (Wilson, Cousins).

 

[Cellar-Door]

Makes sense for the Pats to do their homework on any and all QB’s in this class. I would think it’s just due diligence in the event they really don’t like QB3, or that guy has an issue pop up between now and April (medical, legal etc) or they get a godfather offer for a trade down or they find a veteran option they want to pair with MHJ (Wilson, Cousins).

Yeah, I mean I assume they're going to talk to basically every player at the Senior Bowl, no reason not to. Could be a guy you want to draft, or bring in if he slides through, or even pick up in FA or trade a couple years from now.

 

[Justthetippett]

Also from Lazar:

"Bazooka" Joe Milton (Tennessee) - Milton's arm strength to drive the ball through the middle of the field and throw on the move stood out above the rest of his American squad teammates. Milton has a live arm with good arm elasticity to generate velocity from different angles and platforms. He made the best throw during a 7-on-7 session where he worked a seam route to K-State tight end Ben Sinnott and looked natural, throwing to different levels off bootleg actions. My comparison for Milton is day three Anthony Richardson. He's not as freakish with his mobility and arm talent, but it's a similar skill set as the Colts QB, who went fourth overall in 2023.

Color me intrigued.

Sign Brissett, bring in Bazooka Joe in the late rounds and draft the best QB available at #3. Change the locks on Mac and thank Zappe for his service.

But really, they need to take some swings here and bring in guys with NFL skillsets and tangibles. I'd rather a late round flier on Milton than a mid-round flier on Pratt, given that we're already seeing reports of his limited arm strength. We just witnessed that for three years. No thanks.

 

[Cellar-Door]

Sign Brissett, bring in Bazooka Joe in the late rounds and draft the best QB available at #3. Change the locks on Mac and thank Zappe for his service.

But really, they need to take some swings here and bring in guys with NFL skillsets and tangibles. I'd rather a late round flier on Milton than a mid-round flier on Pratt, given that we're already seeing reports of his limited arm strength. We just witnessed that for three years. No thanks.

I think there is little reason to consider Milton, he's a big arm but no touch or accuracy and his processing is nothing special. The comp i've seen is.... poor man's Josh Freeman.
This team has a top 3 pick, there isn't much reason to be taking late round fliers on guys you won't have time to develop.

 

[Justthetippett]

I think there is little reason to consider Milton, he's a big arm but no touch or accuracy and his processing is nothing special. The comp i've seen is.... poor man's Josh Freeman.
This team has a top 3 pick, there isn't much reason to be taking late round fliers on guys you won't have time to develop.

Yeah, I don't know. Bill made a pretty good business out of this. Guys get hurt and so on. Even Zappe proved to be somewhat useful. I know nothing about Milton other than the reports on his arm strength, maybe it's Rattler or some other prospect that drops, but I don't think drafting QBs in the late rounds is bad business, even if it happens in the same year as a high QB pick.

 

[NortheasternPJ]

Yeah, I don't know. Bill made a pretty good business out of this. Guys get hurt and so on. Even Zappe proved to be somewhat useful. I know nothing about Milton other than the reports on his arm strength, maybe it's Rattler or some other prospect that drops, but I don't think drafting QBs in the late rounds is bad business, even if it happens in the same year as a high QB pick.

Sincerely, Kirk Cousins

 

[Jimbodandy]

Good stuff from Lazar at patriots.com

https://www.patriots.com/news/senior-bowl-notebook-standouts-from-the-first-day-of-practices-in-mobile

edit to add this bit:

2. Michigan WR Roman Wilson is the Real Deal, and Other Winners and Losers at Wide Receiver
From this perspective, Michigan wide receiver Roman Wilson was the best player on the field for either session.
Wilson has all the attributes of a high-volume Z/slot receiver who can win from multiple alignments and at all three levels. The Michigan product has a knack for winning early in his routes and is crafty through the breakpoint to create vertical separation — a really impressive blend of route-running IQ, quickness, and burst. The pro comparison is Amon-Ra St. Brown.

Not a bad comp at all. Love Roman. Think he can play X in the league maybe but definitely downfield threat in the middle.

Ladd is a fantastic slot and will do well also.

 

[Cellar-Door]

Brugler's insights were interesting:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zu-DBmCF4kQ

 

[Granite Sox]

I think there is little reason to consider Milton, he's a big arm but no touch or accuracy and his processing is nothing special. The comp i've seen is.... poor man's Josh Freeman.
This team has a top 3 pick, there isn't much reason to be taking late round fliers on guys you won't have time to develop.

I think a familiar comp for Milton for Pats fans would be Ryan Mallett (RIP). Fits the description from @Cellar-Door above.