LIVE Patriots Daily: Potential Aiyuk Trade + Mailbag

LIVE Patriots Daily: Potential Aiyuk Trade + Mailbag

what’s going on everyone Mike kadlick and Taylor Kyle’s here for clns media back with another episode of Pat’s daily uh myself the Taylor Kyles just got back from Foxboro in the burning heat just recorded a ton of videos for the Patriots press pass YouTube channel so make sure you head over here write youreview subsscribe and uh sub yeah subscribe to the show or the uh podcast rather because we will have a ton of content coming out uh live from Foxboro uh it’s a mailbag episode today instead of mailbag Monday it’s mailbag Tuesday and uh we’re gonna get to all your Patriots questions in a minute but first Taylor uh we have to get to some Patriots news because there’s uh been a ton of Patriots news today even though it is a uh a dog days of summer Tuesday uh Brandon auk 49ers wide receiver Brandon auk uh who uh has been sort of in the news this whole this whole offseason has requested trades and then rescinded trade requests and sometimes he wants to go and sometimes we’ve talked about Brandon like a million times but today officially NFL Networks uh Mike gfo reported that auk has requested a trade so uh auk has requested a trade and also josena Anderson uh has reported that the Patriots have been involved in trade requ in trade requests for Brandon iuk so Patriots have called iuk wants to be out Taylor overall 30,000 foot view what do you make of this news and uh should the Patriots go after Brandon iuk yeah so one let me put the numbers up here just so we have something to kind of go off of because Brandon iuk I know there’s been some debate over whether he’s worthy of some kind of big money deal some contracts you kind of think of in terms of Trades and then guys signed a big deals were like Tyreek Hill and AJ when he was moved on from the Titans but Brandon iyuk is one of the best receivers in the NFL like he doesn’t really have any weaknesses if you look on um Matt Harmon’s uh perception reception he does a great job over there basically you can run literally every route in the route tree like the entire thing was green looked like a damn Christmas tree it’s beautiful he’s a really good receiver and this is considering he’s on an offense with a ton of other options as well and he’s been able to be highly productive you’re talking George KD Christian mcaffrey dvo obviously but of that group Brandon auk is the best route Runner one of the best route runners in the NFL period so there’s plenty of arguments to be made he’s also only 26 years old y so if you want a guaranteed you know All Pro Caliber Talent at wide receiver then yeah I think you go after Brandon iuk especially considering this Patriots offense is pretty young when you look at what their long-term Outlook is at a lot of these offensive spots especially the skill positions like you got Drake May then Jayvon Baker pop Douglas and jayen poke are really who you think come to the top receivers are going to be at this point and then obviously Hunter Henry is in long term but you’d hope that like Jem Bell can kind of rise to prominence there as well yeah if you get a Brandon iuk it’s not a whole lot of projection like you can speed up Drake May’s development because he has that true Elite number one where he can look to that guy and all those one-on-one matchups and know that he’s gonna win and it kind of speeds up your playoff hopes as well because now it’s not just about Drake may you kind of have somebody who take some of the burden off him whenever he enters the lineup now this is where things start to get a little more murky one Mike Garo made a very good point the 49ers are no strangers to these situations where players want out I know dvo Samuel’s been in this category Robbie Gold’s been in this category as well these guys are like no I want to be traded I’m not happy the 49ers do not budge they are very very tough to try to get off of their spot when it comes to that so one it’s not even that realistic that he gets moved at all all right iuk doesn’t even have any leverage he’s on a fifth year option and then the 49ers can franchise tag in his six season they have all the control so if you want to talk about perspective deals you could look at again AJ Brown who is dealt for an 18th overall pick in the 100 and first overall picks or if the 49ers say you know what I want a Kings Ransom then you look at maybe the Tyreek killed before he got his Mega contract he was uh acquired for a first round pick a second round pick a fourth round pick and then future fourth and sixth round picks now it’s going to be different with the Patriots this is a team that could end up picking inside like the top 10 top 15 almost guaranteed it feels like top 15 but even top five you really have no idea so where my head went was okay it’s kind of that like Mystery Box do you want this thing where you know exactly what you’re going to get or do you want to go through the gamble that is the NFL draft but let’s look at some of the first round receivers from the past few years you got classes where it’s like yeah you got your Henry rugs and your Jerry Judy’s but in Brandon IU’s class they also had cidd lamb and Justin Jefferson again all pro talents you look at the next year Jamar Chase Jaylen Wadd Devonte Smith Darius Tony obviously is what he is Rashad baitman hasn’t really lived up to expectations but again these are three All Pro Caliber players at the very worst Pro Bowl caliber players yeah you know 2022 a lot of guys who just went to bad situations unfortunately Drake London Garrett Wilson Chris ol all guys who have balled out very good receivers they just haven’t had very good quarterback play Garrett Wilson Garrett Wilson might be my favorite young player in the NFL like that guy awesome he just hasn’t been able to put it together with with like Aaron Rogers this year for example I’m sorry to cut you off going on your rent but like that that that that kid’s nasty so we we shouldn’t even say he’s in a bad situation but he he’s one of the best players in football 100% And then like Johan doson you’re hoping that maybe he gets uh more production and can really steady his career out with Jaden Daniels trayon Burks it feels like the Titans still don’t really know how to use him that’s a weird situation then moving on 2023 was kind of a weird year for the receiver position but still Jackson Smith and The Jig book Quinton Johnston you know one of those misses but Z flowers and Jordan Addison two excellent young players and then obviously this year you got Marvin Arison Jr Malik neyers and roma dun if the Patriots could get anybody of that caliber again with one of those top 10 picks this offense is looking a lot more loaded than it does right now even Brian Thomas Jr Xavier worthy Xavier Legette guys who give you a lot of explosiveness so I say all of that to say if you want to talk about getting a guy like Brandon iuk you’re also taking the chance on potentially missing out at a guy who’s going to be cost controlled right within your range with one probably one of maybe two picks you’d have to give up for Brandon iuk on top of having to pay him so yeah I’m I like the idea of having a guaranteed guy who you can sorry sorry might something uh but like a guaranteed baller like Brandon iuk who it’s like yes this is a top five wide receiver in the NFL but you already have Drake Mayon a rookie contract and can take on the money but if you end up with a top 10 or 15 pick you can get a guy of that similar caliber anyway and then you don’t have to pay him all that money which you know I wouldn’t start pinching pennies necessarily because you do have Drake may but I don’t know I I’d rather keep the draft Capital if you want to be this draft and developed team and you want to build through the draft and all these things that they were saying I appreciate that they’ve been in pursuit of Brandon iuk can try to see what the situation is but I also wouldn’t just give up whatever the 49ers want just to get him in the building man I I I continue to go back and forth on this and and you know from this show that I’ve been team go get Brandon iay the whole time just because I think that you know having Drake May’s development and you know how important it is for him to come in here and you know truly be the next franchise quarterback you need to do everything you possibly can to make that happen and that goes from not throwing him into the fire as fast as you want to and maybe trying you know kind of pulling him back a little bit and making sure that he’s 100% ready to play uh and that also includes surrounding him with top tier Talent not only at the wide receiver position but also on the offensive line so a guy like Brandon auk is proven these guys who are in 202’s wide receiver class yeah they might be cheap for four years but they’re not proven yet Brandon auk is one of the best wide receivers in football he can be that true Alpha number one player there were people in my mentions today saying he wasn’t that I found that absolutely laughable he is a stud and so I understand I feel like there’s not a lot of people watching specifically iuk they watch the 49ers but if you watch auk I feel like your eyes will be opened definitely you see you see auk and KD and Samuel and mcaffry and you see all those guys it’s like oh he’s just a product of that whole system it’s like no he’s just another great addition to that system the kids is stud and so I understand yes you have to trade all of this capital and then you have to put resources in to actually pay him at the end of the day I think it’s going to be worth it so yeah players cost money but you have to you know pay good players good money so I do understand the other side of it where if you look at all the wide receivers there is a good hit rate over the last five years wide receiver has has become a very deep position um Alex bar talks about this about how with the with the running back position and all the running backs are kind of the same and that’s why it gets devalued bar continues to wonder if that ends if that’s going to end up happening with wide receiver because there are so many you can just wait on them this is kind of the perfect example of that where do you go get auk or do you just wait for this this next class because you can hit on it and then say you hit next year on a quote unquote true wide receiver one and you also hit on Jaylen pulk and Jayvon Baker then you have a real really really good wide receiver core around these guys yeah Kahan booty too we’ll see what happens we’ll touch on him in a second when we get through our Patriots news um another one in there still is also the wide receiver market in terms of guys that might be available next offseason like T Higgins we know he’s probably gonna play on the franchise tag and you’re probably I think they’re gonna franchise tag him again try to get something in terms of trade value but you’re probably not GNA get more than like a third round pick because everybody knows that you’re not serious about retaining him so T Higgin CD lamb I don’t know what the Cowboys are doing but it’s starting to seem like he could actually hit the market which you don’t really see with guys of his caliber but that’s another guy who’s in that upper eal on like really top tier wide receivers if you want maybe more of a short-term guy who you know is a Difference Maker but it’s kind of towards the end of his career while you know Drake may still figuring things out Amari Cooper Brandon Cooks Stefan Diggs is trying to have a career year right now so he can earn himself one final deal so I mean auk I think is in a different category than all those guys I don’t want to lump them in together but there all will also probably be some good wide receivers available next off season on top of the draft so you know some more so kind of case against getting iuk although again like he’s such a good player I’m not mad I if they can find a way to do it by all means but if we’re talking like a first round pick again a potential top 105 pick and then you’re probably also gonna have to give up like a third or a fourth I don’t know I don’t know definitely Ste until I’m proven otherwise but I mean I I trust your front office and your coaching staff do what you’ve been saying you were going to do right it’s something to keep an eye on though as as we mentioned as josena Anderson reported the Patriots were involved so we’ll keep an eye on it as the weeks continue on you mentioned the staff Taylor so let’s get into one other P piece of Patriots news where uh there was a little bit of a front office Shuffle this morning uh as the Patriots announced some changes and uh basically some title changes to their front office where Matt Gro is now the director of player Personnel uh Alonzo heith who came over from I believe Green Bay uh or Cleveland I think he worked in both places at one point with this Elliot wolf front office uh Conor crew he comes over he is now listed as as a senior Personnel executive uh and the big one is Patrick Stewart he is now the director of pro Personnel taking over for Steve cargy uh who left to go to the Texans so um some important roles in titles being put in place titles something that uh D Mayo says uh the new the new era of Patriots uh you know actually put some weight behind so uh important to see these guys sort of get into their place because when uh when Elliot wolf was sort of moved to GM but he was keeping his director of scouting tie like it kind of got murky there for a second we didn’t really know who was doing what but now before the season week before training camp uh these seem to get ironed out so thoughts quickly on uh just the Patriots uh sending out this release today and giving their front office guys official titles yeah nothing really new with Alonzo heith it’s really just we know what his title is but he was one of my favorite people who was added to the fold uh he and Elliot wolf have been like thickest Thieves for years that came up together so there’s a lot of trust there he also spent a couple Seasons at Miami and they had like backtack I think like top 10 recruiting classes oh yeah right yeah he was like the general manager of the University of Miami football for the last few years that’s right yeah like this is a guy who’s proven at multiple levels at respected uh organizations obviously Miami all the history they have in college football and then in the NFL with the Browns you know didn’t have as much success as you’d like to see but still in terms of player acquisition they weren’t really hurting or anything it’s just the QB play has been so bad then obviously Green Bay and coming up through that system uh you know says a lot on its own then Patrick Stewart was someone who we knew was very involved in The Scouting process I think like it was involved with the quarterbacks as well you’d always hear that Patrick Stewart um whenever it wasn’t the entire contingent of like Elliot wolf and gerod Mayo I think they sent him on some individual assignments so writing was kind of on the wall there with Steve cargy now reuniting with Nick cerio in Houston uh so yeah just good for him uh you know none of this is really surprising but now we actually have things official and uh two other notes Troy Brown and Joe Kim were not listed in the announcement but Mike ree clarified that that is because they’re in skills development so I don’t think they’re actually listed in that capacity but they are still going to be on the coaching staff yeah Patriots again additionally uh on top of the front office announcement officially put out their list of their full coaching staff uh announced 29 coaches Taylor so a massive coaching staff compared to what Bill bich used to hold here uh and yeah like you said Troy Brown Joe Kim still involved still uh still heavily involved in the team but they are again in the skills Development Department not technically coaches so uh one more piece of Patriots news before we get into our mailbag Taylor is kaan booty uh we did a full video on Kon booty so make sure to keep your eyes on the Patriots press pass Channel and uh we did that live from foxb today so you can check that out but just quickly uh for live listeners who haven’t seen or you know want to get our quick thoughts on it uh the former LSU wide receiver had his charges dropped by the state of Louisiana today uh if you remember earlier in the offseason he was charged with uh online gambling underage I believe and then also Computer Fraud which was all tied together um he he was arrested down at Baton Rouge at one point this offseason but apparently those charges were now dropped today by the of Louisiana uh so he is basically all clear uh Mike Reese added to this a little bit that the NFL is still sort of investigating it but as of now booty is allowed to participate in all team activities so uh again if the charges are dropped it looks like steer clear INF foration on booty so a guy who was a you know at one point a first round Talent fell to the sixth round last season for a variety of reasons Patriots bring him in had a strong Camp fell off a little bit uh obviously gets into some trouble this offseason but now seems to be uh clear you know head clear crystal clear heading into training camp uh coming off of as well a good offseason program so just quick thoughts on that Taylor before we get into the mailbag I just hope he capitalizes on this opportunity man yeah like you got these other young guys clearly he’s not one of the more prominent members of their plan but as we saw that Talent is still there we saw it last summer where it was kind of around this time particularly in training camp where felt like every day he was making some crazy kind of play but the consistency wasn’t there and I I think that was a big reason he didn’t see the field last season despite the Patriots kind of desperately needing people to step up for that wide receiver core um you know there’s not a whole lot we can add because we’ve discussed he had that really strong day where he’s making contested catches especially near the sideline which is an area where he struggled in that obviously um season uh season premiere season yeah thinking of TV uh but we saw again he’s got to put it together and be able to adjust to the Pro game and obviously adjust to a brand new offense as well but I mean jacobe bretts knew Drake Mays knew everybody’s got to start to earn some kind of Rapport and some playing time and considering that xpot the whole reason he got his opportunity was because tawon Thorton was MIA Jaylen rager wasn’t really doing anything too impressive but really it was him who stood out at that outside boundary position taking advantage of one-on-one matchups so I really hope he can be another young guy that you can start looking for just watching develop on this offense because if the young Talent does pay off then I think that the perception of this receiving core will look very different in the near future especially with a guy like Drake May who can access the entire field and make all these guys better but you know at the end of the day it’s just going to come down to him because we know he can be a really good player but he’s got to put the work in like a Jaylen pul we’ve seen like how maniacal he is like Jon Baker and just sees the opportunity yeah this is a a very fluid wide receiver room right now Taylor obviously we’re talking iuk trade today we’re talking booty getting off on his charges coming off of a solid offseason program two rookies in pul and Baker who were you know expected to make the team obviously uh and then KJ Osborne is a guy who you bring in this offseason then you draft two guys um and you obviously have gu guu and taekwan who guys who are sort of on that roster bubble um that could easily make the team and could easily get cut so it’s going to be fun it’s going to be interesting to walks over the next six weeks seven weeks as we get through uh training camp the season uh so we’ll obviously have you covered there again on Patriots prast pass the whole time we’re going to get to your mailbag we put out for questions today on Twitter you guys asked a bunch of them ask them in the chat as well we’ll get to as many as possible but before we do that a quick word from our game our friends at game time we’ll be right back you know there was nothing better during the summer than experiencing a Sunday afternoon at the Ballpark or maybe a nice summer evening catching a ball game live in person not streaming not on your phone not on the radio not on the TV you know I remember driving down for main every summer it was a big deal we get tickets to see the Red Sox at Fenway Park and I just remember seeing the green grass as you’d walk up through the tunnel it was like heaven and I want want you to have the same feeling so go download the game time app and go see 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LED game time choose the seats you always get the lowest price guarantee or game time will credit 110% of the difference so take the guest workout of buying MLB tickets with Game Time download the game time app today create an account and use code clns for $20 off your first purchase terms apply again create an account and redeem code clns for $20 off download the game time app today yeah all right um I can actually uh I’ll control Taylor I have it on my end too so I can kick it off and we can go with uh this first one here and what are the odds Kendrick Bourne starts the season on pup I think this can be tied in a little bit with Kon booty and what we were just talking about with the whole wide receiver as a whole um we could sort of talk about uh that in general but do you think Kendrick Bourne starts the season or do you think he ends up on the pup list I’d say pup won he didn’t participate all spring uh Gerard Mayo did say that he expects everyone but Cole strange to be around and participate uh once the summer does come but that said we’ve seen video of Kendrick porn running it didn’t look great and you know maybe he made some progress we have no idea I do want to say that but at the same time he’s already kind of behind with the guy who just signed to a three-year deal I don’t really think you need to rush him back out there let him take his time you’ve got KJ Osborne their SK skill sets already kind of feel like they overlap although Kendrick Bourne is better um and you know you got that veteran presence and KJ Osborne’s also been in a similar system like this when he in Minnesota so yeah I definitely think that Kendrick Bourne is someone who’s going to start on an injury list and beyond that it gives an opportunity for guys like Quan booty maybe tawon Thorton if he starts to come on to really prove themselves and kind of distinguish whether or not they deserve a roster spot and give you a better Outlook at what you might have yeah I agree I I I think they’re they’re better off saving saving the knee and uh you know putting him on pup early because it gives you another spot to potentially look at another one of these wide receivers if you don’t think these next six weeks you know really give you enough um Bourne obviously throughout this offseason told Andrew Callahan that he’s going to be ready for week one that he wasn’t playing in the offseason program but he was gonna be ready for training camp we’ll see how that plays out next week um again I wouldn’t rush him back because you’re right he did sign for three years it’s not like he signed a one-year deal where it’s you know a make a break type thing signed for some money and then try and get yourself another contract next year it’s not like he necessarily needs the 17 games so I think I’m with you I think they give him those four weeks get the knee 100% right um at at Le I say four weeks it’s at least four weeks if he goes on pup um and so yeah we we we’ll see what happens uh but I think that they’d be better safe than sorry to not necessarily Rush him back plus again it gives them extra time to kind of evaluate the room as a whole uh and look at what they have so here here’s another question that that I think is awesome because it’s like clever as hell uh hit by a car too is the name of the person on Twitter so that’s interesting okay but yeah but the question’s fun uh they say I’m a time traveler from January 2025 and the Pats made the playoffs what is your guess for how they did it uh Taylor I think I’m going to go first because I can be rather quick um idea Drake May plays as well as CJ stra did last year if not better they trade for Brandon auk Demario Douglas has 75 plus receptions Jaylen pul has a thousand yards and the offense is outstanding and the defense plays just as good as they were and somehow they back their way into the playoffs do I think it’s going to happen absolutely not but I think the offense the offense needs a lot but I think those tangible pieces are there we see it with the Brandon iuk rumor I see it with my own eyes when we we talked about it earlier today we were down in foxb with a guy like Jaylen pulk who I think could be a stud and Drake May if he can put all the pieces together has a very high ceiling it’s just going to depend how early in his career he actually approaches that ceiling um but if it can all happen that early yeah I guess they can make the playoffs by no excuse me they can make the playoffs by season’s end yeah I think one it’s going to start with great defense like this has to be a top 10 unit who is great especially like they have a better pass rush I think they generate more turnovers they give the offense more opportunities something that was lacking for a lot of last season so the defense has to lead the charge I think at least you have decent special teams I don’t know how much we can expect from Jeremy Springer as a first year special teams coordinator Tom Quinn does have experience I’m sure he’ll be a lot of help but we also mentioned our special teams break down there’s going to be a lot of change on that unit but if the third phase of the game can be something that can help you know potentially swing the momentum like we saw with Marte mapu you know when he’s forcing fumbles and you get those impact plays again it’s all about helping your offense and putting them in positions where you know they don’t have to take on too much and they’re not having to come back from you know two three score deficits in the fourth quarter and everyone in the stadium knows what’s coming and then for the offense I would say at least three of your rookies emerge as consistent contribut now whether that’s Jaylen poke I feel like is the lock I will be stunned if he’s not a starter by week one but then after that it’s like okay maybe jvon Baker is that ex receiver that one-on-one guy who yeah you know he’s not perfect every week but he gives you something where the coaches are like he’s better than taquon he’s better than Jaylen he’s better than Kon like we have to put him out there even if he makes mistakes there’s too like kind of like with Mario Douglas like he wasn’t perfect but he was too good you couldn’t keep him out of the game you know maybe the coach staff disagreed at times but I think we all saw outside like I don’t care if he’s going to run the wrong route he’s the only one who’s giving you explosiveness I do think tomario Douglas taking that next step will help but I again I think in this offense having that guy who can win a one-on-one matchups based on what we saw from Vel scheme last year will be huge and then you know if it’s Kaden Wallace and he is a right tackle and he’s good for you and he’s not a liability out there he’s at least solid that’s huge because it probably means the offensive line can run the ball well and they’re not you know horrible in pass protection maybe one glaring weak spot at let tackle potentially but at least one of your edges is secure and it keeps in one inside and obviously we hope that Drake May plays I think that’s like the easiest part but I also think jacobe brette with you know Jaylen poke and Javon Baker actually giving you good production I think that could also be enough to at least put you in position to capitalize on the good defense solid at at least special teams and you know just be able to pull out some games late I mean you think about it that that way too I mean look toot brette had had a um I guess career high at some points you know honestly off the top of my head I can’t remember when he was at his best but like you know he he played some pretty good football when he was in Indie I don’t think he’s that anymore but he can still win football games in this league so like if they get off to an okay start again I’m just I’m you know kind of brainstorming a a path to the playoffs here but if they get off to an okay start Drake May continues to shine in uh you know in practice and things like that and then maybe they lose one or two like they could still have a couple wins under their belt May comes in and shines and then sneak into the back end the playoffs depending like it all depends on how the rest of the AFC lines up too because I mean you can get in at nine and8 you can get in at8 and N if you really had to so like it’s not necessarily look I don’t think they’re going to be a post excuse me I don’t think they’re GNA be a playoff team I know you you think they they at least might and that’s probably their ceiling um but there is definitely a path there I’m not going to say that they can’t make it because I absolutely think they can um and if Drake May’s on the field I think that he’s going to be one of at least top 20 and I think stat based on like Talent alone but also intelligence like if he’s on the field I think maybe you’ll deal with the some inaccuracy you know maybe that’s the allall over the place he’s probably gonna make some bad decisions but you’re expecting that and also you talk about the trade-off where he’s gonna make mistakes but he’s gonna make some mistakes that veteran quarterbacks still make and he’s going to give you way more positive plays that there are some people on the planet that they simply can’t do so yeah I think if we see Drake May out there at all I think that significantly helps her chances but of course he’s going to need the support from the support in casting coachings uh definitely yeah all right to the defensive side of the football a question I feel like we probably get every week but uh we can answer it again because quarterback’s important and Christian Gonzalez is really I guess he’s not even really a lock because again he played great for those three games but obviously got hurt for the rest of the season H but what are your expectations for Alex Austin Taylor is he quarterback two is he quarterback three behind Jonathan Jones how do you see that position playing out uh as we inch closer to the start of the Season yeah I think that Jon Jones is locked in is that second cornerback okay on top of the experience and the reliability I mean he really is your second best quarterback obviously we didn’t see him in the spring he seemed like he had some kind of offseason surgery should be okay I think by the start of of the Season obviously we will see um but Jonathan Jones is your CB2 at that point and this is part of the series that we’re doing where we kind of talk about the cornerback battle but there it’s okay is it Marcus Jones who emerges and then maybe Jonathan Jones does stay outside is it Alex Austin and then you bump Jonathan Jones back inside I think it’s truly wide open now there are some guys I think like Marco Wilson who probably don’t have as much of a leg up Isaiah Balden honestly it’s significant that he’s been getting opportunities like you look at Alex saon and uh Marco Wilson they’ve kind of been rotating with that top defense and sometimes with the second team but Isaiah balin’s consistently been the starting slot Corner part of that as Rod Mayo said is just because they haven’t had Marcus Jones or Jonathan Jones he didn’t explicitly say their names but he said our slot Corners haven’t really been available and those guys weren’t available so you know the math starts to math um but I do think that Alex Austin is probably the guy who emerges also just looking at reliability like Marcus Jones coming off a pretty significant injury hasn’t been a guy who’s been consistently available um or just consistent on the field frankly like last summer we did see he was pretty up and down and Alex a you know he’s he gave up some plays a lot of Red Zone work where the margin for erir is really small but he’s been competitive I think more competitive than other bodies there so I think Alex saon probably ends up being your starter now if they don’t like the position I could see them inquiring with stefhon Gilmore who I know has been saying that he still wants to sign and thinks he’s a starter I would tend to agree I think he’d be a great mentor along with Jonathan Jones in that room uh but I’d say Alex Austin probably does have the leg up if we’re talking about that third quarterback spot yeah with Marcus Jones and uh and Isaiah Balden also you know probably giving him a run for his money once everybody is healthy in I think that’s an interesting and it’s an interesting way to look at it and it’s the correct way to look at it where Jonathan Jones is your number two second best corner but where he plays is going to depend on your third and fourth best corner and kind of how they fit into the system because you can trust him to play outside to play inside to kind of do you know both and play all across the uh you know play all across the back end of the defense so it’ll be interesting and again I think uh I would agree that right now Alex Austin probably has a leg up I really liked what we saw from him in the offseason program um but I I love the idea of Isaiah Balin I’m really starting to uh fall in love with him as a player and also what he can bring in the return game potentially as well so uh I’m excited there’s a lot of young talent in that back end that uh you know there there’s a bunch of good building blocks like Jonathan Jones is sort of your you know the I guess he’s the old man in the room now but he’s sort of the leader of the bunch Christian Gonzalez those sub young uh Austin Balin Wilson uh you talk about Marcus Jones as well Marte Mau as a safety like that whole you know back end of the secondary it’ll be uh super fun and interesting to watch and kind of see how they play out so I I mentioned safety so I want to get your thoughts on this too because I think this is someone you mentioned Steph Gilmore’s talking he mentioned Justin Simmons the other day as well um as someone who could potentially be signed uh who hasn’t yet so should would the Patriots consider a real veteran free safety Allah Justin Simmons uh do you think he’s waiting for a contender do you think he could sign with the Patriots um and do you think that Jaylen hawkins’s emergence uh from what we saw in the offseason program could have anything to do with why they hav’t signed a free safety in free agency yeah one jabril Peppers is a real veteran free safety like I I know that we still want him close to the line of scrimmage and doing all that stuff where he can affect the ground game but like he’s still very good in the role and a lot of his biggest plays last season came when he was at safety so I kind of want to dispel that like they don’t have one on the roster you just like somebody who when you know jao Peppers does Bounce Down you can have somebody to kind of take that center field role I do think that’s probably going to be Jaylen Hawkins that’s what it looked like uh during the spring practices I also went back and watched I know we touched on this in the safeties preview as well but with Jaylen Hawkins he played actually under Dean peas who was Gerard Mayo’s first defensive coordinator in the NFL um actually took over for Don Harmon as the Falcons free safety back in it was 2022 um so he can play the role he’s got good range he’s a bit inconsistent as a tackler I think he’s a solid last line of defense but you know we’ve also seen the Patriots take guys like Jaylen Mills who were pretty big liabilities at times with their other teams but he’s still had a pretty solid skill set you saw him become more consistent once he got to New England so if we can see that kind of thing with Jaylen Hawkins who again showed he could be a starter just wasn’t with the Chargers because I think they needed depth because of Derwin James but they didn’t need him to be the top guy um I think then you’re probably pretty well stocked and you’re hoping Marte mapu another guy uh that I think is in for potentially a big season you’re hoping that maybe he can give you some level of play in center field kind of take over for the snaps you’re losing from you know um um uh jayen Mills and uh and Adrien Phillips he didn’t play a ton but still yeah look I look at a guy in Jael Peppers who sort of took over in that free safety is role last year and played fine and I’ve mentioned it a lot here but it’s like you see that clip that he reared a couple months ago with the Browns and how you know he didn’t want to play off the ball that far they had him like 50 yards back at one point in the in the uh in the formation and like he can he can play back there though like he he played well last year I was fine with it so I don’t really necessarily think you have to go get a Justin Simmons I like where this you know I like where the entire defensive backfield is at I don’t think they um you know got burned last year as much as some people think they might have like I think they’re going to do just fine dugger’s in in the system another year Pepper’s obviously in the system another year playing healthier um and then you’re right that aberus of Marte mapu uh is really gonna be huge for them so I would just kind of starter like I feel like people think he’s some rotational guy he’s not no um Justin Simmons like oh oh yeah yeah yeah third safety and I think if he signs slimware he’s going to be one of the top two starting guys so I want to throw that in there as well like this is this team is not a good fit for him no I I I’m with you I think they just let it ride I mean I think they’ll be fine in in that part of their secondary I don’t really see a need to go um pay a guy like Justin Simmons who you know would probably come at a a decently steep price I guess depending on you know where his Camp’s at and things like that um if he’s going to want to go sign for a Super Bowl Contender maybe he’s just ring chasing anyway um but yeah I don’t see the fit I think uh I think they’re G to be just fine um I’ll go to the chat for this one H do you see marceles dial having a chance to play on the field this year or do you think he might just be a uh potential red Shir kind of guy outside of injur I’d be pretty stunned I think he could contribute on special teams because he’s a good tackler he’s physical um and he’s got that like kind of diverse skill set that works really well on special teams but unless you get you know one of your top safeties or Corners I think he they do want him to play Corner maybe add more to his plate as things go on or if you know the situation arises but yeah I just don’t see with all the bodies we just talked about a cornerback and then safety again you’re probably talking about four guys who were going to be in that rotation I just don’t see where he fits in and he’s a such a late round pick that I think he’s someone you could kind of you know either the fox bro flu or maybe sneak him on of the practice squad I don’t love that but um I I think they find a way to probably red shirt him unless he is like some kind of core special teamer you think a team would claim him if he got cut maybe just because he’s got the kind of like skill set where if a team wants another devel Elemental kind of guy I think he’d be you know at least an intriguing Prospect not a guarantee I feel like we always have our Darlings where you really like him you don’t want to expose him to waivers and then no one’s actually interested but the we thought about Malik Cunningham last year exactly and then it’s like nope the NFL has a lot of good players you know there’s a reason that teams are willing to risk these guys but you never know it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if they lost him because they do have pretty good dep but uh yeah I I’m not sure I see a path to the uh field on defense at least this season yeah um all right here another quick one from the chat before we wrap it up with our two uh two ones that were submitted beforehand uh this one just quickly and it’s on top of the iuk thing I don’t think this would do it but would you trade judon a third and a fourth for auk and then have to pay him that you know 27 to $30 million a year Tex yeah yeah I think so too I I what if it was no I’m just spitball in here because I think that one’s pretty obvious because again the the judon thing I’m totally fine using him as a trade piece like he he’s older he’s obviously coming off the injury and if he’s not in your plans for the future you should get something form him instead of letting him walk so absolutely so you use that I still think it would be like a second and a third and I again I would probably do that Judah a second and a third as well I I the only one that I think and I don’t want to call it Untouchable because I would probably still end up doing the iuk trade at the end of the day but like I don’t want to give up a first round pick for him if I don’t have to next year because you mentioned it probably top 10 top 15 pick if you know the Patriots finish as like a lot of analysts think they’re going to um but yeah paper waves I think this one is uh way too light and I don’t I think I don’t think uh San Francisco would accept this at all um even judon in a second i’ think about it because if you’re trading judon then it probably means you couldn’t find a middle ground so if the reports are true from Greg Madar that he’s not gonna play you’re not really losing anything right thr him in in a second round pick like yeah I’ll give up a second that’s okay going to be high it’s one of those Patriots s probably where it’s going to almost end up being um a first round pick because it’s going to be so early but at the same time you’re talking about Brandon auk a proven Elite receiver who’s still in the prime of his career is GNA probably be for another few years so judon in anything but a first I would absolutely strongly consider because again I don’t if you’re trading judon it’s probably because you couldn’t figure anything out exactly you’re not gonna be missing much I’m with you all right let’s wrap it up with these two uh from Bader thfc on Twitter what do you expect from Keon white this year the Patriots 2023 second round pick um so I’m not gonna do like stats or anything because especially with defensive lineman stats can be so fickle it’s really hard to put that kind of thing I would say like towards the end of the season you started to see he really was a full-fledged starter like he started to play more than dietr wise um I think he’ll be in the mix in outside linebacker a little bit but if we’re talking expectations if he really is maturing the way that drod Mayo said he was and can be the kind of every down player that I think he has a skill set to be I think he’s someone who rarely leaves the field really I mean you got dietr wise and you got Anthony Jennings joshu uch possibly Matthew judon like there are bodies there for sure and but still Keon white has the skill set to be a true Difference Maker like as an interior rusher external uh or outside rusher he’s good in run defense where like you seen him inside the offensive line taking on double teams and standing his ground and holding the edge against like pullers like he can do pretty much anything he wants I think it’s going to be a matter of playing under control diagnosing plays quickly and understanding where his strengths and weaknesses lie um I would say this is probably going to be a breakout year for him he’ll have the opportunities again ni judon is a really big piece here because I think he’ll probably have to take on some of the load that they would lose from a judon and then butw is you know still a good player but he’s played so much in his career at a tough position workloads been pretty big I think we may see a step back from him he kind of saw one last season he wasn’t bad but wasn’t as good or as productive and like the quality wasn’t quite what it was in other Seasons so especially if he takes a step back I think you look at Keon white as kind of a Christian barmore type where you’re like yeah if he can play we want to keep him on the field obviously keep him fresh as well with all the rotation that you’ve got but I think this is gonna be a big year for him where he really puts it all together and just starts wrecking games yeah I’m excited for Keon like a guy who you know he he’s I I think of him a lot too sometimes when I think about this stuff like off the field too like was a guy who was kind of quiet last year didn’t really say too much um and then like you see him at the Jordan Tech game like in like a pretty sick fit and I’m like oh this guy does have a personality maybe he’s just kind of shy doesn’t want to talk or kind of I don’t want to say scared of Bill bich but it’s just kind of you know leaning in as a rookie and trying to find his footing SC to him yeah right and yeah seriously uh and then this offseason you know he kind of spoke out a little bit and was like yeah it’s different you know without bich and I love belich but you know there’s a bit of looser Vibe I think he said something along those lines um and then D Mayo mentioned during OTAs that he’s kind of emerged as a leader off the field so uh I’m I’m excited to see again a second round pick I think he was the 37th overall pick last year so like Patriots put in some legit um and maybe it was maybe it wasn’t 37 37 was Jaylen pul this year but he was early he was getting first round buzz like he was exactly yeah yeah right he was at the draft a high second round pick so um a guy who they they you know put a lot of trust in you know two years ago to uh to bring him in here so I think he can contribute and you’re right I think depending on what happens with Matthew judon that’ll be massive for his stock because he’ll just be able to see the field that much more but I think he has all the tools to succeed at this level um and it’s just a matter of putting it together and I think he can do that this year yeah and i’ I’ve also seen talk about like what his role is going to be exactly and after studying it more it’s pretty much like you know how galani Tay is the adjuster where he goes on or off the line of scrimmage yeah what Keon white and dietr wise basically are are the ones who adjust to that adjustment so if jalani Tay goes down to the line of scrimmage then WIS or white will kick inside is more of like those you know odd defensive end or more interior defensive lineman types whenever jalani pops out those guys will be more like the outside kind of 43 type defensive ends and then I also think that White’s GNA get some opportunities at linebacker where he kind of stands up and rushes that way so you know I’ve seen some confusion how does he fit um again he can pretty much R up wherever he wants but I would expect him to be in that more of Ajer role and then maybe move around more in pass rushing situation yeah well I’m with you um all right last one this one kind of an interesting one kind of a fun one but they don’t want to pay Goda it doesn’t seem like they’re obviously out a state the contract situation Antonio Mafi uh doesn’t have a place on the offensive line right now and should they could they switch him back to nose tackle where he played at some point in college Taylor um I will push back on them not having a true nose tackle I really do like Jeremiah Farms um and he pretty much did take over for Goda a lot when he kind of got dinged up late last season Daniel aqual has also kind of been a rotational guy thought of was just a pass rusher and he is underz like he and farms are on the smaller side but I think that this version of the Patriots may be willing to concede some of that size um for guys who are more technically sound and give you pass rush upside so I’ll push back on that I do like farms and eal kind of as a tandem I don’t love it because godshaw does give you like a true 320 plus what is he 350 or something like that he put on weight um so in terms of that yeah don’t have that true space eater necessarily right now outside of him Mafi I don’t know that you want to put him back on the defensive side of the ball that feels more like a jake Becket kind of thing where you are so desperate and you’re just like I this guy can’t play this position I don’t think that would even happen this year and actually Jeremiah Farms was one of those guys they switched him back and forth like two or three times he was on offense and he was on defense um I don’t think mafi’s there quite yet I would give him at least one more season of seeing if he can take on more Center responsibilities or if he can just be solid as a guard and give you you know at least a really quality depth piece before I would start talking about trying to switch him and move his position again interesting but I I think it’s too soon for that definitely interesting I like the thought um because they’ve done this with guys too Bill Murray was a guy too who kind of went back and forth a lot for the Patriots last offseason and I think even the offseason before um so it’s not unprecedented for them to try something like that but I’m also not Sol that mafy doesn’t have a place on the offensive line either I I kind of I don’t know if I was um you know too too quick to kind of think this was a thing but I feel like they kind of have a place for Mafia at Center and I think they like what they’ve done with him there um he played there a lot again I mentioned a lot while we did our offseason program shows but he was playing a lot of Center there too I know Nick Leverett played there as well um but they’re gonna need a back up for David Andrews they’re going to need a plan for when David Andrews ultimately uh retires in the next couple Seasons when uh when Da finally gives it up I don’t think he’s going to just yet he seems like he’s having too much fun playing football here um but they do need a backup planet Center and I think he can be involved in that so we’ll see what happens but I I again I don’t want to give up on uh on anonio Mafi just yet on the offensive line I think he had a he had a rough go of it last year but I think he can uh look it was his first year he can improve I liked what he did in college so we’ll see what happens there that’s gonna do it forour mailbag uh today on this Tuesday me and Taylor will be back all week we recorded a bunch of videos down in Foxboro uh today so those will be coming out on the channel as the week goes on leading up to training camp which opens next Wednesday July 24th Patriots rookies report on Friday so we are uh getting to getting into the countdown counting down these dog days of summer and getting into Patriot training camp so uh Taylor what do you have coming down the pipe uh anything else as far as what we can sort of uh think about and plug before we get out of here and uh get ready for training camp got a whole lot of videos coming down the pipe on some recent stuff and then the position battles and everything like that um as news keeps breaking you know maybe we’ll try to whip something up um but yeah we’re kind of still in the phase of you know wait and react but uh next week I will have a couple things dropp in so look out for that but until then just keep your eyes peeled if anything breaks you know where to look love it subscribe to Patriots press pass check out all of our work on CLS media.com and as Taylor KY always says take care of yourselves take care of each other see you next time y’all peace [Music]

Taylor Kyles and Mike Kadlick from CLNS Media answer questions from their mailbag and discuss the Patriots potentially trading for Brandon Aiyuk following news that New England inquired about the wide receiver.

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