The Third Act.

[six7]

Was that a career high for Landry with his 10 TDs? He never really caught that many in his career despite being as good as he is/was

[Soapy]

Patriots add another top receiver in Kenny Golladay, continue to sign depth at other positions
Former Detroit Lions and New York Giants receiver Kenny Golladay has signed a one year, $5.42 million deal with the New England Patriots who earlier in the day also announced one-year agreements with offensive tackle Ja'Wuan James and EDGE Jonathan Garvin.

One of the more underrated receivers in the league, the 31-year old caught 93 passes last season for 1,311 yards and eleven touchdowns for the Giants, his third straight season over the 1,000-yard mark after his career with the Giants got off to a slow start, averaging a career low 39.2 yards per game.

Golladay will hope to get to a faster start with New England, joining a receiving corps that has been completely reworked as Charleston Rambo and Odell Beckham Jr. are the only returning pieces. New England also added Rondale Moore and Jarvis Landry in addition to Golladay, who will most likely replace DeVante Parker as their big body receiver on the outside.

In James, New England is getting a veteran offensive tackle who served as a backup for Baltimore and the Giants the past two seasons after starting in 2022 for the Ravens. With the trade of Isaiah Wynn, New England is down to just three 'true' offensive tackle although guard Nick Ford is capable of playing tackle.

New England continues to add to its front seven with the signing of Garvin who was a seventh round pick by the Packers and has been a backup for them for the past five seasons.

[Soapy]

Was that a career high for Landry with his 10 TDs? He never really caught that many in his career despite being as good as he is/was

he caught 11 and 12 in 2022 and 2021 but pre-sim stats (aka in real life) yeah that would be his career high.


Not looking to do much with him but be a reliable hand in the slot to spell Rondale Moore, liking how this wr corps is coming together.

[Soapy]

Reworking the New England Patriots draft board after initial free agency period
NFL free agency is never over as teams will continue to assess their roster after the draft, OTAs, and training camp to add more talent and depth but with the initial free agency period mostly wrapped up, the core of New England's roster is starting to take shape.

New England signed four potential starters at receiver in Odell Beckham Jr, Kenny Golladay, Jarvis Landry and Rondale Moore with Moore's contract being the biggest of them all, a four-year deal to make him one of the highest paid slot receivers in the NFL.

New England also added some depth along its trenches on defense, including their likely top edge rusher in Jadeveon Clowney. They brought back Jonathan Jones to be a versatile piece in their secondary and patched up their offensive line for at least one more season with the re-signing of Laken Tomlinson, their top rated offensive lineman last season.

What are their needs now and what does their draft board look like heading into the final stretch of draft prep?

With no signings at the position and the lost of Jonnu Smith, is tight end in consideration with the top pick?
New England hasn't signed a tight end at first round pick since 2004, when they draft Benjamin Watson out of Georgia with the 32nd overall pick.

The Patriots current starting tight end is another former Dawg in Darnell Washington who flashed enough last season for New England to not aggressively pursue after Jonnu Smith to bring him back.

They did bring back Nick Boyle, who is more of a blocker at this point in his career and have Harrison Bryant on the roster who is a decent receiving option. However, tight end could still be considered a need, especially if New England wants to either push Washington with competition or continue to deploy two tight end sets with dynamic options at both slots.

Steve Jordan is as good as they come with the former Badger running a 4.54 at the Combine and improving upon it at Wisconsin's pro day, running a 4.48 which is best among his position group.

There's also USC's Tony Mathis who would more than likely be available in the second or third round but he's not the type of athlete that Jordan is. He's also a bit undersized at six-foot-three and 235 pounds unlike New Mexico State's Mark Stanford who is all of six-foot-five and 275 pounds. Stanford surprised many with his 40-time at his pro day, running a 4.76 which was best for 12th among tight ends while putting up 25 reps on the bench press.

Another option in the later rounds are the Alabama tight ends, Peter Cummings and Dre Agnew. Cummings was the starter by name as he was the senior and more physical of the two, a team captain but it was Agnew who averaged fourteen yards per reception, pretty impressive for a tight end. His athleticism is impressive for someone his size at six-foot-two and 255 pounds but given that he's more of a bigger slot receiver than anything, his drops at time last season were frustrating and could keep him from being a day two pick.

Help is still needed along the offensive line
Even with the Tomlinson signing, New England needs a long term answer at guard and more than likely grab another offensive tackle as the drafting of Tyler Patterson last year, at a position that wasn't an obvious need, ending up being a clutch pick up.

The talent at interior offensive line is thin with LSU's Connor Nixon and UCLA's Travis Waddell as the only borderline first round talents. Nixon is a technician and has good size for the center position at six-foot-four and 311 pounds. He might be a tad undersized to play guard at the next level and Erik Alexander could easily slide over from center to guard, where he primarily played at in college.

Waddell is another undersized guard at six-foot-three and 309 pounds but a good athlete that can potentially be a day-one starter for someone in the league. Ideally, for New England, Tomlinson would start this season and they'd be able to redshirt either one of them before bringing them on the season after that to be a starter at right guard.

Stanford's Jeremy Glover rising up as a potential first round
Safety Jordan Poyer is still unsigned so New England could always bring him back but if they don't, they'd be entering the draft with their projected starters at safety being Malachi Moore and Ashtyn Davis.

Davis was fine last season but down the stretch, when their secondary could have used some help, they were hesitant to play him more and more, suggesting there's not too much confident in the former Cal Bear.

Even if Davis were to start this season heading into training camp, New England should still look to address the safety position in the draft. The top rising name is Stanford's Jeremy Glover who had eight interceptions as a junior for the Cardinal.

A former four-star recruit, the physical makeup of Glover is intriguing at six-foot-one, 205 pounds with legit 4.5 speed and a physical playing style. At this point in his career, he's still just an athlete out there making plays as his coverage skills are far from elite.

If the Patriots choose to address the position later in the draft, there are a few options in Tennessee State's Damion Oliver who is not a great athlete at six-foot-four but his coverage IQ is evident when you turn on the tape as he's always in the right spot.

[Soapy]

Patriots wrap up free agency with signing of kicker Harrison Butker
Former Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker was brought on last season to fix the New England Patriots kicking issues only to develop an apparent case of the yips, missing several makeable field goals last season, many of which hit the upright while others were badly missed.

Harrison Butker is being brought in on a two-year, $10 million to fix their kicking woes. Butker, 30, missed just one kick last season and went 70 out of 70 for the Chiefs on extra points. He was an All-Pro selection for the first time in his career.

New England also re-signed linebacker Shaquille Quarterman on a one-year deal.

Top Free Agents
QB Teddy Bridgewater, 32 yo » 75 ovr (New York Giants)
QB Jared Goff, 30 yo » 72 ovr (Indianapolis Colts)
QB Carson Wentz, 32 yo » 72 ovr (Los Angeles Rams)
QB Ryan Tannehill, 37 yo » 71 ovr (Green Bay Packers)
QB Matthew Stafford, 37 yo » 71 ovr (New England Patriots)

HB Trey Sermon, 26 yo » 83 ovr (Washington Commanders)
HB Travis Etienne Jr, 26 yo » 82 ovr (New Orleans Saints)
HB Nyheim Hines, 28 yo » 81 ovr (Buffalo Bills)
HB Michael Carter, 26 yo » 79 ovr (Atlanta Falcons)

FB Patrick Ricard, 31 yo » 80 ovr (Arizona Cardinals)
FB Andy Janovich, 32 yo » 77 ovr

WR Rondale Moore, 25 yo » 85 ovr (New England Patriots)
WR Rashod Bateman, 25 yo » 82 ovr (Carolina Panthers)
WR Darius Slayton, 28 yo » 82 ovr (Washington Commanders)
WR Deonte Harris, 27 yo » 82 ovr (Tennessee Titans)
WR Kenny Golladay, 31 yo » 80 ovr (New England Patriots)
WR Jakobi Meyers, 28 yo » 80 ovr (Cleveland Browns)
WR Dyami Brown, 25 yo » 79 ovr (New York Giants)

TE Tommy Tremble, 25 yo » 82 ovr (Cincinnati Bengals)
TE Jonnu Smith, 30 yo » 78 ovr (Tennessee Titans)
TE Mo Alie-Cox, 31 yo » 75 ovr (Unsigned)

T David Bakhtiari, 33 yo » 91 ovr (Pittsburgh Steelers)
T Garrett Bolles, 33 yo » 83 ovr (Indianapolis Colts)
T Taylor Lewan, 34 yo » 79 ovr (Seattle Seahawks)
G Laken Tomlinson, 33 yo » 79 ovr (New England Patriots)
G Alex Cappa, 30 yo » 79 ovr (Pittsburgh Steelers)
G Ereck Flowers, 31 yo » 77 ovr (San Francisco 49ers)
C David Andrews, 33 yo » 80 ovr (Los Angeles Rams)
C Chase Roullier, 32 yo » 77 ovr (San Francisco 49ers)

EDGE Khalil Mack, 34 yo » 84 ovr (Chicago Bears)
EDGE Jadeveon Clowney, 32 yo » 81 ovr (New England Patriots)
EDGE Matthew Judon, 33 yo » 74 ovr (Unsigned)

IDL Aaron Donald, 34 yo » 93 ovr (New York Jets)
IDL Stephon Tuitt, 32 yo » 86 ovr (Miami Dolphins)
IDL Fletcher Cox, 34 yo » 81 ovr (Cincinnati Bengals)
IDL Michael Pierce, 32 yo » 80 ovr (Miami Dolphins)
IDL Dre'Mont Jones, 28 yo » 78 ovr (Cleveland Browns)
IDL Akiem Hicks, 35 yo » 78 ovr (New England Patriots)

ILB Nick Bolton, 25 yo » 80 ovr (New York Jets)
ILB Eric Kendricks, 33 yo » 78 ovr (Detroit Lions)
ILB Malik Harrison, 27 yo » 74 ovr (Denver Broncos)

CB Stephon Gilmore, 34 yo » 89 ovr (Detroit Lions)
CB Xavien Howard, 32 yo » 87 ovr (Cincinnati Bengals)
CB Kenny Moore II, 30 yo » 84 ovr (Atlanta Falcons)
CB James Bradberry IV, 32 yo » 84 ovr (Tennessee Titans)
CB Byron Jones, 32 yo » 81 ovr (Unsigned)
CB Jonathan Jones, 31 yo » 79 ovr (New England Patriots)

S Kevin Byard, 32 yo » 84 ovr (Detroit Lions)
S Jimmie Ward, 34 yo » 78 ovr (Unsigned)
S Jordan Poyer, 34 yo » 77 ovr (Unsigned)

K Harrison Butker, 30 yo » 89 ovr (New England Patriots)
K Justin Tucker, 35 yo » 85 ovr (Unsigned)
K Younghoe Koo, 31 yo » 84 ovr (Unsigned)
K Will Lutz, 31 yo » 84 ovr (Unsigned)
K Tyler Bass, 28 yo » 82 ovr (Unsigned)
K Rodrigo Blankenship, 28 yo » 81 ovr (Unsigned)
K Evan McPherson, 26 yo » 80 ovr (Unsigned)

P Jack Fox, 29 yo » 87 ovr (Cincinnati Bengals)
P Corey Bojorquez, 29 yo » 83 ovr (Unsigned)
P J.K. Scott, 28 yo » 82 ovr (Unsigned)
P Tress Way, 35 yo » 81 ovr (Unsigned)
P Johnny Hekker, 35 yo » 81 ovr (Houston Texans)

[Soapy]

Auburn's Nelson Hill still projected to New England in latest mock draft
In his final mock draft of the year, ESPN's Todd McShay hasn't made much changes with the top fifteen remaining the same and Auburn EDGE Nelson Hill still being projected to go to New England with the 31st overall selection.

While McShay still has Oklahoma's Justin Haden, last year's Heisman winner, going No. 1 overall pick to Minnesota, there is some growing buzz among NFL reporters that Minnesota is strongly considering Arizona State's Alex Ford.

The new front office is reportedly split on whether or not Bryce Young is the long term option at quarterback while new head coach Mike Vrabel is rumored to be a strong supporter of Young.

2025 NFL Mock Draft
1. MIN ‣ QB Justin Haden, Oklahoma
2. DET ‣ QB Joey Bundy, Oregon
3. NYJ ‣ QB Clyde Goldberg, Texas
4. ARI ‣ CB Alex Ford, Arizona State
5. MIA ‣ CB Courtney Philbin, Mississippi State
6. DEN ‣ LB Jose Edwards, Clemson
7. NO ‣ CB Spencer Allen, Ohio State
8. LAC ‣ T Darren Boston, Ohio State
9. LV ‣ CB Jarrick Lynch, Purdue
10. CIN ‣ DE Harvey Prince, Oklahoma
11. PHI ‣ DE John McGinnis, Wisconsin
12. NYG ‣ DE Josh Tatum, Clemson
13. IND ‣ DT Terry Stanford, Ole Miss
14. WAS ‣ WR Paul Hicks, Texas
15. CAR ‣ CB Connor Thorne, Central Michigan
16. TB ‣ WR John Griffin, Texas
17. TEN ‣ DT Gerald Garvin, Louisville
18. BUF ‣ DE David Marshall, East Carolina
19. CHI ‣ CB Greg Young, Oklahoma
20. ATL ‣ TE Steve Jordan, Wisconsin
21. PIT ‣ DE Solomon Yancey, West Virginia
22. JAX ‣ OLB Keilan Britt, Georgia
23. HOU ‣ DE Kerry Criss, Miami
24. GB ‣ HB Tavon Goings, Georgia
25. BAL ‣ QB Nic Hogan, Ole Miss
26. CLE ‣ HB Nick Williams
27. SF ‣ CB Nicholas Coleman, Oklahoma State
28. DAL ‣ CB Juan Sims, Florida
29. LAR ‣ QB Wyatt Nowak, Clemson
30. KC ‣ CB Shaun Clayton, USC
31. NE ‣ OLB Nelson Hill, Auburn
32. SEA ‣ LB Jamaal Darden, Florida State

[Soapy]

Patriots trade up into top fifteen to snag Georgia's Keilan Britt
For the second straight draft, the New England Patriots have traded up into their No. 15 overall selection, sending away their 31st, 63rd and 77th overall pick to the Carolina Panthers for the right to select Georgia outside linebacker Keilan Britt.

New England made a similar move last draft, sending a second and a third along with their first round pick to Tennessee to draft inside linebacker Gio Whitfield, who would be a key starter on defense.

Britt is a natural pass rusher that perfectly fits New England's 3-4 scheme as he's versatile enough to drop in coverage when asked to, recording nine pass breakups as a two-year starter for the Georgia Bulldogs.

A former five-star prospect, Britt is a plus-athlete at 252 pounds with a 40-time in the 4.6 range and his explosiveness was demonstrated in the broad and vertical jump both at the combine and at his pro day where his testing numbers were consistently in the top five at the position.

2025 NFL Draft First Round Selections
1. MIN ‣ CB Alex Ford, Arizona State
2. DET ‣ CB Courtney Philbin, Mississippi State
3. NYJ ‣ QB Clyde Goldberg, Texas
4. ARI ‣ CB Spencer Allen, Ohio State
5. MIA ‣ DE David Marshall, East Carolina
6. DEN ‣ LB Jose Edwards, Clemson
7. NO ‣ T Darren Boston, Ohio State
8. LAC ‣ DE John McGinnis, Wisconsin
9. LV ‣ CB Jarrick Lynch, Purdue
10. CIN ‣ DE Harvey Prince, Oklahoma
11. PHI ‣ DE Josh Tatum, Clemson
12. NYG ‣ WR John Griffin, Texas
13. IND ‣ DT Terry Stanford, Ole Miss
14. WAS ‣ WR Paul Hicks, Texas
15. NE ‣ OLB Keilan Britt, Georgia
16. TB ‣ CB Connor Thorne, Central Michigan
17. TEN ‣ LB Jose Edwards, Clemson
18. BUF ‣ QB Justin Haden, Oklahoma
19. CHI ‣ DT Gerald Garvin, Louisville
20. ATL ‣ CB Greg Young, Oklahoma
21. PIT ‣ DE Solomon Yancey, West Virginia
22. JAX ‣ DE Kerry Criss, Miami
23. HOU ‣ CB Nicholas Coleman, Oklahoma State
24. GB ‣ HB Tavon Goings, Georgia
25. BAL ‣ QB Nic Hogan, Ole Miss
26. CLE ‣ HB Nick Williams, Clemson
27. SF ‣ CB Juan Sims, Florida
28. DAL ‣ HB Darnell Mackey, Ole Miss
29. LAR ‣ QB Joey Bundy, Oregon
30. KC ‣ CB Shaun Clayton, USC
31. CAR ‣ HB Darrelle Hunt, Colorado
32. SEA ‣ LB Jamaal Darden, Florida State

[Soapy]

Patriots add another versatile linebacker in University of Central Florida's George Marshall
The New England Patriots have selected UCF linebacker George Marshall with the 46th pick of the 2025 NFL Draft.

Marshall, a transfer from Oklahoma, played his final two seasons back home at UCF where he lined up all over the field for the Knights. He led the team in tackles for loss with twelve and was fourth in sacks with three while finishing the season with 109 tackles, which also led the team.

The only question regarding Marshall is what is he as he struggled to rise the depth chart as a safety at Oklahoma before playing closer to the line of scrimmage at UCF, lining up both as an off the ball inside linebacker, at the 'Star' position which is essentially a big nickel and was also used as an edge rusher in pressure looks.

While the Patriots have always coveted versatile defenders, It's a bit of surprise that New England opted to go with Marshall given they already have two former first round picks at inside linebacker in Trez Marshall and Gio Whitfield and drafted an edge rusher Keilan Britt during the first round. At some point, it will be interesting to see if all four of them are on the field at the same time.

2025 NFL Draft Second Round Selections
1. MIN ‣ DT Brenton Long, Ole Miss
2. DET ‣ QB Wyatt Nowak, Clemson
3. NYJ ‣ DT Lamar McNeal, Auburn
4. ARI ‣ QB Jonathan Hackett, Missouri
5. MIA ‣ LB Quincy Banks, Missouri
6. DEN ‣ QB Nate Golson, Notre Dame
7. NO ‣ S Jeremy Glover, Stanford
8. LAC ‣ WR Joey Martin, Ball State
9. LV ‣ DE Julius Charlton, Southern Miss
10. CIN ‣ HB Nick Love, Nebraska
11. PHI ‣ DT Lamar Rowland, LSU
12. NYG ‣ LT Troy Thompson, LSU
13. IND ‣ WR Markus Bryan, San Diego State
14. NE ‣ OLB George Marshall, UCF
15. CAR ‣ CB Heath Lawton, Georgia
16. TB ‣ HB Tavon Clifton, North Dakota
17. TEN ‣ DT Jonathan Hill, LSU
18. BUF ‣ CB Roosevelt Maxwell, Washington
19. CHI ‣ S De'Veon Etienne, Alabama
20. ATL ‣ OLB Shaquille Vickers, Mississippi State
21. PIT ‣ OLB Aaron Hatcher, Florida
22. JAX ‣ HB DeMarcus Elliott, East Carolina
23. HOU ‣ DT Russell Young, Syracuse
24. GB ‣ DT Johnnie Conley, Washington State
25. BAL ‣ T Gerald Burgess, Oregon State
26. CLE ‣ S Dorian Baker, UAB
27. SF ‣ DT Travis Brown, Virginia Tech
28. DAL ‣ WR Mike Harrington, Tulane
29. LAR ‣ OLB Joe Addison, Illinois
30. KC ‣ G Travis Waddell, UCLA
31. CAR ‣ OLB Tony Hagans, Navy
32. SEA ‣ OLB Bryce Bingham, Villanova

[Soapy]

New England focuses on the trenches in the third round with selection of Mitchell and James
With two picks in the third round, the New England Patriots have selected Oregon State center Lane Mitchell and Florida defensive end Tyrion James with the 90th and 95th pick of the 2025 NFL Draft.

Mitchell was a three-year starter at Oregon State, starting as a true freshman before a knee injury caused him to miss all of his junior season. Mitchell returned at a lighter weight as a senior and was an all-conference selection but at 299 pounds, there are some concerns of how we'll be able to hold up as an interior offensive lineman in the NFL.

He'll likely get to redshirt this season and potentially continue to add more weight as there is room on his frame for him to grow. New England had brought him in for a private workout prior to the draft and reportedly fell in love with him as a prospect and even placed a second round grade on him.

In James, New England is drafting a player that is very comparable to current Patriots five-technique Quincey Thompkins. At six-foot-four and 285 pounds, James is the ideal prototype to play defensive end in New England's base 3-4 scheme while also being stout enough to kick inside on even fronts.

The production wasn't always there for James with just six sacks in four seasons at Gainesville so this is a bit of a risk and a project for the Patriots coaching staff.

2025 NFL Draft Third Round Selections
1. MIN ‣ OLB Austin Wagner, Auburn
2. DET ‣ HB Raekwon Patterson, Western Michigan
3. NYJ ‣ C Connor Nixon, LSU
4. ARI ‣ HB Stefan Hurst, Georgia
5. MIA ‣ OLB Nelson Hill, Auburn
6. DEN ‣ DT Shakim Jones, UCLA
7. NO ‣ WR Micah Stanley, Florida
8. LAC ‣ CB Max Wallace, Oregon
9. LV ‣ LB Demarcus Childress, South Carolina
10. CIN ‣ G Roger Brown, Houston
11. PHI ‣ CB Alonzo Ashley, Ohio State
12. NYG ‣ OLB Karmah Holloway, USC
13. CAR ‣ DE Malik Clark, USC
14. WAS ‣ TE Tony Mathis, USC
15. JAX ‣ CB Marlon Kennedy, Vanderbilt
16. TB ‣ QB Josh Hamm, Southern Miss
17. TEN ‣ TE Ben Thompson, Ohio State
18. BUF ‣ WR Nate Jeffries, FAU
19. CHI ‣ LB Marvin Kent, NC State
20. ATL ‣ WR Khalil Barclay, Duke
21. PIT ‣ CB Greg Hitchens, Washington
22. JAX ‣ S Gio Mickens, Michigan
23. HOU ‣ S D'Andre Sims, Georgia Tech
24. GB ‣ DE Dominique Holloman, Arizona State
25. BAL ‣ CB Emmanuel Ingram, South Carolina
26. NE ‣ C Lane Mitchell, Oregon State
27. SF ‣ OLB Arthur McKenzie, West Virginia
28. SEA ‣ DT Tyrone Bryan, Oregon State
29. LAR ‣ DT Gabe Bush, California
30. KC ‣ CB Tremaine Rutledge, UCLA
31. NE ‣ DE Tyrion James, Florida
32. SEA ‣ C Jimmy Goodrich, Miami

[Soapy]

Patriots move up to select Alabama's Agnew as potential replacement for Jonnu Smith
With no picks scheduled until the sixth round, the New England Patriots have traded away the 191th, 205th and 215th overall picks in exchange for Seattle's 128th overall pick in the fourth round to draft Alabama tight end Dre Agnew.

It's a bit of a gamble on Agnew, who is a converted linebacker that didn't play much while at Alabama although was explosive when given opportunities, averaging fourteen yards per reception as a senior and seventeen as a junior.

He had a strong combine and pro day, running a sub 4.6 and was 2nd among tight ends in the vertical jump. With the loss of Jonnu Smith, Agnew is a similar prospect as he's a good athlete that could have potentially played multiple positions and be used in different ways.