We Ain't Going Nowhere.

[Soapy]

Ruggs falls out of first round, into New England's lap with 64th pick
ESPN.com

With the 64th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots selected receiver Henry Ruggs III out of Alabama.

Ruggs was considered a mid-first round pick but saw himself slide out of the first round and deep into the second round where New England simply couldn't pass up his talent. Many expected Ruggs to run a sub 4.3 forty time but he came in at 4.34, still an impressive time. At six-feet and 190 pounds, Ruggs will have a chance to compete for the second outside receiver position opposite of N'Keal Harry. While Harry is a big body receiver that can make contested catches, Ruggs can outrun and run past any corner.

Second Round Recap
1. MIA :: CB Jaylon Johnson, Utah
2. JAX :: HB Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin
3. IND :: T Trey Adams, Washington
4. NYG :: DT Xavier Kelly, Clemson
5. ATL :: TE Colby Parkinson, Stanford
6. BUF :: WR Laviska Shenault, Colorado
7. CHI :: T Jon Runyan, Michigan
8. DET :: G Solomon Kindley, Georgia
9. PHI:: LB Jabril Cox, North Dakota State
10. DEN :: C Tyler Biadasz, Wisconsin
11. SEA :: CB Jeffrey Okudah, Ohio State
12. BAL :: G Navaughn Donaldson, Miami
13. PIT :: LB K'Lavon Chaisson, LSU
14. NYJ :: LB Terrell Lewis, Alabama
15. MIN :: DT Justin Madubuike, Texas A&M
16. CIN :: G Tommy Kraemer, Notre Dame
17. ARI :: DT Javon Kinlaw, South Carolina
18. CHI :: CB Marco Wilson, Florida
19. MIA :: HB D'Andre Swift, Georgia
20. HOU :: DT Tedarrell Slaton, Florida
21. SEA :: HB Travis Etienne, Clemson
22. TB :: WR CeeDee Lamb, Oklahoma
23. IND :: LB Jacob Phillips, LSU
24. TEN :: DT Mustafa Johnson, Colorado
25. LAC :: DE Justin Foster, Clemson
26. LAR:: DT Naquan Jones, Michigan State
27. CLE :: S Brandon Jones, Texas
28. DAL :: DE Kenny Willekes, Michigan State
29. GB :: DE Chauncey Rivers, Mississippi State
30. KC :: CB Lavert Hill, Michigan
31. CAR :: WR Tee Higgins, Clemson
32. NE :: WR Henry Ruggs III, Alabama

[Soapy]

Patriots wrap up draft with five more selections, including QB Hurts
ESPN.com

After a weekend of dealing and trading, New England ended with a nine person draft class, drafting five more players after their third round pick of tight end Grant Calcaterra following the trade of Philip Dorsett to the Broncos.

New England selected linebacker Michael Pinckney out Miami with their fourth round pick, quarterback Jalen Hurts from Oklahoma with their fifth round pick, Notre Dame receiver Chase Claypool in the sixth and then used their two picks in the seventh to draft defensive tackle Viane Moala of Utah and receiver Jeff Thomas out of Miami, who was the last pick of the draft.

New England selected four defensive players with their top two picks, Isaiah Simmons and Yetur Gross-Matos, coming on defense and their next two coming on offense with Henry Ruggs III and Calcaterra.

In terms of most noise and fan reaction, Hurts got the most as the Heisman winner slid all the way to the fifth round. Hurts will likely challenge Jarrett Stidham for the backup job and potential heir to the throne of Tom Brady despite being a far different quarterback than Brady and to some extent, even Stidham. Josh McDaniels did draft Tim Tebow and given Hurts' ability to run the football, he could have a potential day-one role similar to that of Taysom Hill should he make the roster.

New England signed undrafted free agents QB Zac Thomas (App. State), HB Chris Evans (Michigan), WR K.J. Osborn (Miami), WR D'Eriq King (Houston), T Cameron Bell (Buffalo), G Jake Brown (UCF), DT Khyiris Tonga (BYU), DT Broderick Washington (Texas Tech), DE Scott Patchan (Miami), OLB Clay Johnson (Baylor), LB Shaun Bradley (Temple), CB Levonta Taylor (Florida State), S Ashtyn Davis (California) and K Rodrigo Blankenship (Georgia).

They also signed second year players DE Quinton Bell, LB Gary Johnson to their training camp roster as well as four-year pro Stacy Coley.

[Captain Canada]

How did I know you were going to let go of my DAWG Josh Gordon and draft Jalen Hurts?

Solid off-season, lets get the new season underway.

[Soapy]

How did I know you were going to let go of my DAWG Josh Gordon and draft Jalen Hurts?

Solid off-season, lets get the new season underway.

price tag got too high for josh.

too many drops.

hurts rating is fucking trash lmao

[Soapy]

Rookie Camp Takeaways
ESPN.com

If you're looking for New England Patriots first round pick and linebacker(?) Isaiah Simmons, just find where Michael Pinckney is and it's usually easy to spot -- or hear -- the rookie linebacker.

The fifth round pick has emerged as one of the loudest voices on and off-the-field with his bubbly personality quickly endearing himself to his teammates.

"Michael's a character," said Simmons of his fellow rookie, "He makes practice fun, he gets us going and we feed off his energy."

While Pinckney's mouth might be turning heads, it's Simmons' play and athleticism that have gotten the attention of the coaches along with his listed position and jersey numbers. Simmons played both linebacker and safety at Clemson but many expected the six-foot-four, 231 pound athletic freak to make the transition to linebacker full time at the next level. However, Simmons is working with both the linebackers and safety during practice and his jersey number is 22, which per NFL rules, are awarded to defensive backs on defense.

Simmons and Pinckney will have the chance to form quite a linebacker duo with Pinckney's instincts and Simmons' athleticism. Pinckney has played snaps at both weak-side and strong-side linebacker although he fares much better as a weak-side backer. Dont'a Hightower and Jamie Collins Sr. figure to be on their last legs as starting linebackers with both of them being 30-year old. Collins was exceptional last year but there's a reason why New England not only allowed him to test free agency but also drafted two linebackers. His replacement is on the roster.

.....

Many thought Josh McDaniels drafted a toy in quarterback Jalen Hurts. With so much being made of how New Orleans used a similar quarterback in Taysom Hill, the common logic was that Hurts, a Heisman winner in Oklahoma after transferring from Alabama, would be used as a quarterback/running back/receiver.

Hurts has competition in that field as well.

New England picked up D'Eriq King after the draft, the quarterback-turned-receiver who has now turned back to being a quarterback. King has worked with the quarterbacks, running backs and receivers whilst also fielding punts. It's certainly too early to call it but it bodes well for King's roster chances that the team views him as someone that can play multiple positions.

Jarrett Stidham, Hurts and King will all be fighting for a space on the roster. Stidham has the advantage of playing last year and knowing the playbook while Hurts was a draft pick, albeit a fifth-round pick but King's best chance to make the roster is to prove his value in more than one way. If New England carries three quarterbacks, the third quarterback better be able to contribute in more than just backing up the backup.

......

New England trading away Phillip Dorsett just a month after signing him was cold but also landed them a potential starter in tight end Grant Calcaterra while also lessening the clog at receiver.

Julian Edelman, N'Keal Harry and Henry Ruggs III are locks to both be on the roster but most likely start. Jakobi Meyers is a Tom Brady favorite, at least on the practice field. That's four. And then there's rookies Jeff Thomas, Chase Claypool and K.J. Osborn and while you're at it, throw in veterans Stacy Coley and Jawill Davis for fun. New England will more than likely carry six receivers.

How does it all shake out?

Claypool, Osborn and Davis are all pure outside receivers with Claypool being the biggest receiver on the team. Thomas is probably the second fastest and Coley brings a similar skill set and added bonus due to his ability to play both inside and outside.

Through rookie camps and OTAs, the betting money on the two receivers outside of the four locks would be Jeff Thomas and Chase Claypool.

[Saint (Young)]

Taylor and Fournette in Jacksonville? That power run game though.

[KimJongBaze]

lmao ya fleeced the Eagles with Rex and the 32nd pick

[Soapy]

lmao ya fleeced the Eagles with Rex and the 32nd pick

lmfao deadass i was tryna give them damien harris but i tried rex and they said yes since they lost all their backs and i was like fuck it lmao

im trading like you do in fantasy.

[Soapy]

Quarterbacks struggle in loss to Seahawks
ESPN.com

New England certainly missed Josh Gordon on Thursday night.

While Gordon was catching deep passes from Russell Wilson, New England's passing game struggled to get anything going in the team's 38-16 loss to Seattle in the preseason opener.

N'Keal Harry left the game with an injury, Henry Ruggs III had several drops and quarterback Jalen Hurts threw an interception while the other two quarterbacks, Jarrett Stidham and D'Eriq King, struggled mightily to just get completions.

Harry's injury was described as a minor shoulder injury and he isn't expected to miss much time, if any. What was most concerning was Stidham's performance, going 2 for 6 for 6 yards, including several missed throws to an open Harry. Hurts took over, going 3 for 7 for 41 yards and rushing for 28 yards before a redzone interception negated all of that. King finished the game, playing the last two quarterbacks and throwing for 73 yards on 27 percent completion.

King did rush for 47 yards and a score, which might result in him going back to a skill position such as running back or receiver.

The defense did not fare much better, especially the secondary that struggled in both pass coverage and assisting in run support as Seattle rushed for 187 yards. Bright spots in the secondary were safeties Ahstyn Davis (5 tackles, interception) and Obi Melifonwu (3 tackles, tackle for loss).

It was down night for veteran linebacker Elandon Roberts who gave up the rushing lane for a long touchdown and struggled in pass coverage. It was bad timing as all of the young linebackers -- Michael Pinckney, Clay Johnston, Shaun Bradley and Isaiah Simmons all showed flashes.

None of the regular starters played, including Tom Brady, Julian Edelman and Sony Michel.

New England did lose receiver Stacy Coley who an abdominal tear and they placed him on injured reserve, ending his season. They replaced his spot on the roster with cornerback Tony Brown.

New England plays San Francisco at home next.

[djp73]

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