Ruins of Pompeii.

[Captain Canada]

It's still fuck the Cowboys.

Go get my boy David back. He wants to come home. He was playin' at the negotiation table.

[Soapy]

Pre-Combine and Free Agency New England Patriots Mock Draft: Patriots address offensive line early and often
With a working framework of what their roster looks like without any improvements, the Patriots can now start working on improving from their five win campaign last season and while free agency will offer that opportunity, the draft is uniquely equipped to upgrade a roster and doing so in a cost controlled manner.

Projected Draft Picks (subject to change)
‣ Round 1, Pick 4
OT Will Campbell | 6'6", 320lbs | 1st ranked OT
Whether New England had the first pick or not, this was always going to be their selection and with none of the teams ahead of them likely to take a tackle, nothing changes for the Patriots as they get Will Campbell, the consensus top tackle in the draft and a top-three player in many big boards.

‣ Round 2, Pick 36
C Jonah Monheim | 6'5", 305lbs | 2nd ranked IOL
Jonah Monheim, a versatile offensive lineman from USC, has been a mainstay on the Trojans' offensive front for the past three seasons. The 6'5", 300-pound tackle turned center started 34 games during his collegiate career, showcasing his adaptability by lining up at multiple positions along the line.

Monheim's college career has been marked by steady improvement and recognition. As a redshirt sophomore in 2022, he started all 14 games and earned All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention while helping the offensive line unit become a Joe Moore Award Semifinalist. His performance continued to elevate in 2023, starting all 13 games and earning Second Team All-Pac-12 honors from the Associated Press. He made the switch to center in 2024 and showcased his ability to adapt and lead from the heart of the offensive line.

With Andrews gone, New England needs to address this position.

‣ Round 3, Pick 68
OLB Jalon Walker | 6'2", 246lbs | 6th ranked OLB
This feels like a Bill Belichick era pick and while BB might not be there anymore, Jerod Mayo is of that ilk and Walker is the type of versatile defensive players that the Patriots have always coveted.

Standing at 6'2" and weighing 245 pounds, Walker possesses an ideal frame for the modern NFL linebacker. He can play both outside and inside at the linebacker position, having done it at a high level for one of the top programs in the country.

‣ Round 3, Pick 82 (via NO)
IOL Logan Parr | 6'5", 315lbs | 6th ranked IOL
Yup, another offensive linemen as the need is still there.

[Soapy]

It's still fuck the Cowboys.

Go get my boy David back. He wants to come home. He was playin' at the negotiation table.

son washed up, i cannot lie. we shall see

[Soapy]

What's next for Sam Darnold after impressive year in Minnesota?
Sam Darnold was a washed up, could-have-been bust of a draft pick that ended up on the shores of Kevin O'Connell, nothing more than a bridge to quarterback J.J. McCarthy following the exodus of Kirk Cousins.

Darnold instead led the Vikings to the top seed in the NFC before making it to the NFC Championship Game where they lost to the eventual champions. At 28 years old, Darnold is set to enter free agency as the top quarterback available in a quarterback class that's not overly impressive with Mac Jones as the next best thing.

Darnold's market could be complicated by the fact that it's an impressive group of young quarterbacks in the draft, led by Colorado's Shedeur Sanders and Miami's Cam Ward. Many mock drafts have as many as three quarterbacks, including Quinn Ewers, being selected within the first fifteen picks.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notable NFL Free Agents
Quarterbacks
---Sam Darnold
---Mac Jones
---Desmond Ridder

Running Backs
---Alvin Kamara
---Aaron Jones
---Jaylen Warren
---Chubba Hubbard
---Jordan Mason

Wide Receivers
---Amari Cooper
---DeAndre Hopkins
---Marquise Brown
---Elijah Moore
---Odell Beckham Jr.

Tight Ends
---Hayden Hurst
---Mo Alie-Cox
---Harrison Bryant

Offensive Tackle
---Rob Havenstein
---Garrett Bolles
---Jedrick Wills Jr

Offensive Guard
---Brandon Scherff
---Isaiah Wynn
---Kendrick Green

Center
---Ryan Kelly
---Drew Dalman
---David Andrews

Interior Defensive Linemen
---David Onyemata
---B.J. Hill
---Folorunso Fatukasi
---Poona Ford
---Derrick Nnadi

EDGE
---Chase Young
---Khalil Mack
---Charles Omenihu
---Matthew Judon
---Cameron Jordan
---Derek Barnett
---Jadeveon Clowney

Inside Linebacker
---Lavonte David
---Jerome Baker
---Bobby Wagner
---Robert Spillane
---Kaden Elliss

Cornerback
---Stephon Gilmore
---Jonathan Jones
---Mike Hilton
---Isaiah Rodgers Sr.
---Benjamin St-Juste

Safety
---Justin Simmons
---Julian Blackmon
---Jamal Adams
---Quandre Diggs
---Micah Hyde

[Soapy]

Mykel Williams, Will Johnson among winners at the NFL Combine
Travis Hunter might have stolen the headlines coming into the NFL Combine with his last minute appearance after reports that he wasn't going to accept the invite but it was Georgia's Mykel Williams and Michigan's Will Johnson that stole the show by the time the combine was over in Indy.

Johnson posted similar numbers in the testing drills with a 4.47 forty compared to Hunter's 4.42 and a 6.86 in the 3-cone compared to Hunter's 6.66 but weighed in at an impressive 202 pounds while Hunter, whose physicality has been in question, weighed in lighter than expected at 186 pounds.

The Michigan product has been trending towards being not only the top corner selected ahead of Hunter but potentially the top player in the draft.

Georgia defensive end Mykel Williams might have something to say about that however as the All-American put up 38 reps in the bench press to couple with his 4.69 forty time. The Panthers, owner of the top pick, need help around their roster and Williams looked like the type of player that can help turn a franchise around.

Here are a few thoughts as we wrap up the 2025 NFL Combine:

Kelvin Banks Jr. closes the gap between him and Will Campbell
The consensus top tackle available in the draft is LSU's Will Campbell and nothing in shorts and a tank top is going to change that after Campbell's last two years at LSU. However, many thought that Campbell might be the only tackle worth spending a top ten pick earlier on in the process but as April nears, Texas A&M's Kelvin Banks Jr. is throwing his name into that ring as well with an impressive performance in the positional drills.

Banks separated himself from the second tier of offensive tackles that include Josh Conerly Jr., teammate Emery Jones Jr. and Jonah Savaiinaea and likely pushed himself into the top ten. For the Patriots, if they do go with Campbell with the fourth pick, they might be able to double dip in the second round and get another tackle, sliding Mike Onwenu inside to guard, to help rebuild that offensive line with some elite talent.

Plenty of options at receiver with New England's second round pick
New England fans have to be excited at the prospect that at least one of the borderline first round receivers might be available with the 36th overall pick.

Tez Johnson ran a 4.24, Evan Stewart ran a 4.38 and Isaiah Bond ran a 4.30. In good/bad news, Emeka Egbuka likely ran himself back into the first round after weighing in at 205 pounds and still managing to run a 4.31.

Egbuka, who some mocks had projected to go to New England at 36, had a better 3-cone than Travis Hunter and a shuttle time of 4.01 which was better than Luther Burden.

Tyler Warren probably isn't going to be a New England Patriot
With the offense trying to get more explosive, it's hard to see New England spending one of the third round picks on Penn State's Tyler Warren after his showing at the Combine.

Warren ran a 4.72 in the forty, the same time as Shemar Stewart...a six-foot-six, 290 pound five-technique. In this era of freak tight ends, if New England is going to spend an asset on one, he needs to look the part and Warren didn't outside of the shuttle when he was tied for the fastest.

A name to watch is Oscar Delp who had the fastest 40-time (4.58), second highest vertical (34.4), longest broad jump (12'5), second fastest 3-cone (7.03) and shuttle (4.38). The only problem is at 36, he's a reach but with the Patriots next pick, 68, he might not be there on the board after that performance.

[Soapy]

Patriots deal Kendrick Bourne, draft picks to Chargers in exchange for second round pick
The New England Patriots have made their first move of the new NFL calendar year and it's not signing but a trade, sending Kendrick Bourne to the Los Angeles Chargers for a second round pick in this year's draft.

Bourne, along with a third round pick in this year's draft and a fifth-round pick in next year's draft is headed to the Chargers in exchange for the 52nd overall pick in the draft. New England now has four picks within the first sixty-eight picks in the draft, the most in the NFL.

Heading into his ninth NFL season, Bourne dealt with injuries last year and caught only 21 passes for 258 yards and a touchdown in thirteen games for the Patriots. In the regular season finale, Bourne played just twelve snaps after playing at least thirty nine snaps in the previous three games.

The Chargers are looking to get the production from Bourne that he put up in his first and third year in the Patriots where he averaged 50 yards per game and finished both seasons with at least four touchdowns.

New England Patriots Draft Picks
Round 1, Pick 4
Round 2, Pick 36
Round 2, Pick 52 (via LAC)
Round 3, Pick 68
Round 5, Pick 132
Round 5, Pick 159 (via BAL)

[Captain Canada]

Draft capital

[Soapy]

Draft capital

and still i rise, motherfucker. we got work to do. let's get to it.

[Soapy]

Patriots busy during first hours of free agency as they take a big gamble on Chase Young, rebuild interior of the offensive line
The New England Patriots have prioritized the front lines with their free agency spending by inking former number two overall pick Chase Young to a four year, $90.4 million deal, resigning edge rusher Josh Uche and signed two projected starters along the offensive line in Brandon Scherff and Drew Dalman.

Young was the top pass rusher available in free agency, especially when you factor in age compared to the likes of Matthew Judon and Khalil Mack. The production hasn't always been there for the 26-year old who had just 1.5 sacks last year for the Saints but showed promising signs to returning to his potential coming out of Ohio State.

It's five years, $42.5 million for Uche who signed a long term extension with the team after entering free agency. The market was there for Uche as one of the younger edge rushers available so New England improved on their offer from a length standpoint compared to their previous offer to Uche.

Schreff's deal is one year, $11.2 million while Dalman, the top available center, is replacing David Andrews with a four year, $40 million deal to be Drake Maye's best friend for the next four years.

It wasn't all good news for the Patriots as they did make an offer to Stephon Gilmore but the former Patriot signed with Houston instead. New England also saw Jonathan Jones signed with Denver and Amari Cooper sign with the Chargers although its unclear if an official offer was ever sent to both.

Notable NFL Transactions
WR Amari Cooper (3yr/$50.9m)
CB Jonathan Jones (1yr/$8.09m)
DT Derrick Nnadi (1yr/$9.36m)
QB Mac Jones (3yr/$15.5m)
WR Marquise Brown (3yr/$32.6m)
S Justin Simmons (2yr/$20.6m)
C Ryan Kelly (1yr/$11.8m)

[James]

Good pick up with Young.