Getting faster, tougher in draft
Groh hopes Pats’ array of picks will help accomplish both goals
Patriots director of player personnel Matt Groh believes his front office accomplished its chief goals heading into the NFL Draft last week, one of which was no secret.
PATRIOTS NOTEBOOK
On April 15, Groh told reporters the Patriots were working to get faster “everywhere.” But speaking with the media Saturday night, after he and Bill Belichick finished assembling a 10-player draft class, Groh elaborated on the team’s second objective: getting tougher.
“We’re always looking to be tougher, we’re always looking to add talent. Lots of times you’ve got a talented guy who’s not very tough and the coach says, ‘Oh, we’ve got to get tougher, we’ve got to get tougher,’ but they keep playing the talented guy,” Groh said. “A wise man once told me, if you want to have a tough team, you’d better have tough players.”
After stumbling to a 1-4 finish down the stretch, adding toughness became an offseason priority for the Patriots, who started the draft by selecting Chattanooga offensive lineman Cole Strange; a bare-handed mauler who stood out against superior competition at the Senior Bowl. Strange, 24, is a mature, physical prospect, who describes his playing style as relentless and aggressive.
“I wanted to create my own way of playing,” Strange said Thursday, “which I would say is just aggressive and trying to play nasty, and I feel like how the game of football is supposed to be played.”
Next came the speed.
The Pats traded up to draft the fastest wide receiver timed at the NFL Combine, Baylor’s Tyquan Thornton, who ran a 4.28 in the 40-yard dash.
Later, they added South Dakota State’s Pierre Strong, the fastest running back in this year’s class, who clocked a 4.37.
“There’s only so many ways to handle speed. And these guys wake up every morning and they’re fast. It’s a great gift,” Groh said. “We’re going to try to put them in the best position to use that speed and open things up for us.”
In the third round, the Patriots nailed both traits with one pick, adding Houston cornerback/returner Marcus Jones. The 5-foot-8 Jones was a consensus AllAmerican returner last year, when he also battled bigger receivers on defense and often won with five interceptions and 13 additional pass breakups. Jones was considered one of the most dynamic prospects in the draft.
The Patriots seemingly found more toughness when they drafted linemen with their final three picks: Division II pass rusher Sam Roberts, LSU offensive guard Chasen Hines and Michigan offensive guard/ tackle Andrew Stueber.
But as for whether the Patriots have achieved their ultimate goal this offseason — improving the roster as a whole — Groh wouldn’t say.
“Look, we’re still putting the team together.,” said Groh. “We’re still working through college free agents. We’ve been able to add some good undrafted college free agents here through the years, and we’re working through that process right now,
“So to take the easy way out, that answer is yet to reveal itself. We’ll keep working.”
Reports: Pats sign 7 UDFAs
According to reports, the Pats signed seven undrafted rookies in the hours after the draft closed. Of those seven, a league source confirmed the team reached terms with Texas safety Brenden Schooler, Purdue linebacker DaMarcus Mitchell and Eastern Michigan punter Jake Julien. That leaves them with two open spots on their roster.
Schooler and Mitchell project as core specialteamers. Schooler is a 6-foot-1, 203-pound safety with 4.4 speed and an unmistakable physicality. He made seven defensive starts last year and was an impact player on kick and punt coverage units for the Longhorns. Mitchell, who’s 6-foot-2 and 260 pounds, made a modest defensive impact for Purdue with 4.5 sacks and two forced fumbles.
Julien should give veteran punter Jake Bailey competition in training camp. The Pats can save almost $4 million in cap space if they release Bailey, who disappointed last season after an All-Pro campaign in 2020. As a senior last year, Julien averaged 45.9 yards per punt.
Former Miami quarterback D’Eriq King was the first undrafted rookie to sign with the Patriots. The 5-foot-9, 195-pounder offers intriguing potential as a developmental receiver or all-purpose offensive player, having scored 27 touchdowns and thrown for 2,686 yards in his last full season as a quarterback. King worked out for Patriots assistant Joe Judge after reportedly running a 4.65 at his Pro Day.
Despite drafting three O-linemen, the Pats added two more Saturday, inking two centers in Houston’s Kody Russey and LSU’s Liam Shanahan. Russey is 6-foot-2 and 302 pounds, a two-time captain and graduate transfer from Louisiana Tech. Shanahan, a Marlboro native, started next to sixthround Patriots rookie offensive lineman Hines at LSU, after he transferred from Harvard, where he started for three years and played right guard and right tackle.
Both players will face stiff competition from Hines, Strange and incumbent starting center David Andrews in training camp.
And it wouldn’t be a Patriots rookie class without an Alabama player. Former Crimson Tide defensive lineman LaBryan Ray will add depth to Belichick’s defense this spring and summer.
Injuries wrecked his college career, which began as a 5-star recruit with offers from virtually every top FBS program in the southeast.
He missed most Crimson Tide games in 2019 and 2020, then made just two starts last year and finished with 11 tackles. Ray would play on the edge at 6-foot-4 and 283 pounds.
Pats sixth-rounder AKA ‘Big Papa’
There was a time when Chasen Hines thought if he ever played pro sports in New England it wouldn’t be football.
It would be baseball, with the Red Sox and in the footsteps of his childhood hero,
David Ortiz.
“Growing up I was called ‘Big Papa’ just because I was one of the biggest kids on the team and I batted fourth like he did. … I wore 34, and he was really the main reason why,” Hines said. “I always loved baseball and always had a passion for it, really just watching him.”
Of course, Hines eventually chose football and committed to play defensive tackle at LSU. He eventually flipped to play offensive line in 2018 and started two seasons at right guard. Last January, he earned a late invite the Senior Bowl, an annual hotbed for future Patriots prospects, and even lined up next to Strange, his new first-round rookie teammate. Hines says the two connected instantly.
“My main thing was to show that ‘he’s always ready’ no matter what adversity,” Hines said. “I really didn’t want to make that as an excuse. I wanted to show that, I’m here for limited days on a short notice, let me try to make the most out of it.”