Patriots Mailbag: Which Young LBs Will Step Up After NFL Draft Surprise?

The 2022 NFL Draft left behind as many questions as answers for the New England Patriots. Here are some that NESN.com’s readers wanted answered in this week’s mailbag:

@Bouda1275
Between Perkins, Uche, and McGrone who is most likely to play a major role
Great question. The Patriots surprisingly did not draft a single linebacker this year, nor did they sign one in undrafted free agency, so they seem confident in the group they have. On the whole, that group is much younger and more athletic than the one they fielded last season — old-school starter Ja’Whaun Bentley is back, but trade acquisition Mack Wilson is smaller and more agile and is just 24 despite entering the NFL three years ago — which is a positive step, even if many of its members lack extensive NFL experience.

Cameron McGrone, last year’s fifth-round draft pick, is generating a lot of buzz after sitting out his rookie season while he rehabbed a torn ACL. It’s clear the Patriots like him, with director of player personnel Matt Groh giving him an unsolicited shoutout during one of his draft-weekend news conferences. At 6-foot-1, 233 pounds, McGrone is the type of undersized, athletic linebacker many wanted the Patriots to target in last week’s draft, and he likely would’ve gone higher than the fifth round a year ago if the injury hadn’t ended his final season at Michigan.

Josh Uche is the most experienced of that trio. Though he showed promise late in the 2020 season and last summer, he struggled to earn playing time last season. The 2020 second-rounder was on the field for just 21.9% of New England’s defensive snaps in his second pro season, playing mostly as a rotational edge rusher with a few off-the-ball cameos.

But with Kyle Van Noy gone (and Chase Winovich, too), there’s a giant question mark at one outside linebacker spot opposite Matthew Judon. Uche is one of the top candidates to fill that role. So is 2021 third-rounder Ronnie Perkins, who had a promising camp and preseason before taking a de facto rookie redshirt. (He didn’t dress for a single game despite being largely healthy.)

Anfernee Jennings (Round 3, 2020) also remains in the mix, though he struggled as a rookie and missed all of last season with an injury. He’s played both on and off the ball.

@TheDurf23
Do you think The pats will try and trade Aghalor / Damien Harris before season starts?
I predict both Nelson Agholor and Harris will be on the team this season, but yeah, I could see either or both of them being traded if some of the younger players behind them impress.

If second-round receiver Tyquan Thornton looks ready to immediately contribute — of which I’m skeptical — New England could look to move on from Agholor and give itself some salary cap flexibility. Trading Agholor would free up $9.9 million in cap space, though it would leave behind $5 million in dead money. And given Agholor’s lackluster production last season, the Patriots might even need to attach an asset to find a taker for him.

Harris was much better than Agholor in 2021 (929 rushing yards, 15 touchdowns), but he’s entering the final year of his rookie contract, and the Patriots just drafted two running backs (Pierre Strong in Round 4 and Kevin Harris in Round 6). If what they see in the coming months makes the Patriots confident Rhamondre Stevenson and those rookies can carry the load, and if they don’t plan on paying Harris next spring, perhaps they get something for him while they can.

Neither of those outcomes would shock me, but again, I think the most likely outcome is a Week 1 roster that features both Agholor and Harris.

@MarkJohnBennett
Lots of quantity at cornerback. If Butler, Mills, the 3 Jones and Bethel make it, does that mean Wade, Bryant and Mitchell are on the outside looking in?
Cornerback is going to be one of the Patriots’ most intriguing roster battles. They typically carry either six or seven at a time, including Justin Bethel, who only plays on defense in emergency situations.

I’d say Jalen Mills and draft picks Marcus Jones (third round) and Jack Jones (fourth round) are roster locks. Jonathan Jones also projects as a starter in the slot, but he’s coming off shoulder surgery, and the Patriots could save $5.7 million (with $2 million left behind in dead money) by trading or releasing him. Again, he’s probably safe, but if either of the rookie Joneses looks capable of handling Week 1 slot duties, he could be a surprise training camp casualty.

If Malcolm Butler looks anything like the player he was even in 2020, he’ll be the favorite to lock down the other starting outside corner spot opposite Mills, though he’ll have competition from journeyman Terrance Mitchell, who started nearly every game for Cleveland and then Houston over the past two seasons. Based on the terms of their respective contracts, neither Butler nor Mitchell is guaranteed a roster spot.

Myles Bryant, Shaun Wade, Joejuan Williams and undrafted free agent Devin Hafford round out this position group. Wade still has potential as a former premier prospect, but he had a hard time getting on the field as a rookie last season.

@ddw02002
Will Tyquan Thornton replace Slater as a gunner on punt coverage?
Groh did say the Patriots plan to “see what Tyquan can contribute on fourth down.” Unclear if he meant as a kick returner or in kick/punt coverage (or both). Thornton certainly has the speed to be an effective gunner (4.28-second 40-yard dash), but at 6-foot-2 and just 181 pounds, he could have a hard time fighting through blocks and taking down returners.

The Patriots also don’t need to replace Matthew Slater just yet. The 36-year-old re-signed this offseason, delaying retirement by at least one more year.

@ChaneJ23
Will Wilkerson get an actual shot? His chemistry with Mac was talked about all last pre season and the one game he played it showed
I liked what I saw from Kristian Wilkerson last season. In my view, he has a better chance of sticking on the roster than N’Keal Harry, whom I fully expect to be released at some point in the coming months.

The Patriots’ receiver room is crowded with Parker, Bourne, Meyers, Agholor and Thornton, plus the special teams-only Slater, but there could be room on the roster for one additional wideout, depending on how other positional battles shake out. That could be Wilkerson. It could be veteran newcomer Ty Montgomery, who’s listed as a receiver but also plays running back and plays a lot on special teams. I’d put both of them above Harry, Tre Nixon and Malcolm Perry at the moment.

Of course, if Agholor is traded or released, that would open up another spot for a roster hopeful.

@BladeUnholy
Do you see Patriots bring home trey flowers and or akiem hicks?
Adding either would make sense. The Patriots essentially are bringing back the same defensive line (plus sixth-round draft pick Sam Roberts, a Division-II product out of Northwest Missouri State) and that group ranked 22nd in rushing yards allowed per game and 25th in yards allowed per carry last season. New England also lacked effective pass-rushing depth outside of Judon and Christian Barmore — a weakness reacquiring Flowers would help address.

There’s room to upgrade there, and as of May 2, free agent signings no longer count toward next year’s compensatory pick formula, making a comp pick-conscious team like the Patriots more likely to add an additional veteran or two now that that deadline has passed.

@NEPinsider
What’s the latest on OBJ?
@steflynnn
I would also like to know about OBJ
@patriotsnathype
Anything on Odell?
Sorry guys, nothing on Odell, other than his trolling of Patriots fans with a bogus Deebo Samuel trade rumor. He’s still a free agent, though, so a summer signing remains a possibility. Beckham is likely to miss training camp and at least part of this season, anyway, after tearing his ACL in Super Bowl LVI.

If I had to make a prediction, I’d say the Patriots won’t make any big-name additions to their receiving corps before Week 1. But Beckham has been linked to them for a while and said he came “very, very, very” close to signing with them last November. He’s also a longtime admirer of Belichick. So, I wouldn’t rule it out.

@jadium3
What are the chances of Nordin taking the kicking job from Nick Folk?
Pretty slim, I’d say. Folk has been great over the last two seasons, and his new contract includes a healthy $2.29 million guaranteed. In my view, Quinn Nordin would need to convincingly outperform his 37-year-old position mate this summer to even have a chance of winning a roster spot.

@_jay_24
bone or boneless
Boneless are tasty, but let’s call them what they are: chicken fingers. If you’re going for wings, they’ve gotta be bone-in.