LB Nakobe Dean is Todd McShay’s favorite fit for the New England Patriots

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Thoughts and quick notes on the New England Patriots and the NFL:

1. Dean a fit from the Patriots? Last year, ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay hit the mark in his latest mock draft, projecting quarterback Mac Jones to the Patriots at No. 15. McShay correctly matched Jones’ skill set, specifically a knack for precision and decision making. — with what the Patriots valued at a major need position.

This year, inside linebacker is one of the Patriots’ top needs, and McShay has isolated the player he is most intrigued by for Bill Belichick’s team in the 2022 NFL draft, which begins April 28 on ESPN.

“The only player I would kill to see with the Patriots, just because I love him and I know where he would excel the most would be in New England with Bill, he would be [Georgia’s] dean nakobe,” he said.

“I’ve talked and met with him, and talked to various scouts and we all agree: There is no better player in this class in terms of football IQ. You combine that IQ with what New England is trying to do.” do, they’re so multiple and they differ from week to week, that would be really fun to watch.”

Dean might not be available at the Patriots’ first pick at No. 21; Former Jets and Dolphins general manager Mike Tannenbaum ranks him 17th behind the Los Angeles Chargers in his ESPN mock draft.

But if Dean is available, veteran observers of Belichick’s history of recruiting inside linebackers say selecting him would represent a notable shift in approach. The reason is that the 5-foot-11, 229-pound Dean is dramatically smaller than the Patriots’ prototype (think 6-foot-3, 260-pound Dont’a Hightower).

McShay compares Dean to former New York Jets and New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma and former Miami Dolphins linebacker Zach Thomas. Those players may not have been best known for charging downhill and taking on shooting guards, a staple for those who play the position with Belichick, but they were dynamic playmakers, especially in space.

And given the way the NFL game continues to scatter, and considering what the Patriots now face twice a year with Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen’s reading option concepts and quarterback of the Miami Dolphins, Tua Tagovailoa, perhaps Belichick is more willing to consider a player like Dean in 2022 than in the past.

“Find me a faster linebacker in terms of game speed in this class,” McShay said. “You’re talking about nine guys that could be drafted on that Georgia defensive end, and he was the best player on that. You’re talking about a player, with two linebackers next to him in [Channing] Tindall and dock walker that will be selected on Day 2, and he is two steps ahead on almost every play.

2. Belichick Bytes: Belichick showed up early to answer questions from reporters at the NFL annual meeting in Palm Beach, Florida, last week (surprising many), and here are three things, possibly lost a bit in the shuffle, that stood out in terms of how strongly he sees some people in the organization:

• WR Matthew Slater re-signed for one year: «[He] will go up there, in the game of kicks, with [Tom] Brady in attack and [Lawrence] Taylor on defense. So I feel very, very lucky to have the opportunity to coach all the players, but I would say those three in particular.”

• Matt Groh, who was promoted to director of player personnel: “He really put together the draft last year. with Dave [Ziegler] to leave, I feel that he is the best person to fill the position of staff. I think he’s as good as anyone we’ve ever had in that position.”

• S Devin McCourty re-signed for one year: “Having Devin back makes a difference in what we can do defensively.”

3. Corner Market: Ideally, the Patriots will draft and develop a replacement for cornerback JC Jackson, though the team’s first-round pick at No. 21 might not represent the best value to do so.

McShay hopes for better cornerbacks Ahmad “Salsa” Gardner (cincinnati), Derek Stingley Jr. (LSU) and Trent McDuffie (Washington) off the board at that point, which would make the Patriots focus on the second layer. Of the group, McShay likes Kaiir Elam (Florida) and Roger McCreary (Auburn) as Day 2 considerations.

“They would be good Patriots: they tackle, they can play both man and zone. They can be multiple and adjust to weekly changes in the game plan », he said.

(In a beat writer’s mock draft for NewOrleansFootball.com, his trusty scribe pounced on McDuffie when he was unexpectedly available.)

4. Schedule planning: The Patriots have no shortage of compelling road trips this season — Arizona, Cleveland, Green Bay, Las Vegas, Minnesota and Pittsburgh for non-division foes — and a league source said the NFL is planning to release its calendar for the second week. of May. As for international games, a source said the Patriots are not expected to be picked to play the Cardinals in Mexico or the Packers in London this season. The belief among New England insiders is that the team is most likely to play its next international game in Germany in 2023.

5. Jonnu’s offseason: One of the biggest things to come out of the NFL annual meeting from the Patriots’ perspective was learning that tight end Jonnu Smith plans to spend the offseason as part of the team’s voluntary offseason program. Smith didn’t do that last season, in part due to the birth of his daughter and COVID-19 considerations. Some on the team believed it was no coincidence that tight end Hunter Henry, who had spent most of the last offseason in town working with Jones & Co., had a more productive first season in New England than Smith. Henry, by the way, was back in town last week.

6. Why not Williams? The lack of speed and perimeter differentiators, both offensively and defensively, caught McShay’s eye when he watched the Patriots in their 47-17 playoff loss to the Bills. That’s why he would support the Alabama wide receiver pick james williams at No. 21 if the board falls that way. It would take some patience, with Williams recovering from a torn ACL, but McShay said he wouldn’t be surprised if Williams ultimately becomes the top receiver in this year’s draft. “I just think the speed, having a guy that can get vertical, and also catch the 5-yarder and go 35, 40, 50 yards with it, would be great for them,” he said.

7. LaFleur’s Void: In 13 NFL seasons, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur has never been to Gillette Stadium, which he says is the only oldest venue in the league he has never visited. “I hear it’s tough to win there,” he said, referring to the Patriots’ 130-31 home record, the best in the league since 2002 (although New England is 9-8 at home the past two seasons). . These are the kinds of nuggets a reporter picks up at the NFL’s annual meeting, where it’s common to run into coaches and strike up a conversation. The LaFleur Packers are not scheduled to visit until 2026.

8. Hall of Patriots Call: After a year-long hiatus related to COVID-19 to allow 2020 inductee Richard Seymour to have the player stage to himself in 2021, the Patriots’ Hall of Fame committee will meet Wednesday to narrow down the list of finalists for this year’s induction. Mike Vrabel has been a finalist five times, but has yet to cross the goal line. Maybe this is finally his year. Vince Wilfork and Wes Welker are newly eligible, and if they make it past the committee as the final three, it will be interesting to see how the final fan vote plays out.

9. AFC East tax for Parker: From the Dolphins’ perspective, trading wide receiver DeVante Parker and a 2022 fifth-round pick to the Patriots for a 2023 third-round pick is excellent value. Parker was Miami’s No. 4 wide receiver at best, behind Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and Cedrick Wilson, and also wipes his base salaries of $5.65 million in 2022 and $5.7 million in 2023 off the books. So while some might question the wisdom of trading Parker within the division, it’s hard to believe any other NFL team is offering a deal with an asset as rich as a 2023 third-round pick. And for the Patriots, in need of a receiver, the deal probably wouldn’t happen if they didn’t expect a compensatory third-round pick due to Jackson’s departure as a free agent.

10. Did you know? With the Patriots’ acquisition of Parker and a one-year deal with safety/punt returner Jabrill Peppers last week, they became the sixth and seventh players on the list to enter the NFL as a first-round pick. (2015 and 2017, respectively). . The others are McCourty (2010), receiver Nelson Agholor (2015), offensive tackle Isaiah Wynn (2018), receiver N’Keal Harry (2019) and Jones (2021).