FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Fast-hit ideas and notes across the New England Patriots and NFL:
1. Bell’s intriguing match: When veteran receiver Ok.J. Osborn assessed the potential for the Patriots’ offense this season, he stated a part of the explanation for his optimism was the tight finish place. Having performed in an identical scheme his first two NFL seasons with the Vikings, Osborn famous how the wedding between the run and move video games was a core tenet, pointing to offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt’s current success with the Browns.
“Should you watched them in Cleveland, that they had a very robust run sport and a few actually good tight ends, which I feel we have now right here as effectively,” Osborn stated. “That opens up the move sport, opens up the play-action, opens up the RPOs [run-pass options] and no matter [else] we have now.”
Patriots tight ends have considerably flown underneath the radar — maybe overshadowed by the media-based consideration on No. 3 general decide Drake Maye, questions alongside the offensive line, and rookie receivers Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker, amongst different issues. However as rookies formally report for coaching camp on July 19, it’s well timed to focus on how 2024 seventh-round decide Jaheim Bell represents one of many Patriots’ intriguing wild playing cards primarily based on what Osborn stated.
The highest of the Patriots’ tight finish depth chart is solidified with nine-year veteran Hunter Henry, who’s coming off a season through which he was one of many few brilliant spots on offense, totaling 42 receptions for 419 yards and a team-high six touchdowns in 14 video games performed.
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Then free agent signing Austin Hooper (one 12 months, $3 million base worth) is a number one candidate to be the No. 2 possibility. As for the 6-foot-2, 241-pound Bell, what he probably brings to the group is in contrast to something Henry, Hooper or fellow tight ends Mitchell Wilcox and La’Michael Pettway provide.
“He’s extraordinarily versatile,” stated Jim Nagy, the chief director of the Senior Bowl who scouted Bell for a number of years — first at South Carolina, then Florida State. “This is not true helmet scouting, however there was some comparable utilization to him and what they acquired out of Deebo Samuel when he was [at South Carolina], simply by way of a number of the slot and working again versatility. There was some fullback utilization in there.”
Nagy famous that Bell’s versatility continued to indicate up on the Senior Bowl this 12 months. “Jaheim totally understood that was going to be his calling card; he was going to be a Swiss Military Knife-type participant,” he stated.
Shortly after Bell took the follow area as a Patriot for the primary time, he famous he could not be pigeon-holed to 1 place, saying: “I simply take into account myself a ballplayer. I really feel like no matter I am requested to do, I can do it.”
Within the 2023 season at Florida State, Bell aligned within the slot on 44% of his snaps and was inline 43% of the time. He totaled 39 receptions for 503 yards with two touchdowns. Together with his time at South Carolina, Bell appeared in 42 profession video games (20 begins) and completed his profession with 95 receptions for 1,260 yards and 9 touchdowns.
The Patriots, who hosted Bell on one in every of their 30 allotted pre-draft visits, felt lucky he was nonetheless obtainable late within the seventh spherical, at decide 231 general. That may partially be a results of Bell not having prototypical measurement for a conventional tight finish, however artistic offensive play-callers can presumably match Bell in a number of spots, together with fullback.
“He’s a sturdy man on contact, however he isn’t going to be an ‘iso’ hammerhead blow-you-up lead blocker again there. However he is definitely a pair notches above, athletically, most fullbacks,” Nagy stated.
“So simply the flexibility to get in house, alter and get a physique on folks and actually maintain contact, he is going to have the ability to do this. So he may be an instantaneous particular groups contributor, a developmental fullback, after which the rapid function is within the move sport the place you possibly can deploy him within the slot, transfer him round, movement him, and even put him within the backfield the place he can carry it.”
Such versatility is why Bell will likely be a notable participant to observe as soon as practices start July 24.
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“What will likely be fascinating to see is that he has all this versatility, nevertheless it’s one factor to have the ability to do this bodily, it is one other to have the ability to do it mentally. So how rapidly can they get that out of him in his rookie 12 months?” Nagy remarked.
“I feel that will likely be an enormous factor to key on in coaching camp. Is that this going to be one thing out of the gate to start out the season? Will or not it’s extra midseason? Or will it perhaps be extra of a redshirt season to get him up to the mark within the playbook and roll it out 12 months 2?”
2. Coaches return: Assistant coaches are due again within the workplace this week, which is the primary signal that soccer is correct across the nook. The Patriots record 30 assistants on their roster on first-year head coach Jerod Mayo’s workers. They listed 20 assistants on their roster at first of coaching camp final 12 months. It is one signal of the altering occasions across the Patriots.
3. Mayo’s adjustment: On an look on the “Rise and Schein” podcast, former Patriots security Devin McCourty shared a narrative from a go to he had with Mayo a number of months in the past that highlighted his view of Mayo’s greatest adjustment going from assistant to go coach.
“I feel the factor that is going to be the largest transition for him, and [where] he’ll proceed to develop, is when he stated, ‘The quantity of stuff I do this has nothing to do with soccer is loopy,'” McCourty relayed. “I feel each new head coach would inform you a similar story. You do not understand what number of issues Invoice Belichick used to deal with and do for twenty-four years as a head coach, and now you are thrust into that function.”
4. Enterprise issues: The Patriots would ideally wish to have all contract-related issues buttoned up by the primary follow July 24, giving Mayo a transparent soccer runway as he begins his first coaching camp as coach. In order that leaves one other 10 days to resolve the standing of the likes of out of doors linebacker Matthew Judon and defensive sort out Davon Godchaux (and presumably others).
If extensions aren’t struck, one option to bridge the hole is to extend the worth of their contracts by way of incentives to a extra tenable monetary stage for the participant.
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5. Robinson in fourth spherical: When the Patriots chosen Texas A&M guard Layden Robinson early within the fourth spherical (No. 103), Nagy, the chief director of the Senior Bowl who beforehand spent 18 years as an NFL scout, took be aware.
“Not figuring out their draft board, however figuring out how groups put boards collectively, I might enterprise to guess that they had a starter-level grade on him — for the easy indisputable fact that Layden just isn’t going to supply quite a lot of place versatility. He is actually a guard-only participant, and to take him the place they took him, you are not drafting a one-position offensive lineman there that you just see has a backup ceiling so that they most likely felt they acquired good worth there,” Nagy defined.
The fourth spherical began at decide 101, that means Robinson was the third participant chosen when Day 3 of the draft started.
“You consider what these conversations had been like Friday evening, you get the group assembled and also you’re wanting on the board, these early fourth-round picks are fairly telling on how groups worth guys,” Nagy stated, earlier than highlighting his background with the 6-foot-3, 311-pound Robinson.
“We spent quite a lot of time [scouting] him. He had a very good 2021, a bit of little bit of a down 2022 when he was coping with some accidents, after which had a very good 2023. He was one of many guys that I felt like did not get sufficient buzz popping out of Senior Bowl week … He was actually good within the 1-on-1 stuff in move safety. You watch the group stuff and he was shifting folks off the ball. He’s a robust in-line participant.”
6. Baker intel: If fourth-round decide Javon Baker (Central Florida) emerges to supply the receiving corps a much-needed increase, the Patriots would possibly in the end credit score evolving scouting expertise because the catalyst for it. When Nagy was evaluating Baker as a risk for the Senior Bowl, he defined how a few of his friends basically had one query: How will he run?
Baker is not a burner, however Nagy stated Zebra and GPS expertise in the end revealed he was enjoying quicker than his timed pace — which helped clinch his Senior Bowl invitation.
“I feel he climbed by means of the method when folks noticed that in-game and in-practice knowledge,” Nagy stated.
7. Patriots in Onerous Knocks: There have been two Patriots-based nuggets within the episode two of “Onerous Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants”, with essentially the most compelling coming when GM Joe Schoen visited New England’s field on the Scouting Mix to talk with govt VP of Participant Personnel Eliot Wolf in regards to the No. 3 decide. The clip supplied a snapshot of how preliminary conversations are began on potential draft-pick trades.
Then there was space scout Patrick Hanscomb offering a part of his report on Maye, noting Maye’s persona was “a bit of bit looser” than Giants starter Daniel Jones whereas including: “I’ve no situation with the soccer character. That is all going to grade out excessive. The psychological might be going to grade out excessive [as well].”
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8. No in-stadium follow: Patriots season-ticket members had been knowledgeable this week that an in-stadium follow – a ticketed occasion which had been a staple within the early weeks of coaching camp – is not going to be going down this 12 months attributable to scheduling conflicts. The group will as a substitute host a ticketed season-ticket-member occasion on the follow fields behind the stadium on Sunday, Aug. 11.
9. They stated it: “The Krafts throw a heck of a celebration. I do not understand how they did it, however the folks on the Pats who put that on, I do not suppose they may have accomplished a greater job.” — Nagy, who labored as a scout for the Patriots from 2002-2009, on attending Tom Brady’s group Corridor of Fame induction ceremony
10. Do you know?: Since 2020, security Kyle Dugger’s 26% stress charge ranks second within the NFL amongst defensive backs (minimal 75 rushes), behind solely Jamal Adams (28%), who agreed to a one-year cope with the Titans on Thursday.