FOXBOROUGH, Massachusetts. – Quick thoughts and notes about the New England Patriots and the NFL:
1. Douglas Potential: Troy Brown was an eighth-round pick. Danny Amendola entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent. Julian Edelman was the seventh-place finisher. Each was less than 6 feet tall and weighed less than 200 pounds.
Could the Patriots’ sixth-round rookie outside Liberty, Demario Douglas, be next in line for undersized and undersized receivers to thrive in New England?
Former Liberty coach Hugh Freese, who recruited the 5-foot-8, 179-pound Douglas and watched him grow into an honest first choice before being named Auburn’s new head coach in November, says he thinks so.
“you all [the Patriots] They were great at getting these guys moving and putting them into iso positions. I think that’s his strength, said Freese of Douglas. “He can play with me now at Auburn and start for us. He’s the best, quickest kid in and out of breaks I’ve ever coached.”
“It’s not Burner Man 4.27 [in the 40-yard dash], but… his speed is short-ranged and his hands are formidable. If you watch the way he rolls over from his breaks, it’s very special.”
Despite many identifying a receiver as one of the Patriots’ top needs entering the NFL Draft, the team waited until the sixth round to tackle it—with LSU’s Keshawn Bute (No. 181) and then Douglas (No. 210).
Thus, the starters have a great chance of grabbing a spot on the depth chart behind DeVante Parker, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Tyquan Thornton and Kendrick Bourne.
“Double moves, he’s incredible about it,” Freese said of Douglas, who totaled 131 receptions for 1,694 yards and 12 touchdowns over his past two seasons at Liberty.
“You’ll probably have to play with it in and move it around; the catch radius on vertical seams can be a problem because you know it’s an undersized one. But on the third and fifth, get it evenly, it’s a bunch to deal with.”
The Patriots had a unique initial drafting opportunity with Douglas, who was in the East-West Shine Bowl in January and trained with the Western team coached by Troy Brown and other New England linebackers.
One of the most important questions for scouts is how Douglas projects for the NFL’s meager physical profile.
Since 1960, there have only been 13 non-kickers/punters listed at 5-foot-8 or shorter and 180 pounds or less who have played at least 100 NFL games, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
Cornerback Allen Rossum (153 games), receiver Cole Beasley (153), Ray Mickens (146), receiver Leo Lewis (143), and receiver Willard Harrell (136) rounded out the top five in that category.
The Patriots may have gotten more comfortable with Douglas based on their experience with 2022 third-round pick Marcus Jones, the 5-foot-8, 175-pounder who was arguably the most dynamic player on the team when he appeared in a potential 15 games. 17 matches.
Douglas, like Jones, has experience as a punt returner (two TD’s) and kickoff returner. “It’s excellent there, too,” said Freese.
Freese recalled recruiting Douglas from Mandarin High School in Jacksonville, Florida, where he won the state championship and was a “dominant player” but was snubbed by major colleges because of his size.
Freese’s team capitalized on that — he credits receivers coach Maurice Harris for helping him develop Douglas — and now he can envision something similar unfolding in New England.
“He has the natural ability to do that, and he has the work ethic. He’s a great teammate. He loves the game. He loves practice,” Friese said. “He’s so much fun to be around, without any sense of entitlement. I can’t say enough good things about him.”
2. DHop possibilities: The Cardinals’ release of veteran receiver DeAndre Hopkins on Friday means a player long admired by coach Bill Belichick is now available on the open market, rather than the trade market. The Patriots could use a boost at receiver, but in a previous appearance on the “I’m a Sportsman” podcast, Hopkins listed Josh Allen (Bills), Galen Hurts (Eagles), Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs), Lamar Jackson (Ravens), and Justin Herbert (Chargers) as their top five quarterbacks. He would like to get passes from them. So if the Patriots were interested in Hopkins, they would obviously have to privately impress them with a financial offer. My point is that this looks like a longer scenario.
If tonight is my last drive home, I have to say thank you to one of the best QBs in NFL history for welcoming me into this league, helping me grow, and being there for me every step of my career. It’s an honor to get permits and take the field with you.
Thank you, 7! pic.twitter.com/YsL53rfpfE
– JuJu Smith-Schuster (TeamJuJu) January 3, 2022
3. OTA Violation: New England was stripped of two organized team activities due to the coaches’ schedule resulting in players spending more time than allowed in the team facility. The NFL could also have fined Belichick up to $100,000 but chose $50,000 instead. The league could have imposed an additional fine on the Patriots organization (payable via ownership) but did not. While this could be related in part to the Patriots’ cooperation with the investigation, it more conclusively reflects, in the opinion of some about the NFL, how the violation was primarily about negligence/lack of attention to detail on the day of the NFL Players Association. The employee was visiting as part of standard operating procedures.
4. OTA Fallout: Missing two days of volunteer training shouldn’t have much of an impact on the Patriots’ big picture, as Belichick often canceled some days anyway. Perhaps the biggest challenge for players is disrupting their strength and conditioning work, as no one is allowed to exercise in the team’s facility on days when the violation is reported. But for contractual purposes, players are deemed to have participated in order to receive off-season workout pay or any workout bonus. Meanwhile, Belichick has 16 days to pay the $50,000 fine.
5. Back to work: The Patriots will return to the field Wednesday after a six-day break, and the reporters are scheduled to be in attendance for the first time this spring. Belichick is expected to answer questions. One spring tradition continues with starters in unconventional jersey numbers, so cornerback Christian Gonzalez will be 50, receivers Butte and Douglas 58 and 60, respectively, and undrafted quarterback Malik Cunningham is 64. It’s a reminder for them, in part, to focus on things. more important. No player on the list has been awarded a zero, which will be allowed for the first time in 2023.
6. The starting rule: The Patriots voted against the NFL’s new starting rule, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Brier. The rule allows returns to call for a fair catch and spot the ball at the 25-yard line. No surprise there, as Belichick has previously described the kickoff as one of the most exciting plays in the game.
in 2017, Belichick said: “I have the dissenting view of people who like to eliminate kickoffs from the game and try to get as few kickoffs as possible. I think it’s an exciting play, a unique play, a game with great momentum because of what happened in the play before – the result or, perhaps, The two times are at the beginning of the inning where he’s kind of a pitch-setter or setting the pace for that opening play.”
7. JuJu’s 7: Smith-Schuster could have worn jersey number 19 as he did with the Steelers, but instead he would wear number 7 in his first Patriots season. There’s often a story behind every number, and here’s a question he was thrown away to ask Smith-Schuster: Is this a reference to Ben Roethlisberger and his influence on him?
8. Verexer Perseveres Newly signed Anthony Firkser entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent from Harvard in 2017, so he beat long odds to still be in the league after seven years (115 career catches, 1,207 yards, 5 TDs). The 6-2, 246-pound Firkser played 21% of the offensive snaps in Atlanta last season, and he has experience at fullback if new offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien has designs on bringing that position back on offense in 2023.
9. Remember Marquez: On this day 16 years ago, Patriots defensive end Marquis Hill drowned after falling from his personal watercraft into Lake Pontchartrain. Belichick said Hill “will be remembered as a thoughtful, caring young man who established himself as one of the team’s daily fixtures throughout the year.” Hill’s locker remains intact at Gillette Stadium.
10. Did you know?: When O’Brien was the head coach of the Houston Texans from 2014 to 2020, his offenses were in empty formations 767 times (10.5% of their plays), according to ESPN Stats & Info. Only the Cardinals (916) and Steelers (856) have run more plays in empty lineups.