Tag: Matt Groh

Patriots could reportedly target OT with No. 3 draft pick, if this happens

There are no guarantees the Patriots will draft a quarterback with the No. 3 pick

Most have assumed the New England Patriots will be targeting a quarterback with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft. But given the team’s great draft positioning and lucrative salary cap situation, they could also choose to go in a different direction.

The Athletic’s Jeff Howe pointed to the possibility of the team selecting an offensive tackle with the No. 3 pick, especially if director of scouting Eliot Wolf is given the reins for personnel decisions.

Howe wrote:

In-house candidates Eliot Wolf and Matt Groh have also been under consideration. If it’s Wolf running the show, expect the Patriots to give a long, hard look at drafting a left tackle with the No. 3 pick.

Wolf could potentially be the leading in-house candidate to take over as general manager.

The Boston Sports Journal’s Mike Giardi noted in a previous report that Wolf is an alluring candidate for the Patriots due to the fact that he isn’t a Bill Belichick guy. Unlike Matt Groh, who worked his way up under the former Patriots head coach, Wolf cut his teeth in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers.

Offensive tackle is one of the biggest areas of need on the roster for the Patriots, and they would be in a position to select either Notre Dame’s Joe Alt or Penn State’s Olu Fashanu. Neither would be an exciting pick on paper, but both could prove to be what the Patriots need most right now.

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Matt Groh wants ‘explosive players’ for Patriots in 2024

Matt Groh says what Patriots fans have been saying for years. Is real offensive change finally coming to New England?

The New England Patriots reportedly have a strategy heading into the 2024 NFL draft. The organization needs to get better in several aspects, and director of player personnel Matt Groh offered some hints as to what he is looking for in an offense.

The Patriots went defense in the first round of the draft last year, selecting Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez. If Groh’s comments are any indication, New England might have an offensive focus heading into the draft this year as they have needs at several positions.

Playmakers are undoubtedly a big part of an offense, and it seems Groh recognizes that, as noted in a report from Evan Lazar of Patriots.com.

“You need to have explosive players. You look at the teams that are playing deep into the playoffs and they have explosive players, whether that’s on the perimeter, or the backfield, or the tight end position. The quickest way to score points is through explosive plays. You get that by having explosive players and somebody who can get those guys the ball,” said Groh.

This will be the first draft under head coach Jerod Mayo. For the first time in 24 years, Bill Belichick won’t be the one making the decisions as the de facto general manager.

This draft will clearly be a significant one with New England looking to rebuild for the future.

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Where things stand currently with Patriots’ GM plans

How the Patriots plan to move forward without a general manager in place

The New England Patriots lost both a head coach and a general manager the moment they moved on from Bill Belichick.

Ever since announcing Jerod Mayo as the new head coach, the team has been in scramble mode conducting interviews and looking to fill positions on the coaching staff with no single individual in charge of the front office.

During Mayo’s introductory press conference, owner Robert Kraft explained it would be a collaborative effort with the personnel decisions. The two key individuals in the decision-making is expected to be director of player personnel Matt Groh and director of scouting Eliot Wolf.

However, per the Boston Sports Journal’s Mike Giardi, via NESN’s Dakota Randall, Wolf is believed to be the one that will eventually run the front office.

Giardi wrote:

Some external and internal sources believe Elliott Wolf will eventually be the choice to run the front office. However, it remains unlikely that he’ll get the title of general manager. He has established an excellent relationship with the Krafts and appeals to them partly because he didn’t grow from the Belichick tree. Wolf has filled several roles during his career, including scouting for the Green Bay Packers (while working under his father, legendary GM Ron Wolf) and aiding Mayo in his coordinator search.

It’s no surprise that the Patriots would be looking to get away from the Belichick model of drafting and signing players, considering that’s been the biggest issue for the team.

Despite Belichick’s ability to still coach at a high level, he had far too many misfires with the personnel decisions, particularly on the offensive side of the ball, to the point where he wasn’t able to overcome them on the football field. The Patriots probably aren’t looking to run that back with Groh.

Perhaps Wolf is the best internal option to provide new direction for an organization that desperately needs it.

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Projecting Patriots’ front office hirings and promotions in 2024

Taking a look at possible front office fits to support the post-dynasty era Patriots

The New England Patriots have officially moved on from Bill Belichick after 24 years and have already named Jerod Mayo as the team’s 15th head coach.

Belichick is the greatest coach of all time, but he is seemingly losing touch towards the end of his career, like every other all-time great has across other sports.

It rarely ever ends in a fairytale way, and the Patriots are headed for a true, long-term rebuild this offseason, after a 4-13 finish to the 2023 season. They haven’t won a playoff game since the 2018 season, and they got knocked out in the first round by the Tennessee Titans in the 2019 season.

The NFL has changed since Belichick and Tom Brady dominated it, and owners are opting for former players to run their football teams more so than ever. Players across the league seem to play hard for former players, and those former players know how to connect with their team.

However, moving on from Belichick means the Patriots might not be as good to start. I still think Belichick is a good overall coach, but in the long-term, New England will be in a much better position to compete.

Over the last few days, there have been reports as to what the Patriots might do to replace Belichick, who had his hand across all of the team’s football operations. It is much harder to entrust Mayo, a first time head coach to immediately take all of that on.

Let’s take a look at what a potential New England front office could look like to support the post-dynasty era Patriots. It is likely that Mayo and top coaches will have a hand in evaluation and team building, but it will take a few different pieces to replace what Belichick did for this team over the years.

Report: Adrian Klemm confronted Matt Groh in ‘loud exchange’ over Patriots’ OL decisions

An explosive report details a “loud exchange” between Patriots OL coach Adrian Klemm and director of player personnel Matt Groh

New England Patriots offensive line coach Adrian Klemm was tasked with cleaning up a messy offensive line situation that had lingered ever since legendary coach Dante Scarnecchia retired and rode off into the sunset.

But honestly, it was an impossible situation considering the Patriots hadn’t really addressed the personnel issues in the offseason.

That reportedly got things off to a rocky start between Klemm and Patriots director of personnel Matt Groh. Per the Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed and Andrew Callahan, via NESN’s Zack Cox, Klemm confronted Groh early in the season and got into a “loud exchange” over the talent available on the roster.

The Herald wrote:

Outside the front office, a few staffers privately pointed fingers back at decision-makers about the talent available. That is, save for Klemm, who confronted director of player personnel Matt Groh early in the season in a loud exchange that reverberated through the organization. Klemm, according to sources, didn’t feel heard, while some offensive veterans didn’t want to believe their eyes.

Klemm ended up leaving the team in November due to health-related issues, and he is reportedly not expected to return in 2024.

It shouldn’t come as any surprise Klemm would be frustrated considering the lack of attention paid to the offensive side of the ball in the offseason. Instead of making a splash in free agency to help boost the offensive line, the Patriots went the bargain bin route with players like Riley Reiff, Conor McDermott and Calvin Anderson.

All three were banged up with injuries in the season, and the team attempted to make up for it with trades for Vederian Lowe and Tyrone Wheatley Jr. Neither one of those two moves panned out, and the Patriots’ offensive line was among the worst in the NFL.

It’s even more frustrating considering the Patriots knew they had serious deficiencies on the offensive line and at receiver heading into the offseason last year, and they barely did anything to address those issues.

After the patchwork fliers in free agency, they used their three premium draft picks on defensive players, while waiting until the mid and later rounds to go after offensive talent.

Drafting a potential game-changer like Christian Gonzalez was understandable because few, if any, expected him to fall to No. 17 on the draft board. But the Patriots could have gone after offensive linemen in the second and third rounds. Keion White and Marte Mapu are two great young players, but did the Patriots really need to draft them?

“We didn’t invest in the offensive line until the fourth round, didn’t take a receiver until the sixth,” a separate Boston Herald source said, via Cox. “How do we spend the first three picks on defense when tackle was the biggest problem on the team last year?”

If anything, it points to dysfunction at the highest level that Klemm could be brought in and felt like his voice wasn’t being heard. Wasn’t that the reason he was hired in the first place? To help fix things?

He never got that opportunity in New England, and from the looks of things, it doesn’t seem like he ever will.

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How Mike Onwenu’s expiring contract could play out with Patriots

Will the Patriots reach a contract extension with starting guard Mike Onwenu?

The New England Patriots struck gold in 2020 when they selected a Michigan Wolverine in the sixth round of the NFL draft. Stop me if you’ve heard that one before.

Mike Onwenu bounced between right tackle and right guard, before finally settling in at right guard last season.

Although right guard is his more natural fit, he played right tackle earlier in his career due to need. Even though the Patriots have a glaring need at right tackle and a surging rookie at guard with Atonio Mafi, they want to keep Onwenu right where he is.

That decision, although puzzling, is well understood across the league. Onwenu is wildly viewed as one of the best guards in all of football, and he has improved every single year since 2020. He is up for a new contract, and the Patriots have yet to make any headway on it.

Many, including myself, want them to lock up Onwenu sooner than later, as the price for good versatile linemen continues to rise. That, and, the Patriots have a ton of cap space after 2023 with other roster spots to fill. They should without a doubt spend the cash on an elite, homegrown player, who’s job is to protect the most important player, the quarterback.

Unfortunately, the writing may be on the wall, as the Patriots rarely give any player a second contract. They feel that their scouting and development teams are better than most at identifying talent in the later draft rounds, especially on the offensive line.

The Patriots recently let Joe Thuney and Ted Karras walk, while also trading Shaq Mason to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They clearly feel they can revamp the line on the fly, rather than having money tied to good veterans they developed. Onwenu could be the latest casualty to this philosophy.

That’s unless Matt Groh has anything to say about it. Groh has slowly taken more and more control behind the scenes in player personnel, allowing Belichick to control the team operations. Perhaps he could get a deal done.

In the 2023 NFL draft, the Patriots selected Mafi, an offensive guard from UCLA, and he has quickly shot up the depth chart, which is a sign that the team could be ready to let Onwenu walk. Onwenu had surgery in the offseason and has been on the PUP list since the start of camp.

The absences of both Onwenu and Cole Strange, who is dealing with a leg injury, has allowed Mafi to work at both left and right guard.

If Groh is truly in charge, it might make sense to pay Onwenu like a tackle, move him back to right tackle and allow Mafi to take the reins at right guard moving forward.

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Matt Groh leaves door open on potentially acquiring Dalvin Cook

Should the Patriots pursue Dalvin Cook?

New England Patriots director of player personnel Matt Groh isn’t ruling out the chances of the team pursuing four-time Pro Bowl running back Dalvin Cook.

“You don’t see guys of this talent available at this time of the year. … it’s a unique situation.” said Groh, who claimed the Patriots were exploring all options, per FOX Sports’ Henry McKenna.

Cook is coming off a season that saw him record 1,173 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. It was his fourth season in a row with over 1,000 yards on the ground. The former Florida State product has 47 rushing touchdowns in his career and is still very much in his prime at age 27.

The Patriots have been pegged as betting favorites to land the former Minnesota Vikings running back.

He would undoubtedly give New England running back depth and immediately make the position one of the strongest on the team. The Patriots had Leonard Fournette and Darrell Henderson in for workouts prior to training camp.

After missing on star wideout DeAndre Hopkins, perhaps the Patriots have a different roster move in mind to help them keep up with the rest of the AFC East.

Maybe, just maybe, Cook really is an option.

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3 potential blockbuster training camp trades for Patriots

Even after the draft, the opportunity to make a blockbuster move is still there for the Patriots.

The New England Patriots may be done adding through free agency, and the draft has come and gone.

But with June 1 approaching, there are some instances where contracts can shift, and that makes it more feasible for a team like the Patriots to acquire and restructure a player’s contract.

Many teams also would consider trading future picks, which at this point are less valuable than making a trade up to or at the draft.

Let’s take a look at some potential Patriots training camp trades that could shake up the roster.

2023 official NFL draft kit from Cam Garrity

All of your draft needs are here, from big-board rankings to breakdowns and grades for top prospects.

As the 2023 NFL Draft rolls in, it’s time for our official draft kit. I did this kit last year for our friends at Lions Wire wanted to bring it back for another year.

I typically start official draft preparation in the New Year and spend a few months diving into players on film and re-watching full games for situational awareness. I do watch college football games year-round. So I have a general sense of the players that popped. This is just a deeper dive that is started in January.

I like to spend all my focus on one player at a time before giving out my grade, essentially filling out my top 10 at each position then organizing the top-50 big board. This helps form the kit right in time for the draft so that any fans reading it can get a general sense of the player, their skills, where they went and how they fit.

I also take a look at the big boards across multiple different sources and different mediums to understand the general consensus of players eligible and where people rank them. This is usually done as quality control for my own work once my evaluations are completed.

The big board is just a starting point in a vacuum.

As the draft rolls on, positional value, team needs and fit all come into play. So sometimes, player No. 10 might go first overall, and that’s simply because players 1-9 do not make sense for them to grab. I would recommend filling for need and fit regardless of the big board, unless that player was a can’t miss, Hall of Fame-level talent right out of the gate.

Before we jump right into the kit, here’s a little background of the grading system I use:

Did this Matt Groh comment hint at Patriots drafting QB at No. 14?

Why did the Patriots host QB prospect Will Levis on a visit? These previous comments by Matt Groh likely give the answer.

The New England Patriots are never not going to be looking at other options, no matter the position or player.

That was something Patriots director of player personnel Matt Groh made sure to hammer home when speaking with media members earlier in the week. In many ways, the comments were foreboding for a top 30 pre-draft visit with University of Kentucky quarterback Will Levis on Wednesday.

The news that the Patriots were meeting with a projected first-round pick at the quarterback position started a social media firestorm of speculation that the team might be considering moving on from Mac Jones.

However, Groh’s previous comments add perspective to what the Patriots were probably thinking with the Levis visit.

“We had a pretty good quarterback for a long time,” said Groh, per MassLive’s Mark Daniels. “I was an area scout and nobody said, ‘Don’t worry about evaluating these quarterbacks.’ Don’t worry about that guy at San Jose State. Don’t worry about that guy at Miami.’ We evaluate every position. Quarterbacks (are) certainly a very important position if not the most important position.”

If the Patriots were looking at other talent when Tom Brady was still under center, that’s obviously going to continue with Jones as the starter as well. However, this appears to be more of a timing issue than anything.

There has been plenty of talk of a shaky situation behind the scenes between Jones and coach Bill Belichick, following a disappointing 2022 season. Could Belichick already be looking for an exit ramp off the Jones highway after only two years of working together? And would he do so by selecting another quarterback with the No. 14 overall pick of the 2023 NFL draft?

It honestly seems sort of fast, even with all of the reported drama.

The more likely scenario is the Patriots doing their homework on Levis just in case if he falls down the draft board. It wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened to a player. New England is simply preparing for every scenario at a draft that will ultimately shape their present and future.

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