When it comes to evaluating the Patriots’ draft, it’s tough to find anyone with a better credential than a former scout.
Jim Nagy, executive director at the Senior Bowl and a former scout with the Patriots and Seahawks, has studied several hundred prospects over the past 12 months, including most of the players the Pats drafted last week. Nagy did not scout first-round rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez or sixth-round receiver Kayshon Boutte, both true juniors, too heavily. But their other drafted rookies, from second-round pass rusher Keion White to new punter Bryce Baringer, were all on his radar.
Nagy recently spoke with the Herald about the Patriots’ draft class. The following Q&A has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Nagy: “They addressed special teams, they got a couple of really versatile pieces on defense, they got a guy (Troy offensive lineman Jake Andrews) they feel like is gonna be the heir apparent at center. And they got competition on the interior offensive line and a couple core (special) teams players at the end of the draft. So they addressed their needs, and that’s what you want going into a draft.”
Nagy: “He’s almost like a jumbo outside linebacker. We got some good background with him because there’s a guy the Giants drafted, Oshane Ximines, a former third-round pick from Old Dominion who we had three or four years ago. When we were doing Oshane’s tape, Keion kept flashing. And I was like, ‘what year is this kid?’ And our scouts looked him up, and he was only a sophomore at the time. So I’m like, damn.’ And that year he had converted from tight end and had 19 tackles for loss, which tells you he can find the football and has got some disruptive quickness.
“And this guy can really, really run. He’s got versatility to play up and down the front. He played standing up, he played with his hand in the dirt. And what I like about him is, as a pass rusher, I think where he can improve is just having a plan. He already gets some second-effort and third-effort pressures, and he plays hard. He’s what they look for in guys that have positional versatility. And that expression when he got drafted, that was the look on his face the entire week in Mobile.”
Nagy: “He was an easy guy for us. He’s got straight-line closing speed, pretty unique pop on contact for his body type. He’s got a lot of explosion in there. He reminded me of (former Jaguars linebacker) Telvin Smith, who was a damn good player. He has a good feeling in coverage, he’s long. … He had two really good days of practice here and got hurt at the end of the second day, but did enough in those two days to help himself.
“And now that the draft is already over, I’ll say I was standing on the field with (Steelers coach) Mike Tomlin during one of the 9-on-7 periods, and I’ve posted this clip online, Mapu came down and just buckled this fullback behind the line of scrimmage. And Mike looks at me with wide eyes, and we look at each other like that, holy (expletive) look. And he was like, ‘This boy’s making some money right now.’ So he definitely stood out.”
Nagy: “I think he can stay at the second level because he hits like a guy who’s 240 or 250 (pounds). This guy’s got serious explosion on contact. So if he’s 220 (pounds) at the Senior Bowl, and they could get him to 226 or 228, he could easily have enough size. He could be a dime linebacker right off the bat. The guy’s gonna have a role. You don’t take a guy 76th overall without thinking you’re gonna have a role for the guy’s first year.
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"He's different than (Patriots safety) Kyle Dugger, to me at least. Dugger's a little more fluid of an athlete, a better change-of-direction athlete than Mapu. But he's not as explosive as Mapu on contact. So a little bit different, but you're talking about a hybrid type player."
Nagy: "I don't know what their situation's like on the offensive line. To me, when I scouted them, they were all depth-level players and - I think (fourth-round pick) Sity (Sow) has a chance to become a starter - they went in the fourth round. I think that's where you start taking depth-level offensive lineman, but fourth or fifth-round guys always have a chance to hit starters. And Jake's a guy that they obviously targeted at 107. They probably had action to trade out of there, so the fact that they stayed and took Jake tells you what they think. And it seems like a really good succession plan.
"It's weird because I scouted David Andrews when he came out, and I was still in the league. And they're pretty similar guys, similar body types. I've learned this enough from speaking with offensive line coaches that you have to have different teaching techniques for different body types. And those guys are built very similarly. So a lot of things that have worked for David are going to work for Jake, and not always the case."
Nagy: "He's more than athletic enough. He's strong like an ox, he's got enough initial quickness, he's got enough mobility. He's got everything he needs athletically to do it. And then you look into the makeup of the player, and he was a good high school wrestler. So there's everything that goes along with that, just the coordination and the balance and the leverage you know, the grittiness of that sport. It's a pretty cool makeup for an offensive lineman."
How does the Patriots’ depth chart look post-NFL Draft?
Nagy: "Talking to guys around the league, and special teams coaches, they felt like Bryce had the best leg of any of the punters. He had a couple of days down here where he was absolutely booming the ball. And with some of the Zebra Technology we have, with the (tracking) chip balls and everything, his hang time, distance, I think he hit a 70-yarder. He was kind of the talk of the week.
"And then Ryland, as we were going through the selection process, it was either him or (Michigan's) Jake Moody as the top two kickers in the draft. And he lived up to that, so it doesn't surprise me that he went in the fourth."