Sometimes
Jacob Bailey Buffalo Bills Jersey , intrepid reporters track down elusive interviews through an exhaustive process of legwork, and hundreds of phone
calls.Sometimes, they look out the window and walk across the street.Tom Curran
of (one of the intrepidest ones we know) ran into Patriots tight end Rob
Gronkowski standing on a sidewalk in South Boston in the rain Sunday afternoon,
and Gronkowski shook off the notion that he might come back this season.Of
course, Gronkowski was just hanging out on a sidewalk in the rain, while
watching his friend Jim work out inside a gym.“I’m into new opportunities,”
Gronkowski said with a shake of the head. “I was at CVS today with Jim. Bagged
all his stuff. I might do that, be a bagger. I might open a dog-walking
business, be a dog-walker, I don’t know.”Of course, the idea this should be
treated as gospel is as silly as the idea of running into Rob Gronkowski
standing on the sidewalk in the rain while he was watching Jim work out in a gym
in South Boston on a Sunday afternoon.The good news is, it’s still Gronkowski,
as evidenced by his exploration of opportunities in the export end of the
dog-walking field.“No doubt! Get a long stick with a scooper on the end and a
handle
Color Rush Jacob Bailey Jersey ,” Gronkowski said. “I just hit the trigger and it scoops it up. Then I reach back and drop it in a big bag on my back. Put all the
poop in there and empty it every once in a while! So many ideas!”This is Rob
Gronkowski in retirement. May we all be as happy as Rob Gronkowski in
retirement. The Patriots have one of the best young pipelines of talent in the
NFL." Patriots AnalysisPatriots 2019 NFL Draft CoveragePatriots Offseason
CoverageThe early returns from the Patriots 2019 NFL Draft Class are extremely
promisingNew,175commentsThe Patriots have one of the best young pipelines of
talent in the NFL.EDTShare this storyShare this on FacebookShare this on
TwitterShareAll sharing optionsShareAll sharing options for:The early returns
from the Patriots 2019 NFL Draft Class are extremely
promisingTwitterFacebookRedditPocketFlipboardEmailPhoto by Wesley Hitt/Getty
ImagesThere are many ways to reach a Super Bowl in the salary cap era, but a
common thread is finding players that out-perform their contract. The New
England Patriots have been a master at finding productive veterans in free
agency, but they’ve also found a way to incorporate stellar performances from
rookies at cost-effective contracts.The players on rookie contracts come from
early rounds, like Nate Solder, Dont’a Hightower, Malcom Brown, and Sony Michel;
they come from the middle rounds like Logan Ryan, James White, Trey Flowers,
Shaq Mason, and Joe Thuney; and they can come from the late rounds or even
undrafted, like Malcolm Butler
Youth Jacob Bailey Jersey , David Andrews, Jonathan Jones, and J.C. Jackson.So long as the Patriots find young players that complement Tom Brady and the veterans on
their larger contracts, New England will always be able to compete. I had some
concerns about how the weak draft classes from 2016 and 2017 would impact the
Patriots as players from those classes were expected to enter their prime. Of
those two drafts, the Patriots just have Joe Thuney, Elandon Roberts, Ted
Karras, Derek Rivers, and Deatrich Wise; Thuney is the only lock to make the
2019 roster. It’s worth noting that Jonathan Jones and Adam Butler were
undrafted signings from those classes, too.We’ve seen in the past how weak draft
classes impact the Patriots’ abilities after a few seasons. New England’s draft
classes from 2006-08 yielded Jerod Mayo, Stephen Gostkowski, Matthew Slater,
Brandon Meriweather
Womens Jacob Bailey Jersey , and Laurence Maroney, and we saw how the 2009 Patriots- when these classes were expected to hit their prime- became considered one of
the weakest of the Bill Belichick era.Well, I don’t think we’ll have to worry
about the same drought impacting the Patriots because the 2018 and 2019 draft
classes have yielded some pretty intriguing results.Yes, it’s early. Yes, things
can change. But I’m hopeful for the future of the Patriots.From the 2018 draft
class, left tackle Isaiah Wynn, running back Sony Michel, and linebacker
Ja’Whaun Bentley all look like they should be starters, while cornerback Keion
Crossen has provided value on both defense and special teams. Second round
cornerback Duke Dawson might not make the roster, but when an undrafted player
like J.C. Jackson emerges as a potential starter, it’s hard to be too upset. Any
draft class that yields two starters is considered a solid one; three starters
is considered great. If Wynn, Michel, Bentley
Authentic Jacob Bailey Jersey , and Jackson are all starters either in 2019 or in 2020 (once the logjam at cornerback clears up), then this could be one of the
strongest draft classes by Bill Belichick.And from the 2019 draft class,
cornerback Joejuan Williams had a stellar day against a great talent in Titans
wide receiver Corey Davis, locking down his side of the field. And for as good
as Williams was in coverage, edge defender Chase Winovich was even better.
Running back Damien Harris picked up over 100 yards from scrimmage in his debut,
offensive lineman Hjalte Froholdt has played every single snap over the first
two games, and punter Jake Bailey already won his starting job. Oh, and
quarterback Jarrett Stidham and receiver Jakobi Meyers are both having two of
the best preseasons at their respective positions in the Belichick-era.This is
ignoring first round receiver N’Keal Harry and currently injured offensive
tackle Yodny Cajuste — and if defensive tackle Byron Cowart continues to play
well, he might earn a roster spot too.Bailey and (probably) Meyers are the only
two starters of the rookie class, but I would expect Harry, Williams, Winovich,
and Harris to all have notable roles as rookies
Jacob Bailey Jersey Boys , and for those players- and potentially Froholdt and, dare I say it, Stidham- to become starters or top-rotational players in the future. The
Patriots are built to win right now, with veterans like Tom Brady, Julian
Edelman, Devin McCourty, and Patrick Chung playing at the top of their game- but
all will be older than 32 years old, which means that their sustained level of
play should no longer be taken for granted. Fortunately, the Patriots are also
built to win in the future, with a pipeline of talent at each position, ready to
assume a larger role in the coming years.We’ve only seen two preseason games of
the 2019 class, but I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that the consecutive
draft classes of 2018 and 2019 have provided Bill Belichick with some of the
best young talent we’ve seen on a Patriots roster- and that should scare the
rest of the league.
