Protecting Patriots’ Mac Jones: An early look at rookie C/G Jake Andrews

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Fast-hit ideas and notes across the New England Patriots and NFL:

Insurance coverage protection: In an ideal soccer world, each participant would report back to coaching camp with a clear invoice of well being and be on the sector for the primary follow to maximise the restricted time main as much as the common season.

It seldom occurs, and for the Patriots, beginning proper guard Mike Onwenu’s offseason ankle surgical procedure and opening coaching camp on the bodily unable to carry out checklist is one instance of how a “subsequent man up” state of affairs can come at groups shortly.

Onwenu is without doubt one of the Patriots’ greatest gamers, a key cog in serving to preserve quarterback Mac Jones upright. He performed all however six snaps final season and ranked as an “honorable point out” choose in ESPN’s offseason top-10 poll of executives, coaches, scouts and gamers.

The Patriots will likely be affected person with the 6-foot-3, 350-pound Onwenu, and till he’s cleared for follow after lacking all on-field work this spring, they’ll get an early take a look at what they’ve for insurance coverage — a bunch together with the primary offensive lineman they chose on this yr’s draft, Troy heart/guard Jake Andrews.

“He’s a battler, a aggressive dude, a blue-collar man. I feel it’s an ideal match,” Troy head coach Jon Sumrall instructed ESPN.com. “If you happen to say a ‘New England Patriot sort of man,’ Jake Andrews is not only a ‘Yeah,’ he’s a ‘Hell yeah!’”

The Patriots chosen Andrews with the fifth choose of the fourth spherical, No. 107 total. The timing of the choice, in addition to the team-building technique behind it, is notable.

The fourth spherical kicks off the third day of the draft, which suggests each staff resets its board at that time. The in a single day break, coupled with groups not anticipating gamers to nonetheless be obtainable, explains why there have been three straight trades at the beginning of the Spherical 4 (Saints, Raiders and Eagles all moved up).

The Patriots additionally might have traded out however as an alternative noticed better worth in securing Andrews, who began at proper guard in 2020 and 2021 earlier than transferring to heart as a senior in 2022. Sumrall understood why.

“He’s made up of the best stuff and has the correct of wiring, if you’ll,” he stated. “Extraordinarily robust. Reliable. An amazing teammate. Loves the sport and the small print of what goes into being an important O-lineman. It’s loads of enjoyable as a soccer coach to teach a Jake Andrews-type man.”

The choice additionally sparked a stretch through which the Patriots used two of their subsequent three picks on offensive linemen: Jap Michigan deal with/guard Sidy Sow (Spherical 4, No. 117) and UCLA guard Antonio Mafi (Spherical 5, No. 144). The technique was apparent: Construct upside depth up entrance for when inevitable accidents hit.

Andrews, a local of Millbrook, Alabama, was a state championship wrestler in highschool — an analogous background to former Patriots beginning guard Stephen Neal (2001-10). Sumrall stated that exhibits up in Andrews’ play, notably with hand-to-hand fight.

He was additionally coached by former Patriots assistant Cole Popovich final season at Troy.

“Cole was a monumental a part of what we did and the way we did it,” Sumrall stated. “The way in which he taught the model of O-line play; instructing development and selflessness was loads of Patriots stuff.

“Our safety system that we ran has loads of derivatives and underlying themes from the Patriots’ system. I feel that served our gamers extraordinarily properly, to be taught an NFL play model from a way and schematic standpoint.”

2. Scar on Klemm: Dante Scarnecchia was the Patriots’ offensive line coach when Adrian Klemm performed for the staff (2000-2004). Now Klemm returns to the group as offensive line coach – a crucial rent alongside offensive coordinator Invoice O’Brien — and Scarnecchia likes the match. “Adrian is a very good coach,” he stated. “I used to be actually impressed with the way in which he performed his practices [in college]the calls for he put him on the gamers. No-nonsense man. I feel he’ll do an important job right here.”

3. D-Hop follow-up: My largest takeaway from receiver DeAndre Hopkins agreeing to affix the Titans as an alternative of the Patriots is that the “what ifs” had been the deciding issue for each side. For Hopkins, an excessive amount of of the Patriots’ provide was tied to incentives. And for the Patriots, the “what if” of how Hopkins would match into their program — and what it will appear to be if these incentives weren’t near being reached — contributed to their extra cautious method.

4. Conditioning check: When Patriots veterans report for coaching camp Tuesday, they’ll be put by a conditioning check, which former New England operating again James White detailed throughout a co-host look on Sirius XM NFL Radio final week. White defined that gamers should full 20 sprints of 60 yards every, with a brief break of some minutes within the center.

“The climate could make it harder — if it’s scorching,” he stated on the “Opening Drive” program with co-host Solomon Wilcots. “You might have Coach Belichick watching, all of the scouts watching, and that’s the soar begin to camp. I do know the sensation that loads of these guys are going by. Some guys are in all probability questioning whether or not they’ve carried out sufficient the final 5 weeks. Some guys could have carried out an excessive amount of.”

The projected forecast Tuesday requires a excessive of 88 levels.

5. Bourne’s bounceback? Seven-year veteran receiver Kendrick Bourne was crucial of himself for his 2022 efficiency (35 catches, 434 yards, 1 TD) after a productive 2021 season with the Patriots (55 catches, 800 yards, 5 TDs). His arduous work this offseason has made an impression, with one member of the staff relaying he had a “nice spring.”

6. RB depth: The Patriots’ exercises with operating backs Leonard Fournette and Darrell Henderson Jr. final Wednesday replicate a mixture of due diligence and acknowledgement that they haven’t stuffed the void from James Robinson’s launch in June. No signing was imminent then, however the sides might all the time revisit sooner or later.

7. Man’s standing: One leftover merchandise of enterprise from the spring to resolve is the standing of beginning defensive lineman Lawrence Guywho didn’t report back to obligatory minicamp for what was believed to be contract-related causes. Man enters his seventh season with the staff and was a captain in 2020. A modest contract tweak, similar to what the Titans did for security Kevin Byardcan be a pleasant gesture from the membership for a team-first sort of participant.

8. Trent’s motivation: It’s been a problem for the Patriots to have the ability to depend on veteran offensive deal with Trent Brownas evidenced by him not displaying up for the primary day of June’s obligatory minicamp. But when Brown’s current social media exercise is any indication, he is likely to be locked in coming into coaching camp. That will assist reply an enormous query for the staff, with Riley Reiff and Calvin Anderson — each having their professionalism famous by teammates within the spring — subsequent on the depth chart.

9. They stated it: “He has all of the potential on the earth. Hopefully he retains his head on his shoulders and makes sensible selections on and off the soccer discipline. He is usually a prime nook on this league [and] jogs my memory of a younger J.C. Jackson.” — James White, by way of Sirius XM NFL Radio, on Patriots second-year cornerback Jack Jones

10. Do you know? Over the previous 10 seasons, there have been simply two Tremendous Bowl winners to have a number one rusher with greater than 1,000 rush yards. The final was LeGarrette Blount for the Patriots in 2016.