Patriots: Rookie Draft Pick Takes Shot at Skip Bayless for Unwarranted Criticism

Patriots third-round pick Dalton Keene didn’t like what Skip Bayless had to say about him.

FS1’s Skip Bayless is typically fluffing the New England Patriots to no end, but now that Tom Brady is out of town, it appears the Undisputed co-host is going off his usual path.

Earlier in the week, Bayless took exception to Bill Belichick opting to select two tight ends in the third-round of the 2020 NFL Draft, one of whom was Virginia Tech’s Dalton Keene. With Rob Gronkowski out of town, Bayless doesn’t sounds like he’s sold on these guys, by stating, “you can’t name them because nobody knew them in college football.”

He continued by essentially saying there’s no chance either of these guys become Gronk or Greg Olsen, but Keene clearly doesn’t feel that way.

Hey Skip, you’ve been watching the Patriots for a long time, right? Isn’t this what Belichick does? He finds underperformers or underappreciated players and turns them into lifelong Patriots contributors. We’ve seen it happen over the past two decades. Where have you been?

Though he may have a point on Keene, who logged just 59 receptions for 748 yards and eight touchdowns in 27 games at VT, his former coaches had a lot of good things to say about his work ethic and energy.

Are the Patriots ever ones to go out there and sign or draft players with the sexiest stats or measurables? Nope. It’s the “Next Man Up” and “No Days Off” mentality in New England. You’re working for the greatest football coach ever, not trying to win a popularity contest.

A bruising guy like Keene, who is ready to contribute in any way possible is exactly what the Patriots are looking for.

The rookie is set to prove the loudmouth talking head wrong, and Pats fans couldn’t have asked for better fuel.