Patriots Draft Preview

The Patriots have some needs to address in the upcoming draft. They also have twelve draft picks and four in the top one hundred. Let's look at what the Patriots draft looks like and talk about their needs.

Team Needs

Linebacker (2): With the Departures of Van Noy, Roberts, and Collins the Patriots are clearly in need to replenish their core. The team still has Hightower and Bentley but the ragtag left after them is yet unproven.

Interior Defensive Line (2): With the loss of Shelton and Butler, the Patriots have a  gaping hole right up the middle of their defense. If the Patriots cannot fill that hole, there won't be a need for their secondary.

Kicker: With Gostkowski the 38 yard line was field goal range. If the Patriots cannot kick 50 yard field goals and accurately, they're gonna lose a lot of games.

Tight end (2): Ryan Izzo played okay until his concussion set him back. Matt Lacosse and Ben Watson were unreliable. The Patriots tried to replace Gronkowski with ASJ. The NFL might want to put out a missing person's for as he left personal reasons and was never seen again.

Center:

There's no guarantee Andrews will be a go week one. Ted Karrass is gone. The Patriots could try to slide one of their red shirted rookies, Froholdt or Cajuste in the role but can the two draft steals be trusted?

Safety (2):

McCourty and Chung are both getting old. The Patriots have a deep secondary but there is no telling how much longer either has in the tank. Drafting their replacements now will allow Belichick to move on when the time comes.

Top Fits

Linebacker:

Malik Harrison Ohio St

Justin Strnad Wake Forest

Markus Bailey Purdue 

Interior Defensive Line:

Ross Blacklock TCU

Davin Hamilton Ohio St 

Marion Davidson Auburn 

Kicker:

Jonathan Song TCU 

Rodrigo Blankenship Georgia

Sam Sloman Miami Ohio 

Jake Koehnke Air Force

Tight End:

Albert Okwuegunam Missouri

Cheyenne O'Grady Arkansas

Jacob Breeland Oregon

Jared Pinkney Vanderbilt 

Center:

Netane Muti Fresno St

Lloyd Cushenbury III LSU

Cesar Ruiz Michigan

Jonah Jackson Ohio St 

Safety:

Julian Blackmon Utah

Jaron Bryant Fresno St. 

Jeremy Chinn S ILLINOIS 

Other needs and names: 

Receiver KJ Hamler Penn St, Edge rusher Darrell Taylor Tennessee, Return specialist Joe Reed Virginia, Fullback Spencer Nigh Auburn, Backup Quarterback Jalen Hurts Oklahoma, Tyler Huntley Utah, Malcolm Perry Navy, or the long shot chance that someone gets stuck on stupid and passes on him, Jordan Love.

The team has 12 picks but in my honest opinion the team needs to acquire a minimum three more picks to be set for the 2020 NFL season, as long as Belichick continues to find UDFA gold. Expect the Patriots to trade out the first round with Cincinnati or Indianapolis. Honestly if the team traded repeatedly down until their first pick was in the third round, they would still be fine talent wise in this draft.

If you want to know who else would be good fits for the Patriots, Check out the article on the 140 man big board or go over to TDN and see the Board. It doesn't have all the big stars but it does have quality pieces that are versatile and would be good fits. 

Article: http://yaunti2.blogspot.com/2020/03/my-140-man-patriots-2020-nfl-draft-big.html

Board: https://thedraftnetwork.com/bigboard/vcUhG8DxWG

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