drubaca'S MOCK DRAFT

Not Ideal

  • drubaca DRAFTING FOR THE
    Patriots
Draft Selections
JC Latham Head Shot
PICK: 11 RND: 1 (NE)
JC Latham
OT Alabama
Brian Thomas Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 23 RND: 1 (NE)
Brian Thomas Jr.
WR LSU
Jordan Morgan Head Shot
PICK: 34 RND: 2 (NE)
Jordan Morgan
OT Arizona
Devontez Walker Head Shot
PICK: 68 RND: 3 (NE)
Devontez Walker
WR North Carolina
Khyree Jackson Head Shot
PICK: 103 RND: 4 (NE)
Khyree Jackson
CB Oregon
Ainias Smith Head Shot
PICK: 137 RND: 5 (NE)
Ainias Smith
WR Texas A&M
Joe Milton III Head Shot
PICK: 180 RND: 6 (NE)
Joe Milton III
QB Tennessee
Daijun Edwards Head Shot
PICK: 193 RND: 6 (NE)
Daijun Edwards
RB Georgia
JD Bertrand Head Shot
PICK: 231 RND: 7 (NE)
JD Bertrand
LB Notre Dame
Draft Picks Received
JC Latham Head Shot
PICK: 11 RND: 1 (MIN)
JC Latham
OT Alabama
Brian Thomas Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 23 RND: 1 (MIN)
Brian Thomas Jr.
WR LSU
Draft Picks Traded
Malik Nabers Head Shot
PICK: 3 RND: 1 (MIN)
Malik Nabers
WR LSU
Draft Grade — Patriots
Overall C+
ValueB- NeedB TradesC FutureB-
The jury is out on the Patriots. For now, C+.

There is a lot to like until you notice edge rusher is still a hole. The Patriots never got to the one that mattered most. The final tally is a middling C+.

If Milton III pans out, nobody remembers the price. If not, this is the pick they hear about. Getting Bertrand where they did is the sort of value that quietly makes a class.

The dealing tilted against them, just enough to notice. The offense got the lion's share of the attention.

So much rides on JC Latham that the real verdict is a season or two away.

Pick Analysis
Pick11 Rnd1 JC Latham
JC Latham at the 11th overall pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Pick23 Rnd1 Brian Thomas Jr.
In No. 23 they get a home-run threat at receiver. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
Pick34 Rnd2 Jordan Morgan
No edge and no loss on Jordan Morgan in the 34th pick; it is a wash and a sensible one. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Pick68 Rnd3 Devontez Walker
A straight-up fair deal on Devontez Walker at pick No. 68, value and slot in agreement. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Pick103 Rnd4 Khyree Jackson
Khyree Jackson slipping to pick 103 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Pick137 Rnd5 Ainias Smith
They paid sticker price for Ainias Smith in the Round 5 slot, and that is fine. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Pick180 Rnd6 Joe Milton III
They reached into another round for Joe Milton III, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Pick193 Rnd6 Daijun Edwards
Good price on Daijun Edwards in slot 193, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Pick231 Rnd7 JD Bertrand
Value with a capital V on JD Bertrand in the Round 7 slot, a genuine coup. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.