After moving Brandin Cooks and picking up their second first-round pick for 2018’s NFL Draft, there’s much speculation as to what the Patriots will do with the capital that includes two second-round picks as well. Could they trade up for a quarterback? Or an offensive tackle? Or a linebacker? Or just trade them all for dozens of picks in 2019?
What happens will depend entirely on how things unfold above them, but after the top ten has passed the Patriots are in play for almost every pick during the first two days of the draft. Up, down, into the future…picks will be flying and it should make for an exciting weekend for Patriots fans.
The more I dig into this draft the more excited I am about the potential players that could be available at 23 that would not have been available at 31. Someone at a position of need will fall, and who knows, maybe they’ll move up to grab the right guy.
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Into the late-teens I could see, but a package of both first-round picks and maybe more to get up into the top half of the draft? That seems highly unlikely given Bill Belichick’s history. And at this point, why mortgage your future on your next QB when you don’t even have a left tackle to protect him?
Leighton Vander Esch (Linebacker), Rashaan Evans (Linebacker) and Connor Williams (Left Tackle) are three players I love for the Patriots and they all tend to get drafted in the 18-23 range in most mock drafts. Any would instantly improve the Patriots in a vital area and now they should get a chance for at least one of them, maybe for all if they’re willing to go up a few spots.
Either athletic linebacker could instantly step in and help on the second level and push Elandon Roberts in the middle. Williams could step in and potentially start out of the gate, bringing a Mankins-like mean streak and setting the tone up front. They took Solder at 17th overall, maybe that’s the right spot for Williams?
I think the conventional wisdom out there — take QB Kyle Lauletta later and develop him — is the best line of thinking for both the short and long term. With the amount of picks the Pats can dart around the draft board and maximize the value of every pick. This could be a transformational draft, even if it doesn’t nab the clear-cut heir-apparent to Tom Brady.
