Patriots 2016 Draft Wrap

My favorite time of the draft season is here! No longer are we looking at hundreds of players who might possibly, but probably not, end up on the Patriots. Nope, now we know who the Pats have and can dive in on those players and how they fit.

This was my worst draft performance of my six seasons putting together a big board and mock drafting. Cyrus Jones was the only player I had on my 50 prospect big board and for the first time, I got zero guys in my mock draft. However I don’t think I was alone. This draft seemed especially filled with lesser-discussed players.

Really, by the end, I think almost all Pats draft pundits (except Mike Reiss, who was dead on with a couple of the “who’s that??” guys) were all targeting the same guys and thus we were all way off. But none of that really matters so let’s jump in and take a big picture look at what the Pats did over the last three days.

The headline for me is that they didn’t take a running back. I thought of all the positions of need, running back was the one that they had to take. So of course they didn’t touch any of the guys that we connected them to, even when they were right there for the taking. Worst of all, many of those guys went to direct rivals, like Devontae Booker to the Broncos, Jonathan Williams to the Bills and Kenneth Dixon to the Ravens.

So now it looks like Tyler Gaffney and Donald Brown must show something because entering the season with only Dion Lewis, James White and LeGarrette Blount as backs who can make an impact is scary. My priority this offseason was to re-make the running back position and the Pats have barely touched it.

Of course, if Dion Lewis returns and stays healthy they’ll be fine. But that’s a big if, and it’s hard to count on a player who, aside from an electric start to 2015, hasn’t done much else.

The other big area of need I felt had to be addressed was offensive tackle, where they had to plan for 2017. We don’t know for sure if it was addressed but it would seem that it wasn’t. The question mark is Joe Thuney who has played every position on the line but generally, due to his size, would seem a better fit inside.

Bill Belichick pointed out in his press conference that there were similar questions with Matt Light‘s size and he worked out fine at left tackle, but if Thuney does end up inside the Pats have a log jam of guards and centers and will likely have to cut a player or two that played significant snaps for them last year, while tackle depth remains thin.

Outside of those two concerns, there’s still plenty to love about the players the Pats selected.

I’m most excited about Cyrus Jones and Malcolm Mitchell. In watching their film, it’s clear they fit what the Patriots do extremely well. I wouldn’t say Jones is just a slot corner, though that’s probably where he will start. He’s a smart, quick man-coverage player who has the tenacity to play against bigger receivers. And his punt return vision is unique and exciting.

Watch Mitchell’s film and you’ll see him running many of the same routes we saw out of Brandon LaFell last season — outside comebacks, digs, etc. It’s clear that he’s already done a lot of what the Patriots ask of their primary X receiver and he should combine with Chris Hogan to give the Pats two new outside options that should take some heat off of the middle of the field. Aaron Dobson has a tough road ahead to make the roster with these two in the mix.

The final four picks were all interesting flyers — S/LB Kamu Grugier-Hill, LB Elandon Roberts, G Ted Karras and WR Devin Lucian (who seems like a poor man’s version of everyone’s favorite Patriots prospect Sterling Shepard). Karras was the one player who was on my radar early in the process, but of course I discounted him because I thought we were so stacked at guard. But he certainly fits the mold of our favorite kind of maulers.

I’ve really enjoyed getting to know quarterback Jacoby Brissett too. Yes, I still like Jimmy Garoppolo, and we think Brady still has a few years left, but injuries can derail anyone in the blink of an eye. Having two young promising quarterbacks is a huge bonus and the Pats are smart to keep the pipeline strong should anything unforeseen happen to Brady.

Brissett is a lot of fun to watch with sneaky athleticism that doesn’t jump off the screen, only makes him seemingly impossible to tackle in the open field, with subtle moves that always seem to pick up first downs. He has good touch in the short passing game and processes defenses, knowing where to go with the ball. It will be fun to watch him and Garoppolo this summer. Plus he’s extremely tough to bring down, showing good playing strength.

Another draft has come and gone. I certainly feel excited that Jones and Mitchell will contribute to the 2016 team, but as for the rest it’s going to be a process to see who can do what. My concerns about lacking an early-down pounder at running back and having the same tackle depth that killed us last year are real, but of course, there could still be moves to come before the season-opener. We’ll just have to trust the process until then.

But let’s remember, at the top, this is one of the best rosters in the NFL and if they aren’t ravished by injuries, especially in a couple key spots, they certainly have the talent to once again make a Super Bowl run.

Here’s the current depth chart. Thanks to Mike Loyko and James Christensen of NEPatriotsDraft.com for tracking all the undrafted rookie signings.