Yeah, I know. It's stupid. I'm just wasting time.
No, I wouldn't jump off a cliff if everyone else was doing it but, come on…
It's just a mock draft!
Some context to get started…
I'm using the Pro Football Focus Mock Draft Simulator.
Generally speaking, I see the draft as a "volume business." More picks are always better than high picks, which are expensive and no guarantee that you're adding a 4X pro-bowler to your roster.
PFF identifies OT, ED, and QB as needs for the Patriots, but, like Bill Belichick, I have my own ideas…
Mike's Patriots Needs & Wants
OT - Likely first pick and I'll double up if possible. Yes, Trent Brown is huge and under contract but if it weren't for Isaiah Wynn we'd be talking a lot about replacing Brown, wouldn't we?
WR1 - Unlikely we'll see what I'm looking for (Randy Moss) but if McCorkle is going to cook he needs a sous chef.
RB3 - I was impressed by Rhamondre Stevenson's hands and he definitely has the skills to handle being a three-down back but (a) that's a lot of snaps and (b) the Pats really missed James White last year. Will the Patriots keep Damien Harris? Could mean putting way too much on Stevenson's plate if they don't.
S - With Devin McCourty contemplating retirement and Jabrill Peppers a free agent, this is a sneaky big need. I really liked Peppers in the Rodney Harrison Jr. role and hope he returns. Would be tough to replace McCourty, regardless, and given his age, it would make sense to spend some draft capital on this position.
WR3 - Will they pay Jakobi Meyers? I don't think so. Bummer, I know. Meyers is the prototypical "big slot" WR and I could see any SB contender with cap space offering more than Belichick will. It is what it is.
CB - Because you always need corners who can cover and WTF was up with Jack Jones at the end of last season, anyway? Maybe the Pats will trade for Jalen Ramsely…
ST - Even with Matthew Slater returning the Patriots need help on special teams. Maybe an undersized linebacker who could play on D in sub packages.
ED - Like CB, you can't have enough pass rushers in today's pass-wacky NFL. With Matthew Judon and Josh Uche, I'm just not sure it's a priority.
DT - How old is Lawrence Guy? Is Christian Barmore the next Aaron Donald or the next Dominique Easley?
QB - Et tu, PFF? Why is everyone hating on Mac Jones? Still, not a bad idea to take a flier on some skinny kid in the 6th round. Just sayin'...
Okay, that's all well and good, but the draft is pretty much a crap shoot. What I want may not be available so compromises seem inevitable. Everything in football, apparently, is situational…
The Breakdown
I told you I'd trade down.
Brian Branch fell in my lap. Great value, Saban/Belichick connection. Played in a lot of big games.
Dawand Jones could start Day 1 at RT.
Nathaniel Dell is my jitterbug slot receiver.
Devon Achane is my next in the Kevin Faulk/Shane Vereen/James White line of great third down backs.
Nick Herbig as a core special teamer/situational pass rusher.
A.T. Perry probably isn't Randy Moss but he is tall and he was productive and I have to believe he did it every Saturday against the other team's CB1.
Viliami Fehoko is an ED I stumbled upon, really. He's a projection, coming from a smaller school but his production was just impossible to ignore. Could contribute on special teams while he adjusts to the play level of the NFL.
Colby Wooden was a kind of "right place, right time" pick. It says ED next to his name but he played inside and outside against SEC offensive linemen and put up good numbers. Positional flexibility is a definite plus. Also, Lawrence Guy is 32.
Jakorian Bennett projects to the slot, and I was really hoping to find a big, outside the numbers CB1, but I'll take it. More help on special teams? More help on special teams.
Braeden Daniels will not be a Day 1 starter at either tackle position but we need to take a shot here.
Dylan Horton is another pick like Colby Wooden. Both were productive while playing for big time programs and both provide some positional flexibility along the defensive line.
Jake Bobo is "that guy," for me; that guy you fall in love with and you overdraft and you just don't care what anybody else has to say about it. Is he particularly fast? Preternaturally athletic? Admittedly, that's a no. And a no. It just seemed like any time I watched UCLA play he was making a clutch catch. Also, he's tall. And his name is Jake Bobo! Come on!
Asim Richards because the Pats need offensive tackles. And, um, yeah. That's about it.
Aiden O'Connell because the Patriots need another unathletic quarterback of average height and arm strength. Oh no! Now I'm hating on McCorkle, too!
Mohamoud Diabate, like Nick Herbig, is that undersized linebacker I mentioned for special teams/defensive sub packages. I read somewhere that the Patriots coaches liked him at the Senior Bowl and I think (I hope) they know more about football than I do.
Mohammed Ibrahim wasn't what I was looking for but he was too much value to pass up. At pick 235 you take what you can get.
Ethan Evans because they still call it football. Also, the Patriots kind of sucked on special teams last year.
So, per PFF, I kind of nailed this draft (though it really isn't that hard to get an A once you know what the professor is looking for). Will it stand the test of time? Probably not. But…
Go Pats!
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