The New England Patriots picked eight new players in this years NFL draft, turning some heads to see what they are planning for the future. Is another Patriots dynasty on the line? Will they be back atop the AFC in a few years to come? While it is very early to make such a bold claim, today I will get into each of the eight selections made by Bill and his dog Nike, starting with Mac Jones.
Round 1 Pick 15: Mac Jones, QB Alabama
With the first pick we had in the draft, no one knew what we were doing, and I feel like we made the perfect selection. I wrote a different article about Mac Jones and why he fits the Patriots perfectly that you can find on the site. Mac Jones in three seasons at Alabama threw for 6,126 yards, fifty-six passing touchdowns, and only seven interceptions. It will be interesting to see the QB battle between Cam and Mac, a battle I expect the rookie to win. Mac Jones can have an awful year and it wouldn’t matter one bit as there isn’t much expectation with the squad around him, but this was a perfect first pick we made, addressing the biggest issue since Tom Brady left for Tampa.
Round 2 Pick 38: Christian Barmore, DL Alabama
The second Alabama pick in a row for the Patriots, and another gem in my eyes. Transitioning from one of the greatest coaches in college football history Nick Saban to one of the greatest coaches in NFL history Bill Belichick has to be a great thing to realize. Barmore played two seasons for the Crimson Tide, racking up thirty-four solo tackles, twenty-nine assisted tackles for a total of sixty-three total tackles, fifteen and a half tackles for loss, ten sacks and three forced fumbles, all in only twenty two games played. A great pick to a position that needed to be improved on with our aging defense getting older as well as veterans leaving our team. Rebuilding our defensive line was for sure a step in the right direction.
Round 3 Pick 96: Ronnie Perkins, DL Oklahoma
Again trying to build back up our once amazing defensive line with a stud out of Oklahoma. Perkins played thirty-two games in his three seasons at Oklahoma. In that time Ronnie put up good numbers, having ninety-eight tackles total, thirty-two tackles for loss, sixteen and a half sacks and one forced fumble. Great stats for thirty-two games, and a player I expect to be another force on this defensive line, a bull rusher we so desperately need. The only issue with Ronnie Perkins would be his performance on defense against the run which is surprisingly below average. Another red flag for Perkins is he was caught with a failed drug test in the 2019 Peach Bowl, resulting in a six game suspension for the past season. Despite all this, I expect Ronnie to be a good pickup for the squad and a force on defense alongside the other talent we have already.
Round 4 Pick 120: Rhamondre Stevenson, RB Oklahoma
Another back to back pick from the same college addressing a need that isn’t spoken about loudly enough, the running back position. Currently at RB the Patriots have James White and Sony Michel. James White is a very good receiving back and Sony Michel is a player the Patriots have seeming given up on. Rhamondre is the most prototype Patriots player I’ve seen in awhile. Out of highschool, Rhamondre was a zero-star recruit, playing for a JUCO team to start off. At Cerritos College, Rhamondre rushed for 2,000 yards and sixteen touchdowns before going to Oklahoma. In nineteen games played for the Sooners, Stevenson rushed for 1180 yards on 165 rushes, averaging 7.2 yards per rushing attempt. That is an insanely high number, especially in the Big-12. He also recorded thirteen rushing touchdowns. Rhamondre also caught twenty-eight passes for almost 300 yards. Rhamondre is a great RB2 or 3 for this team, and fits the “Patriot Way” mantra the Patriots strive to live for.
Round 5 pick 177: Cameron McGrone, LB Michigan
A team the Patriots know very well has now given us a linebacker in Cameron McGrone. Cameron is the fourth Michigan alumni player we have drafted in the last three years, something that has proved to work well. With an aging linebacker core, putting a young gun to learn under Kyle Van Noy and Dont’a Hightower is a perfect idea. In sixteen college games Cameron McGrone had ninety-one tackles total, eleven tackles for loss, three sacks and one forced fumble. I expect Cameron to work his way in the rotation this year and in the next few years to be a staple of the linebacker core.
Round 6 Pick 188: Joshuah Bledsoe, S Missouri
The name Bledsoe is always an intriguing one, especially for Patriots fans. In four years and forty-three games played, Bledsoe racked up 130 total tackles, seven and a half tackles for loss, one sack, one interception, three fumble recoveries one of which resulted in a touchdown, and two forced fumbles. Quite the career at Missouri, but not a surprise he fell this far in the draft. The Patriots have depth at the safety position with players such ad Devin McCourty, Adrian Phillips, Terrence Brooks and Kyle Dugger who had a good rookie year. I don’t expect to see a high snap count for Bledsoe, another thing common with his last name and the Patriots.
Round 6 Pick 197: William Sherman, OL Colorado
At 6’3″ and 304 pounds, William Sherman is at a smaller build for an NFL lineman. Sherman played two seasons at Colorado and produced quite nicely. For the Pats line they have a stacked team across all five positions being Isaiah Wynn, Michael Onwenu, David Andrews, Shaq Mason and Trent Brown. I assume this pick was to add depth and to be insurance for Wynn, a player who has battled injuries since we drafted him. William Sherman most likely won’t have a huge impact on this team this season, I expect him to have a very small snap count unless there is an injury and he could even be cut mid season.
Round 7 Pick 242: Tre Nixon, WR UCF
Since Tre Nixon got the call from the Patriots, he has been nothing but stoked to be on the team. Tre played two seasons at UCF, opting out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19, most likely the reason he fell all this way down. In twenty-three games Nixon had eighty-nine receptions for 1,392 yards and eleven touchdowns receiving. At 6’2″ tall and 180 pounds, he fits the average wide receiver numbers like a glove. The Patriots WR core is lacking to say the least, having players such as Kendrick Bourne, Nelson Agholor, N’Keal Harry, Gunner Olszewski, Jakobi Meyers and Matthew Slater. I expect Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Agholor to have big seasons, but Gunner and Slater will most likely stay on special teams, and the N’Keal Harry project could go both ways. If Meyers or Gunner don’t work out, Tre will have an actual role on this team. Even if all the slots are taken, I fully expect Tre Nixon to catch passes this season, and I would compare him to Scotty Miller on the Buccaneers.
The Patriots draft as a whole wasn’t bad by any means and I feel like on 7/8 of the picks we picked great, our only downfall maybe was the lineman pick. I hope you guys enjoyed reading, leave a comment how you felt the Patriots did drafting, Shaney out.
TheDyspatch 