With yesterday’s allocation of a fourth-round compensatory pick, the Patriots now have their draft capital set:
- 1.31
- 2.43 (via SF)
- 2.63
- 3.95
- 4.136
- 6.208
The Patriots have had their struggles high in the draft lately. Only Malcom Brown (2015), Dont’a Hightower (2012) and Nate Solder (2011) remain as first- or second-round players since 2011 who are still on the team and important pieces. Otherwise there have been extensive misses and even those that they did hit on were traded away. Throw in the missing Deflategate pick and there’s no question, the Patriots need to hit on some talent in this spring’s draft.
The ideal model? When they traded up twice in 2012’s first round to add Dont’a Hightower and Chandler Jones. The impact of those two picks was immediately felt in the 2012 season and set the stage for what would become a Super Bowl-winning defense in 2014. That’s the kind of infusion up front the Pats need once again.
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