PatsPropaganda

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Draft

PatsPropaganda 2019 Mock Draft

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The NFL Draft is once again upon us! And with 12 picks of draft capital, the Patriots are poised to get the players they most want. And the good news is that their positions of needs are well-stocked with talent this year.

That’s a very good thing. With key departures this offseason, the 2019 Patriots still face questions at multiple positions. Talented rookies are the lifeblood of the NFL and with a mostly red-shirted 2018 draft class, a new act under Bill Belichick and Tom Brady is clearly about to begin and this draft will play a huge role.

More important than the players I’ve got the team selecting below are the trends that emerged as I rifled through mock draft simulations. Here are some quick-fire thoughts on that before we get into the picks.

  • The six picks in the first three rounds loom large. There were always a number of good fits to pick from almost every time through, especially at positions of need — wide receiver, tight end and safety.
  • I found myself consistently double-dipping at both tight end and wide receiver. This made for some of the most fun, and hardest to decide, of all mock drafts in recent memory. I think that’s a good sign what the Patriots really need.
  • The hit or miss positions were quarterback and tackle. I could never seem to land any of the few tackles I liked without really reaching at the expense of a really good receiver or tight end. The quarterbacks felt like less extreme reaches.
  • Linebacker and cornerback are other deep positions.
  • The fifth-round hole is a spot where they could really stand to pick up another selection.
  • The seventh rounders are just ridiculous and it would make sense to cash them in to spread rounds 4-7 out.

Check out the PatsPropaganda Top 50 Big Board

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2019 PatsPropaganda Draft Big Board

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Welcome to year nine of the PatsPropaganda Top 50 Draft Big Board! As always, these are my 50 favorite Pats fits roughly in the order that I like them.

This year there are a few areas of near-critical need. Seeing the Pats jump up to take a wide receiver, tight end, tackle or even quarterback wouldn’t be all that surprising. For what feels like the first time in a long time, the Patriots need something out of their draft picks immediately.

That makes the prospect pool a fascinating one. I focused heavily on those four positions, along with the omnipresent need for defensive front seven players. There are a lot of talented fits who could add a jolt of energy to the Patriots just like Gronk did in 2010.

The goal here is to hit as many picks as possible. Therefore, top-15 picks, cornerbacks, interior linemen and running backs are taking a back seat this year. Let’s jump in and make up for last year’s atrocious 1-for-9 performance.

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Pats Posits: Digging on Draft

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As I start to really grind on my Top 50 Big Board it slowly becomes an impossible game of need and value while projecting who might be the perfect Patriots picks.

Now, I know the Patriots try to take need out of the equation, but it’s undeniable that there are roster holes to still be filled. And yes, I’m still assuming they can figure things out with Gostkowski who is currently on a USO Tour.

(Though I can’t lie, throwing the former Assumption kicker into the mix is tempting, even if he’d be a severe kickoff downgrade from Gostkowski.)

Updating the Patriots’ biggest needs since I last wrote about them, the tight end spot becomes the biggest priority even more than it already was. As usual the problem is not picking until 32 so it’s impossible to fall in love with many of the perfect elite fits.

At this phase it would make sense for the Patriots to trade up for tight end TJ Hockensen. In theory, it’s a slam dunk, though it’s not like Hockensen alone would be enough. He’s not Gronk 2.0 but he’s the best all-around tight end in the class.

But the Patriots rarely, if ever, make the slam dunk moves outside of drafting Joe Cardona. That leaves us with tons of draft capital and a haze of projection picks.

Let’s try to sift through some of it in the Posits.

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The Post-Gronk Pats at Tight End

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After my too-long tribute to Gronk yesterday it’s now time to take stock of the Patriots without Rob Gronkowski. The formerly cap-strapped team now has $17.5 million in space, about as much as they started the offseason with.

There’s room for free agents and there’s definitely room for some draft picks. Let’s take a positional deep dive…who’s on the roster, the free agents available and the draft picks who would fit.

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5 Early Patriots Draft Favorites

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I often get stuck diving into draft research and only using it to compile my Top 50 Patriots-only Big Board. It’s hard to believe this will be the ninth year I’ve done one and it’s always a great distraction from the depths of the offseason to see what kind of new toys might be out there for the Pats.

Let’s take a pause from compiling the 50 (I’m at 37!) and look at a few guys who have tickled my fancy thus far!

From yesterday: 5 Draft Needs

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Patriots 2018 Draft Recap

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After months of buildup, the 2018 NFL draft is now in the rearview mirror and Patriots fans can begin to focus on mini-camps, the June-July void and finally, training camp. The major pieces that will comprise the 2018 Patriots are in place, and while the draft was a trade-down-fest with plenty of fodder for sports talk shows, the team once again got a bunch of really good football players who will improve a team that came within one stop of their third Super Bowl title in four years for the second time.

When you think back to a decade ago, things were very different. The Patriots veteran defense was hanging on by a string in 2008, and when Tom Brady went down in the opening quarter of the season, the rebuild was jumpstarted. They missed the playoffs that season on a tie-break and would be upset at home in their first playoff games in both 2009 and 2010, before scrapping their way back into a Super Bowl in 2011. They haven’t missed a conference championship game since.

But now the Patriots have seen little-to-no dropoff on the offensive side of the ball. Brady has maintained his level of excellence even though the pieces around him continue to shift. Last year’s MVP performance was a crowning achievement even in the final game’s defeat. Yes, Brady has lost three Super Bowls, but 52 was just an epic performance by him.

The Patriots’ window is still very much open with Brady, but time is running out. How will these draft picks assimilate and help? Let’s take a big picture view.

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Patriots Address Linebacker Need With Bentley and Sam

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After I lamented the Patriots lack of draft capital invested in the front seven, they made two picks on Saturday at the middle linebacker position, taking Ja’whaun Bentley and Christian Sam in the 5th and 6th rounds respectively.

Both should immediately step into competition with Elandon Roberts and could possibly push for playing time as rookies, especially if injuries strike. That’s how thin the Patriots are at off-the-ball linebacker. But both players reinforce our image of what the Pats look for at linebacker.

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