It’s now my favorite time of the draft season – the Pats have made their selections, there’s no more speculation and now we can dive in on figuring out how it’s all going to come together.
First, a quick look at my own performance in predicting the Pats’ picks. I was just 3 of 11 on the big board but did hit two of the picks in my mock draft (Tre Jackson and AJ Derby). Not bad, not great, about the average of my draft prognostications so the quest to hit 50 percent of the picks continues.
Generally, it’s hard not to immediately notice the focus on defense in this draft. Three of the first four picks went to the front seven, and overall they added at least two players at every level of the defense.
The common theme is athleticism and versatility, hence why this draft felt like Belichick was like a kid in the defensive player toy store.
Elsewhere, they were far more strategic. Everyone knew they should double-dip on guard and they not only did that but also added Georgia center David Andrews as a free agent. That’s three good interior lineman additions and they were all much-needed.
Then there’s long snapper Joe Cardona out of Navy, a pick so Belichick it hurt. Cardona is a perfect storm of everything the Pats love – superlative talent coming out of Navy. If the Navy gives him the okay, Cardona will be the Patriots long snapper for a long time.
Let’s dive in on the specifics!
I’ve left the starting left guard spot open because I think Dan Connolly will now re-sign and take that spot. If not I still have MAJOR questions because Tre Jackson is likely only playing right guard. Can Shaq Mason work at left? He’s undersized but super athletic.
I am not surprised as some are that running back and wide receiver were not addressed significantly. There’s some unproven talent but it is talent. I want to see what Dobson/Gibson and Gaffney/Gray/Cadet show up to camp with. All are big candidates to step into a role this year.
So really on offense not a whole lot has changed. They reinforced the guard spot, which was an absolute necessity but even still some questions remain there. Once again it will be interesting to watch the competition in camp, with some rotation likely to still be going on in the early part of the season.
How many of these new rookies can legitimately contribute to the defense this year? Brown is a slam dunk but after him it gets murky. That’s why special teams might have the most interesting of all the positional battles this sumeer. That’s what happens when just about every guy you select is a special teams demon.
Grissom is probably the most intriguing guy to me outside of Brown. He’s kind of like the Jamie Collins of this class, an athlete who never quite found his position. Belichick knows how to use those guys. Is Grissom a defensive end or a stand up linebacker? That’s the first question that needs to be answered, but he has the athleticism to do just about anything.
Flowers enters an interesting edge group where young players like Buchanan, Moore and Bequette will be trying to take a step forward this year. Jabaal Sheard took some pressure off of Chandler and Ninkovich, but if they can find a legitimate 4th edge option it will be a very good thing.
Wells has incredible athleticism, but I am not sure we’ll see him playing linebacker any time this season. Still, he could be an intriguing cover guy at some point, perhaps sooner if injuries hit.
Finally, we end in the secondary where it will be a thunderdome at every spot except Devin McCourty at free safety. It’s hard to even pencil anyone anywhere because injuries will surely play a part.
Ultimately, I’m not that concerned about the secondary if the front seven lives up to the talent and athleticism they’re dropping with. Once again it should be a great training camp filled with great competition.
