PatsPropaganda

An Independent Patriots Blog

2021 draft

Draft Review – Who are the eight new Patriots?

by

Picture – OU Athletics

We are only two days removed from an exciting draft, one that saw the Patriots select eight rookies to join their team ahead of the 2021 NFL season. Already the discussion has moved to training camp and what positional battles lay ahead, so, let’s have a quick dive into the new recruits!

QB Mac Jones | Round 1 (15)

After weeks, if not months, of speculation about what the Patriots would do on the first night of the draft, they ended up staying with their given pick at 15, and selecting Mac Jones out of Alabama.

Jones, who originally committed to the University of Kentucky, opted to instead enroll with Alabama and redshirted his first season in 2017. After Tua Tagovailoa got injured in 2018 and eventually declared for the 2020 Draft, Jones took over as the starter for the remainder of his collegiate career in Alabama.

I was intrigued by Jones heading into this year’s Draft, in his final college season, he set the NCAA record for pass accuracy (77.4%) and led the Crimson Tide to the CFB National Championship, you can’t teach winning.

In the days prior to the first round, Jones was considered the 49ers top pick at number three, but, as it turned out, they had other ideas as Trey Lance was selected after Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson. Jones’ fall didn’t last past 15 as the Patriots selected a first-round quarterback for the first time since taking Drew Bledsoe in 1993.

Observations:
Accurate – Set the NCAA record for passing accuracy last season, something which is a top priority for signal-callers in the NFL.

Winner – Regardless of the juggernaut team around him, Jones still had to do the business, and he did last year, leading Alabama to Nick Saban’s seventh National Championship.

Competitiveness – Highly competitive and spoke of how he always wants to win in whatever he does. Being competitive in a regime under Nick Saban should translate well to a Belichick regime here in New England.

DT Christian Barmore | Round 2 (38)

Another Crimson Tide alum, Barmore was acquired by the Patriots following a trade with the Bengals to move up in the second round.

[Read more…] about Draft Review – Who are the eight new Patriots?

Patriots add defensive support on night two of the Draft

by

Gary Cosby-USA TODAY Sports

Night two didn’t bring any additions to the receiving group like many of us, including myself, may have hoped for. But, the Patriots managed to get consensus top defensive tackle in the entire draft, along with an intriguing edge rusher.

Pick 38 – DT Christian Barmore

A trade-up with the Bengals early on last night gave the Patriots the chance to land their second-straight Alabama prospect of the draft. Christian Barmore is a big, disruptive tackle who was at the top of his position in this years class.

Noel wrote about Barmore in his pre-draft DT primer – “Explosive, bully to blockers, finds the ball, quick, impressive production within the SEC. Needs to be better conditioned. Versatile. The best pass-rushing DT in the draft class. Can struggle in the run game.”

Table by CFB Sports-Reference

Eight sacks last season from the DT position in the SEC is impressive, questions will be about how he can support the run defense, something which the Patriots struggled with last season.

[Read more…] about Patriots add defensive support on night two of the Draft

Here’s what went down in round 1 of the 2021 NFL draft…

by

(AP Photo/Steve Luciano)



And so there you have it folks. Round one complete. Records were not broken; four quarterbacks were not taken in the top four, but five were taken in the top 15. The positions were pretty spread out with the top 10 seeing three wide receivers and two cornerbacks selected.

If you missed the full breakdown, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered:

Pick 1 Jacksonville Jaguars – Trevor Lawrence QB Clemson

Pick 2 New York Jets – Zach Wilson QB BYU

Pick 3 San Francisco 49ers – Trey Lance QB North Dakota State

Pick 4 Atlanta Falcons – Kyle Pitts TE Florida

Pick 5 Cincinnati Bengals – Ja’Marr Chase WR LSU

Pick 6 Miami Dolphins – Jaylen Waddle WR Alabama

Pick 7 Detroit Lions – Penei Sewell OT Oregon

Pick 8 Carolina Panthers – Jaycee Horn CB South Carolina

Pick 9 Denver Broncos – Patrick Surtain II CB Alabama

Pick 10 Philadelphia Eagles (trade) – DeVonta Smith WR Alabama

Pick 11 Chicago Bears (trade) – Justin Fields QB Ohio State

Pick12 Dallas Cowboys (trade) – Micah Parsons LB Penn State

Pick 13 LA Chargers – Rashawn Slater OT Northwestern

Pick 14 New York Jets (trade) – Allijah Vera-Tucker OG USC

Pick 15 New England Patriots – Mac Jones QB Alabama

Pick 16 Arizona Cardinals – Zaven Collins LB Tulsa

Pick 17 Las Vegas Raiders – Alex Leatherwood OT Alabama

Pick 18 Miami Dolphins – Jaelan Phillips DE Miami

Pick 19 Washington Football Team – Jamin Davis LB Kentucky

Pick 20 New York Giants (trade) – Kadarius Toney WR Florida

Pick 21 Indianapolis Colts – Kwity Paye DE Michigan

Pick 22 Tennessee Titans – Caleb Farley CB Virginia Tech

Pick 23 Minnesota Vikings (trade) – Christian Darrisaw OT Virginia Tech

Pick 24 Pittsburg Steelers – Najee Harris RB Alabama

Pick 25 Jacksonville Jaguars – Travis Etienne RB Clemson

Pick 26 Cleveland Browns – Greg Newsome II CB Northwestern

Pick 27 Baltimore Ravens – Rashod Bateman WR Minnesota

Pick 28 New Orleans Saints – Payton Turner DE Houston

Pick 29 Green Bay Packers – Eric Stokes CB Georgia

Pick 30 Buffalo Bills – Gregory Rousseau DE Miami

Pick 31 Baltimore Ravens – Jayson Oweh LB Penn State

Pick 32 Tampa Bay Bucs – Joe Tryon LB Washington  

Patriots pick QB Mac Jones in the first round of 2021 Draft

by

VIA: MARK J. REBILAS-USA TODAY SPORTS

The New England Patriots have selected a quarterback in the first round of an NFL Draft for the first time since they took Drew Bledsoe in 1993. Mac Jones, the former CFB National Champion with Alabama is heading to New England.

Lawrence, Wilson, and Lance went 1,2,3, then Justin Fields, who many thought could end up in New England was taken by the Bears after they gave up a haul of picks to move up to Pick 11.

Jones talking on the post draft video conference call for Patriots.com

In my breakdown of the expert mock drafts earlier this week, I said “Now, taking him (Jones) at 15, if the team loves him, I’m fine with, but I don’t want them to give up their future capital for Jones.” – This is exactly how things panned out, the Patriots were patient and managed to get their QB for the future.

I for one am pretty excited by this, now Jones wasn’t the top QB on my list, but the team has some belief in him, and that goes a long way with me, I just want to see how he progresses in camp now.

The Belichick-Saban connection continues as Schefter notes, that relationship will have played a huge part in this pick, remember, the Patriots had a chance to take Jordan Love last year whilst being in the same QB situation, but didn’t. They could have passed on Jones here, but they clearly like him enough to use their 15th pick.

Patriots Draft Blog – Night 1 LIVE

by

(AP Photo/Steve Luciano)

Welcome to night one of the PatsPropaganda draft live blogs! I’ll be posting all throughout this evening for all of the drama from the first round. Get involved in the discussion or send me a question to our Twitter @PatsPropaganda!

Hosted by Tom Shaw-Mellors (@ShawMellors)
Please refresh the page for live updates below.

LIVE UPDATES 🠗

23:28- It’s getting towards 5am here in the UK, I’m going to call it a night unless I hear the Patriots fly back into the late first round this evening. Thanks for tuning in! GO PATS!

23:26- Browns select CB Greg Newsome II with Pick 26.

23:22- Jags take RB Travis Etienne with their second pick tonight, Lawrence’s fellow Clemson Tiger is also heading to Jacksonville.

23:16- A Few more picks have been made, the Vikings select OT Christian Darrisaw, the Steelers then took RB Najee Harris from Alabama with the 24th pick.

23:10- Mac Jones on wanting to join the Patriots all along…

23:02- CB Caleb Farley, another top prospect goes to the Titans at Pick 22.

22:53- Colts select DE Kwity Paye, one of the few edge rushers worth taking in the first round now off the board.

22:50- A Mac Jones conference call is coming up….

22:45- A couple more picks to report on, Washington takes LB Jamin Davis & the NY Giants take WR Kadarius Toney which is a slight surprise. I don’t imagine we’ll see the Patriots again this evening.

22:32- DL Jaelan Phillips goes to Miami with Pick 18.

22:28- Lost my way after that pick, LB Zaven Collins went to the Cardinals and OG Alex Leatherwood is heading to Las Vegas.

22:24- Damien Harris is happy!

22:21- Well, we were oh so patient for this, but the Patriots have their potential franchise QB in Mac Jones, and I am all in. – I need a drink.

22:12-

PICK 15 – QB MAC JONES

THE PATRIOTS HAVE A QB – IT IS OFFICIAL

22:08- Jets took G/T Vera-Tucker, a solid pick and support for Wilson on the line.

22:08- THE PATRIOTS ARE FINALLY ON THE CLOCK.

[Read more…] about Patriots Draft Blog – Night 1 LIVE

Mock Draft Review – Who the experts are predicting the Patriots to select first

by

Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

With hundreds of mock drafts doing the rounds in the lead-up towards night one of the 2021 Draft, let’s take a look at who some experts have decided for the Patriots pick in the first round along with my thoughts for each prediction.

Pick 10 – QB Justin Fields

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXCYiU5MI1I
Mel Kiper Jr – ESPN – April 13

With only one of the top five quarterbacks still available, the Patriots jump five spots with the Cowboys, giving Dallas their 2022 first-round pick in return. The Cowboys don’t need a quarterback, so they’d be thrilled to get an offer like this and move down only a few spots, because their biggest holes are on defense and they can get a good player at No. 15.

This makes five quarterbacks in the top 10, with Bill Belichick & Co. making the move up for Fields, my second-ranked quarterback. All the moves the Patriots made in free agency showed me that they believe they can get right back into competing for the AFC East title, but I don’t think Cam Newton is the quarterback to get them there. He had too many accuracy issues last season. He’s not the long-term answer. Fields had an up-and-down 2020 season, but he can be a star if he becomes more consistent. And I trust that offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels will get him there.

My Thoughts: I will be setting off fireworks on draft night if somehow the Pats are able to secure Fields, but, I just can’t imagine him slipping outside of the top five. A lot of trash news has come out in recent weeks regarding Fields which could impact his stock, it shouldn’t, but that’s the only way I can see the Patriots getting within reach past number 10, other than trading up to four.

Also predicted to Patriots by:
Todd McShay – ESPN

Pick 15 – QB Trey Lance

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgNOk_huxiE

Steve Palazzolo – PFF – April 19

New England is primed to move up for a quarterback on draft night, but the more I let this draft play out, the more comfortable I am with Lance in the middle of the first. He’s a dynamic runner who’s flashed the arm to hit every throw, but his accuracy is a notch below the other four first-round prospects. It’s a good play for New England, who have Cam Newton for one year, and they can take their time with Lance or throw him right into the mix when he’s ready.

My Thoughts: This would be an ideal scenario for Patriots fans, getting a QB in the first round, without giving up your future to do so. I can’t see Lance making it out of the top ten, but if he somehow falls to fifteen, it would be a huge scoop for the Patriots halfway through the first round.

Also predicted to Patriots by:
Josh Edwards – CBS Sports
Ryan Wilson – CBS Sports
Charles Davis – NFL.com

[Read more…] about Mock Draft Review – Who the experts are predicting the Patriots to select first

Patriots Draft Primer – Quarterback

by

Source: AL.com

Today the “Patriots Draft Primer” segment will take a look at the Quarterback position.  

Where we stand:

The Patriots quarterback room is currently made up of Cam Newton, Jarrett Stidham, and Jacob Dolegala.

Rumors and analyst commentary have been circulating in recent weeks that Cam Newton’s passing ability will be much better in 2021. Personally, I think that is a cop out statement. It really can’t be any worse than it was in 2020 so of course it is going to be better. Newton has never been known for his accuracy and perhaps his best days are behind him. The Patriots aren’t asking Cam to be Tom, but he must be better than what he showed last season. His style of play seeks out contact at times which is no way to sustain a healthy QB in the NFL. He needs to take care of the ball (both when throwing and when mobilizing outside of the pocket) and know when to get down. Newton’s mechanics, mainly his footwork, were awful during 2020. I expect to see a better performance in 2021 but I am not sure it will be enough, and he isn’t the long-term answer.  

I am a big Jarrett Stidham fan from his days at Baylor. He showed promise early on as a gun slinger that translated well to his first year at Auburn. The talks after the 2017 season were that Stidham would be a first round selection in the NFL draft the following year. Stidham was truly a victim of circumstance during the 2018 Auburn season that saw him play behind a decimated offensive line along with his top two pass catching options out with injuries. Gus Malzahn’s wonky Auburn system also did no favors for a QB looking to show off his arm talent. The other rumored landing spots of Texas Tech, Texas A&M, or Oregon would have been better landing spots to showcase his skills.

During his first preseason Jarrett put up the best preseason numbers of any quarterback in the Belichick era, including those of Tom Brady and Jimmy G. However, his in-season performances have been less than stellar whenever he has seen game action. Having no 2020 preseason most likely hurt his development, but one would have to think that with all the shake up in 2020 if the staff felt like Stidham had what it took then he would have received a few starts down the stretch. Stidham has the arm, poise, and maturity to be the Patriots starter, but he has yet to show the decision-making ability. I want this to happen so badly, but I think this ship has sailed. Stidham has two more years remaining on his contract.


[Read more…] about Patriots Draft Primer – Quarterback