With FA looming, how do you *want* the Pats to use their first draft pick?

[nextsuperstar]

Wide Receiver is the biggest need. I’m all in on Jaxon Smith-Njigba. 6’1”, 200 lbs with elite quickness and great production. He will get open and is exactly what Mac needs. 4.5 second WRs make pro bowls al the time. The list goes on and on.

 

[203Pat]

From what I have read/heard this is a deep cornerback class so with that being said I want to go OT in round 1 then corner in round 2 and hopefully double dip on both throughout the draft.

 

[mgteich]

I want an OT with 14 but fear there will be a run on the position on draft day in which case I'd take one of the top corners instead.

There are 3. I believe that Belichick will move up, if necessary, to get his choice for a starting OT for the next 5 years.

And, yes, it may take our 3rd, more likely a 4th.

 

[Hyped]

One of the top 3 OT's OR a trade back for a WR in the late 1st/early 2nd.

 

[TheRainMaker]

The pats are a #1 CB away from having arguably the best defense in the NFL.

No they are not. In addition to a CB, they need two off ball LB's who don't look like they are jogging and Judon to not disappear for the 3rd straight year after November. Barmore needs to take off his diapers and show up in his 3rd year. Then they have to show they can actually slow down a competent offense which they haven't done well at all since 2020 - unless they get assistance from wind, rain or snow.

 

[TheRainMaker]

Take the best player available at OT, WR, or CB.

NO fecking trade downs! This team needs TALENT!

 

[holyredeemer]

I picked CB. It was an easy choice, IMHO. We have the greatest need at CB. There are a plethora of potential elite CB's with good size that will be available at #14 or even below.

The problem with OT is that there are one maybe 2 elite OT's in this draft worthy of the 14th pick and they will likely go higher. The guys likely to be there at 14 are going to be good, but on the "next level" of picks and could be lumped into a group of guys who will likely be there at #46. So going with the CB will likely bring the best value to the team

BUT until we see what the team does in FA over the 5 weeks before the draft, we cannot guess what will happen in the draft. IF we add a Jalen Ramsey, then an early CB goes off the table. IF we add a OT then it will be likely we don't go there in the first. This would be a great thread a month from now, but right now its kind of premature.

I agree with most of what you said here, except I hope that what we do in FA, doesn’t have a big impact on the draft. If we did go out and grab a Ramsey, if the BPA is a boundary corner with size, I’d hope we’d take him. We could use a couple of big corners, and around the time Ramsey would be getting close to hanging em up, we’d have (hopefully) developed a guy who is ready to take over. Same could be said for the Tackle position, and WR IMO. Great post.

 

[upstater1]

Many say OT, I think that is the safe choice since BB sucks at drafting WRs.
He did have few misses with OT, but not as awful as WR.

Our receiving corp hasn’t been good at all, and I doubt it will get any better.

Between 2010 and 2020 the Patriots took exactly one WR in the first 3 rounds.
I this period, they selected two Ts.

I'd argue that the very low number of picks taken makes it hard to really judge them.

Nate Solder, Isaiah Wynn and Aaron Dobson are the 3.

 

[upstater1]

A top Super Bowl quality team can get by with a merely pretty good LT.

It cannot get by without a stud #1 CB.

If you could take CB Gonzalez and LT Matthew Bergeron, you should do it, rather than take LT Paris Johnson and CB Garrett Williams.

 

[patsinthesnow]

No they are not. In addition to a CB, they need two off ball LB's who don't look like they are jogging and Judon to not disappear for the 3rd straight year after November. Barmore needs to take off his diapers and show up in his 3rd year. Then they have to show they can actually slow down a competent offense which they haven't done well at all since 2020 - unless they get assistance from wind, rain or snow.

Bentley had a breakout season. They had a top 10 offensive schedule and finished 3rd in EPA. Barmore had 11 pressures in his final two games.

They gave up a net total of 15 points to the Bengals despite missing two of their top 4 CBs. They pressured Josh Allen 26 times. The defense did it’s job both times.

They have to get out of zone coverage. A #1 CB will allow them to do that.

 

[Ivan]

That depends upon how the draft falls on draft night. Some people of those I want will be gone by #14, and some will still be there. Like every year I make a proxy list out of those who I think could be available, and I leave off those I think there is no chance of getting. This year I have the four QB’s, Will Anderson, Jalen Carter, Quentin Johnson, Paris Johnson, Christian Gonzalez, and Devon Witherspoon off the board at #14, then I go off of what remains .

My top 5 after that is :

J. Smith-Njigba WR OSU

L. Van Ness DE Iowa

B. Robinson RB Texas ( many will hate this, but if he’s as good as advertised they would have the best running game in football, and that’s a key part of keeping great QB’s off of the field.)

B. Jones OT Georgia

B. Breeze DT Clemson


There is still a long way to go, and free agency will have a significant impact on their draft plans.

 

[Ivan]

OT is biggest need, but if we pick at 14, whoever it is better be a blue chipper.

I think we need to take WR JSN or CB Gonzalez ahead of any tackles that might be on the board at that point.

Mike Renner is comping JSN to Edleman. Definitely what our offense needs.

Yep. The first round is about getting a great player, not simply filling a need. You can use the rest of the draft and free agency to address needs, but you want your first round pick to become a cornerstone of your team. And overall the Patriots have done a good job with their first round picks. They are going to have a shot at some really good prospects at #14, in part because 4 QB’s should go off the board. And while you can create a list of those you want the most, and those you rule out, there will still be surprises on draft night. And if one of Witherspoon or Gonzalez drop to #14 then I would look seriously at taking them. Both could end up as shutdown corners.

 

[Water Boy]

That depends upon how the draft falls on draft night. Some people of those I want will be gone by #14, and some will still be there. Like every year I make a proxy list out of those who I think could be available, and I leave off those I think there is no chance of getting. This year I have the four QB’s, Will Anderson, Jalen Carter, Quentin Johnson, Paris Johnson, Christian Gonzalez, and Devon Witherspoon off the board at #14, then I go off of what remains .

My top 5 after that is :

J. Smith-Njigba WR OSU

L. Van Ness DE Iowa

B. Robinson RB Texas ( many will hate this, but if he’s as good as advertised they would have the best running game in football, and that’s a key part of keeping great QB’s off of the field.)

B. Jones OT Georgia

B. Breeze DT Clemson


There is still a long way to go, and free agency will have a significant impact on their draft plans.

I think JSN might be the first WR off the board ahead of Q Johnson. Higher floor.

 

[patsfanfromoversea]

That depends upon how the draft falls on draft night. Some people of those I want will be gone by #14, and some will still be there. Like every year I make a proxy list out of those who I think could be available, and I leave off those I think there is no chance of getting. This year I have the four QB’s, Will Anderson, Jalen Carter, Quentin Johnson, Paris Johnson, Christian Gonzalez, and Devon Witherspoon off the board at #14, then I go off of what remains .

My top 5 after that is :

J. Smith-Njigba WR OSU

L. Van Ness DE Iowa

B. Robinson RB Texas ( many will hate this, but if he’s as good as advertised they would have the best running game in football, and that’s a key part of keeping great QB’s off of the field.)

B. Jones OT Georgia

B. Breeze DT Clemson


There is still a long way to go, and free agency will have a significant impact on their draft plans.

Curious about breese
Do you think he can develop into a starting three down DT ? I haven’t followed him much , just watched a bit Clemson defense highlights but while I tried to focus on him and simpson I wasn’t reall thrilled with Breese

 

[Ivan]

Curious about breese
Do you think he can develop into a starting three down DT ? I haven’t followed him much , just watched a bit Clemson defense highlights but while I tried to focus on him and simpson I wasn’t reall thrilled with Breese

I think someone like BGC could give you a more definitive answer on him, or any other prospect for that matter. By all accounts he’s a really highly thought of prospect who had an up and down year for a variety of reasons. I don’t have him at the top of the list of those they could get at #14, but I like the idea of having another pass rushing interior DT to pair with Barmore.

 

[Ivan]

I think JSN might be the first WR off the board ahead of Q Johnson. Higher floor.

Unfortunately it’s looking more and more like that. But if he’s there he’s on the short list of player’s I want the most.

 

[patsfanfromoversea]

I think someone like BGC could give you a more definitive answer on him, or any other prospect for that matter. By all accounts he’s a really highly thought of prospect who had an up and down year for a variety of reasons. I don’t have him at the top of the list of those they could get at #14, but I like the idea of having another pass rushing interior DT to pair with Barmore.

I agree that is why I wanted Payne but he got tagged
Now I want Hargrave

 

[UrbanCowboy]

The pats are a #1 CB away from having arguably the best defense in the NFL. There are OTs available in FA & the pats having money to spend. Sign one.

potential dime defense:

Uche
Godchaux
Barmore
Judon

Bentley
Dugger

Pick #14 (Porter Jr.)
Ja. Jones
M, Jones (slot)

Mills
Phillips

I think they are going with Brown & a FA as their starters with a day 2 OT as their swing tackle. Any of the 3 CBs will be the best player available at #14 IMO.

if we can keep the other jones, I'd like to see another linebacker w/ some speed or a big fattie (I'm afraid Guy is out of gas and he still plays alot)

 

[Ivan]

if we can keep the other jones, I'd like to see another linebacker w/ some speed or a big fattie (I'm afraid Guy is out of gas and he still plays alot)

They definitely got their money worth out of Guy, he’s been worth every penny of his contracts. I would love y try o see another signing like him.

 

[UrbanCowboy]

They definitely got their money worth out of Guy, he’s been worth every penny of his contracts. I would love y try o see another signing like him.

absolutely. maybe it's not worth a draft pick. They seem to be really good at finding those guys. Ted Washington way back in the day. And Alan Branch was a monster for a couple of years.