View attachment 31956
#4
QB Trey Lance. 6'4 224 lbs North Dakota State. Pros: Lance features elite athleticism and arm strength. In 2019 Trey Lance exhibited the traits of the ideal modern NFL QB, throwing for 2700 yards 28 TDs 0 INTs and rushing for an additional 1100 yards and 14 TDs. Unfortunately 2020 was cut short due to covid crisis and the school only scheduled 1 game. Cons: Lack of experience as a starter. Level of competition. Notes: After Lawrence, Wilson, and Fields went 123 in the draft, the Patriots move up aggressively to grab their potential franchise QB of the future. Lance style of play makes him ideally suited to have Cam Newton as his mentor before he eventually steps into the starting role a year or two from now.
#41
WR Dyami Brown. 6'1 195 lbs North Carolina. Pros: Dyami Brown offers electric down the field playmaking ability. He posted back to back 1,000 yard receiving seasons in the ACC. On top of that his Run After Catch ability is dynamic. He can take a slant route and potentially take it to the house. As an added bonus Brown is a great run blocker who consistently finishes his blocks in the run game. Cons: Brown needs to improve his hand battling skills and strength to beat the press and improve his technique to win in contested catch situations. Notes: Dyami Brown is the type of electric WR who can take the top off a defense and force them to respect the deep ball, opening up the middle of the field game for the Pats stacked tight ends to work that area of the field.
#69 S Jamar Johnson. 6'1 197 lbs Indiania. Pros: Jamar Johnson has excellent physical traits to play the deep safety role. He has ball hawking instincts evidenced by his 4 interceptions, including 2 of them from top QB prospect Justin Fields. He displays good fluidity and hips to stay with route runners and position himself to make a play. Cons: Johnson struggles at time in the run game and can end up diving and missing tackles. Notes: With Devin Mccourty getting older, drafting an apprentice early is key to maintaining the Patriots strength against the passing game. Johnson's tackling issues is something that could possibly be coached up with training in basic techniques but his existing strength in defending the pass is exactly what you look for in a free safety prospect. Sidenote: How can the 69th overall pick NOT be great? 
#120
LB Jamin Davis. 6'4 234 lbs 33" arms Kentucky. Pros: Jamin Davis jumps off the page with his athleticism, running 4.37 40, 42 inch vertical, and 11 foot broad jump during his pro day. On top of the elite physicality he added solid production numbers of 102 tackles, 3 interceptions, 1.5 sacks, a blocked kick, and defensive touchdown in 2020. Jamin's ability to cover big tight ends makes him an asset where NFL TEs are becoming huge factors in the passing game. Cons: Limited experience with only 11 career starts. Needs to improve play diagnosis speed and improve technique taking on lead blockers. Note: Davis explosive athleticism reminds you of a guy like Jamie Collins who can become multi-dimensional defenders at the NFL level. He has also drawn comparisons by NFL analyst Daniel Jeremiah to 2018 NFL defensive rookie of the year Darius Leonard.
#139
T D'ante Smith. 6'5 294 lbs 35 1/4" arms East Carolina. Pros: D'Ante Smith created a lot of buzz at the Senior bowl with outstanding practices where he dominated 1 on 1 drills and showed of his top end athleticism. He answered weight questions by weighing in at 294 and his 35" arms create an elite wingspan to ward off pass rushers on the edge. Cons: Needs to improve technique against inside moves. Needs to improve blocking balance and stay on his feet.
#188
CB Shakur Brown. 5'10 185 lbs 33" arms Michigan State. Pros: Athletic, above average strength in press game, plays with an edge, instinctive ballhawk who made 5 interceptions his junior year. Cons: Size. Doesn't handle big receivers well. More quick than fast. Notes: Although Brown has experience playing on the outside he is more suitable to play in the slot role where he can bully inside receivers and potentially make plays on the ball.
#242
WR Josh Imatorbhebhe 6'2 218 Illinois. Pros: Big explosive and athletic. Scored 9 TDs and averaged 19.2 yards per catch in 2019. Lots of raw potential. Cons: No idea how to pronounce his name. Needs to improve sharpness on his route running.
Final notes: The Patriots aggressively move up in the draft to secure their QB of the future, a modern uber athlete in Trey Lance who can be a threat in the air as well as on the ground. They also add a couple of athletic and explosive receiving weapons to stretch the field with the additions of Brown and Imatorbhebhe. They selected a physical linebacker freak who could potentially play all 4 downs in Jamin Davis. And they added depth at S, CB, and OL. Even if only half of these exciting picks pan out, the story of the draft will likely hinge on Trey Lance being successful in the New England system. But I have faith that Josh McDaniels will mold the system to fit the strengths of his new franchise QB. Cam Newton plays a very similar style to Lance and could be the ideal Mentor before passing on the keys.
