Mr. Nawrocki,
What are your thoughts around the Patriots investing their 4th-round pick in Armanti Edwards? I know you predict him to go late in the third round, so probably unlikely unless they draft him in the 2nd or drop down into the 3rd. Seems like he might be a good fit for them, though.
— Russ Clark
It was widely thought in league circles that the Patriots were very interested in Pat White a year ago. Yet, much to their delight, I believe, he wound up landing in the division, where he was relegated to the bench, saw very little action and wound up getting injured when he had an opportunity to play. I do not see him ever bringing value as a receiver or return man, as I think Edwards will. Edwards has embraced the opportunity to contribute in other phases of the game and showed promise in receiving drills at his pro day, unlike White, who evaluators said had one of the worst receiver positional workouts they had ever seen.
From a versatility perspective, the Patriots should be very intrigued by Edwards. They have an excellent coaching staff that develops talent as well as any team in the league and showed last year that it could quickly groom converted QB Julian Edelman into a slot receiver. I would not rule out the possibility that Edwards develops into an Antwaan Randle El type of weapon. Edwards' lack of size and injury history remain concerns that could affect his draft status and potentially allow him to slip to the Patriots in the fourth round, but it's difficult to believe he would escape the third, where the Patriots currently do not have a pick, and it's even remotely possible that he fits into the second round.
If they were truly interested in landing him, they would likely have to use their final second-round pick (53rd overall) or wisely manipulate their position, as they have done so well under Bill Belichick, by trading back into the third round and acquiring additional picks.
