Patriots 2019 Mock Draft 2.0, Trying to Meet Team Needs

Steve Balestrieri

4 years ago at 11:27 am ET

USA Today - USA TODAY Sports

Friday is a great time at conducting our second Patriots seven-round mock draft. The free agency front has died down and although moves are still being made, those have slowed to a trickle.

Once again, I’m going with the assumption for our purposes that the Patriots are going to make 12 picks in the 2019 NFL Draft. Although I doubt it very seriously, we’ll stick with that scenario and make some trades in the next one.

Our first Mock Draft can be seen here:

I used the outstanding Fanspeak Your On the Clock draft simulator again this year. And once again depending upon the Big Board that you use (for this mock, I used the big board of Matt Miller, from Bleacher Report, who I like to read when it comes to draft prospects)…your results will differ enormously. So Let’s Go Drafting…

Patriots Mock Draft 2.0:

Round 1, Pick 32 – A.J. Brown, WR, Ole Miss: Shocking to find him here at #32, much like our previous draft with the tight ends. Brown isn’t the athletic freak that his teammate D.K. Metcalf is but he should be an immediate starter at the next level and is primed to be a big contributor from Day 1.

Brown is a big (6’0, 226) wide receiver who moves really well, and thickly, solidly built. Can play the slot, “Z” or out wide at the “X”. Outstanding ball skills and very good hands make him excellent at finding and coming down with the football.

He can win physical battles, beat corners with his terrific route running, or his athleticism. After the catch he more like a running back. Day 1 starter.

Round 2, Pick 56 – Dexter Lawrence, DL, Clemson: Lawrence is a great pick up at #56. Lawrence is a huge, (6’4, 342) defensive tackle who would project to the Patriots as a two-gap, run stuffer. Lawrence has amazing quickness for a man of his size and he’s able to penetrate with a excellent combination of size and power.

He comes with a red flag, he was suspended for Clemson’s bowl games for PED use, Ostarine which he denies ever using. However, he can be a integral part of the middle of the defense with his ability to stuff the run.

Round 2, Pick 64 – Greg Little, Tackle, Ole Miss*** No Change***: Little was still here again at #64 and that is a great place to pick him up. With both Trent Brown and LaAdrian Waddle gone in free agency and Isaiah Wynn recovering from an Achilles injury, tackle is a position that has now increased in scope for the Patriots.

Little is a big prototypical size tackle with the length, and girth you want at left tackle. Another shocker that Little was still on the board at #64 here. He’s got very long arms, is very strong and at times looks positively dominant in the excellent SEC.

But the knock on him is that he at times looks like he’s just going thru the motions. And that lackadaisical attitude won’t cut it in the NFL. But for that, I have two words…Dante. Scarnecchia.

Round 3, Pick 73 – Charles Omenihu, Edge, Texas: Omenihu is a late bloomer who didn’t turn heads until his senior season for the Longhorns, registering 18 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks. He has the NFL size at 6’5, 280 with long arms and twitchy athleticism. He’s very strong with a very quick first step.

He’s still a bit raw as a pass rusher, but sets the edge well and has the ability to kick inside as an interior pass rusher.

Round 3, Pick 97 – Jace Sternberger, TE, Texas A&M: I really like this kid and was shocked to see him still being bypassed and didn’t want to wait any longer… Sternberger had a big 2018 with 48 catches, 832 yards receiving and 10 TDs. He runs excellent routes and has the potential to be a big pass-catching weapon in the NFL.

He’s got a tremendous blend of catch, running, and blocking skills at the next level. He’s 6’4, 251 and has the athleticism to attack the seams and has a big catch radius. He’s limited as a blocker, at least for now as an NFL tight end. He’ll have to get a bit stronger for that. Comes from athletic bloodlines, both parents were college athletes.

Round 3, Pick 101 – Amani Hooker, Safety, Iowa: Safety, while not a position of glaring need in 2019, could be one in 2020. Hooker has the size, 5’11, 210 and the physicality to be a solid replacement for Pat Chung down the road.

The safety has very good size, agility, and ball skills. He played the “Star” or big nickel that the Patriots use. He can be overly aggressive and borderline reckless at times but either in run support or in coverage, he’s always around the ball.

Round 4, Pick 134 – Keesan Johnson, WR, Fresno State: Johnson is a very productive wide receiver with prototypical size and length, at 6’1, 201. He runs excellent routes, has outstanding ball skills who is elusive and can generate yards after the catch.

He lacks timed speed but is a smooth route runner who comes out of his breaks well and wins contested catches. High points the ball extremely well with very good hands.

Round 6, Pick 205 – Renell Wren, DL, Arizona State: Wren is an intriguing prospect with good size, 6’5, 318. In college, they played him over the nose but he may be a better fit as a pure defensive tackle.

He possesses freaky athleticism for a big man but he’s a project and may require a lot of work with Joe Kim who helped Patriots DL work on their hand usage. Has a lot of upside but may take a year or two to blossom.

Round 7, Pick 239 – Carl Granderson, Edge, Wyoming: Granderson is another guy who would benefit working with Kim with his hand usage. He has all of the athletic traits and quick twitch that teams look for in their edge rushers, but he doesn’t set the edge well in the running game and may begin his pro career as a subpackage pass rusher.

Round 7, Pick 243 – Penny Hart, WR, Georgia State: Hart is a small, very small (5’8, 180) wide receiver who had excellent production at a lower level of competition. But got an invite to the Senior Bowl and looked uncoverable. He’s a very twitchy slot receiver who can return punts and kickoffs.

Round 7, Pick 246 – Wes Hills, RB, Slippery Rock: Hills is a bit of a sleeper after transferring from Delaware to Division II Slippery Rock. He has good size at 6’1, 218 with a nice blend of size and speed. Was performing well at the Senior Bowl before an injury struck. Can run between the tackles, outside, break arm tackles and does a nice job of catching the ball out of the backfield. Had over 1900 all-purpose yards

Round 7, Pick 252 – Khalil Hodge, LB, Buffalo: Hodge isn’t quite the explosive athlete that another alum from Buffalo named Khalil is…Khalil Mack. However, Hodge had 419 tackles in three seasons.

Although slightly undersized at 6’0, 235, he’s athletic, has above-average agility and the quickness to shoot the gaps. He’s an immediate special teams ace and plays on there with reckless abandon. Could stick with STs and work himself into a role on defense.

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