This Mock Draft utilizes the Patriots Type Player (PTP) NEP Draft Board created by PatsFan Forum contributor Bacon Grundle Candy. This Mock Draft Board is to simulate the Draft Board the Patriots actually use. The Patriots are known to have a very small number of players on their Draft Board. In the book Draft Room the Patriots Board is limited to between 75-85 players. The Mock Draft Simulator is the Pro Football Focus (PFF).
https://www.patsfans.com/new-england-patriots/messageboard/threads/2022-ptp-draft-board-pats-draft-talk.1157909/
My Draft priorities are as follows: CB, NT, LB, OT, OG, WR
1st Round Pick #21 – Jordan Davis DT Georgia – Davis should not be available to the Patriots at pick #21. He is probably the only player I would change my priority for, he is that good. Let’s talk about a 6’3” 241 lb pure Nose Tackle. He is a space-eater, a one-trick pony according to PFF, and he does that one trick very well. He anchors and doesn’t get moved out of the way and stops the run. In 41 straight opportunities, he had 41 tackles to finish off his career. He is a two-down player specifically to stop the run. As a pass rusher, he has no value. He immediately makes the Patriots run defense better. Starter from Day one. Davis ran a 4.78 40-yard dash at the combine. His long arms (34”) help him keep O-lineman from engaging him. He controls the O-lineman instead of them controlling him. This came from the Athletic, The Beast – 2022 Draft Guide by Dane Brugler, “flashes the upper body strength to stack, drive and discard blocks … unique athletic ability for his size … nimble footwork and body control to make controlled stops in the backfield (couldn’t find any missed tackles on his junior or senior tape).” https://theathletic.com/3233612/2022/04/07/2022-nfl-draft-guide-the-beast-dane-brugler/
He is a 1st round value in GGC’s spreadsheet.
2nd Round Pick #54 – Chad Muma LB Wyoming – Tough choice here between Muma, Quay Walker, and Troy Andersen. Perhaps I should have traded back. If it was just me drafting I would have selected Andersen. Muma is a 2nd round pick in BGC’s Horizontal Spreadsheet whereas Andersen is a 3rd round. The Athletic, The Beast – 2022 Draft Guide, by Dane Brugler had these accolades about Muma, “mashes the accelerator downhill and bursts into contact … has a feel for slithering around blockers in the run game … strong hands as a tackler … has a nose for quick routes, undercutting passing lanes and getting his hands on the football (three INTs in 2021, including two returned for TDs) … the only thing more impressive than his football IQ might be his competitiveness.” https://theathletic.com/3233612/2022/04/07/2022-nfl-draft-guide-the-beast-dane-brugler/
Muma runs a 4.6 40-yard dash. The PFF Draft Guide had this to say, “Muma was one of the most productive defenders in all of college football in 2021, generating 68 total defensive stops, three picks, and 21 pressures for the Cowboys. At 6-foot-3, 242 pounds, he has legit NFL size and athleticism.” https://www.pff.com/news/pff-2022-nfl-draft-guide
Muma is a 2nd round value in BGC’s Spreadsheet.
3rd Round Pick #85 – Sean Rhyan OG UCLA – This is a good spot to take a player that can play at OG. Rhyan is 6’4.5”, 321 lbs. runs a 5.25 40 and has 32” arms. His short arm length will prevent him from playing Tackle. The Athletic, The Beast – 2022 Draft Guide by Dane Brugler, had this to say about Rhyan. “Compact build with thick thighs and massive hands … excellent short-area coordination as a run blocker and pass blocker … works hard to achieve leverage … excellent job in his vertical climb to attack the linebacker level … finds the hip of the defender and caves in the line … flashes a clamp grip at contact to move bodies … durable and started all 31 games the last three seasons, allowing only two sacks in his career”. Declared for draft foregoing his senior season and hardship COVID eligibility because he is 231/2.
https://theathletic.com/3233612/2022/04/07/2022-nfl-draft-guide-the-beast-dane-brugler/
In the BGC Spreadsheet Rhyan is a 3rd round value.
4th Round Pick #127 – Alontae Taylor CB Tennessee – Taylor has outstanding straight-line speed as he ran 4.39 40 at the combine. According to PFF Draft Guide “Taylor has been starting for the Volunteers ever since his true freshman season in 2018. He flashed some serious athletic potential that season and graded out well enough with a 66.3 coverage grade to get you excited about his prospects. The next two seasons, however, never quite delivered upon that promise. It wasn’t until this past season where Taylor put it all together from a grading perspective but was still up and down in his consistency.” He has that makeup speed and can cover all over the field but tackling seemed like a problem. He didn’t have the number of INTs nor PBUs you would expect from someone with that speed. He is a 4 year veteran of the SEC and has that speed is why he is being picked here. He is a 3rd round value in the BGC PTP Spreadsheet. https://www.pff.com/news/pff-2022-nfl-draft-guide
The Athletic, The Beast – 2022 Draft Guide by Dane Brugler, says this “Good-sized athlete with plus length and sprinting speed … collects himself to transition, stay balanced and elevate to make plays on the ball … shades himself to restrict catch windows along the sideline … recovers well and works his body into position without making early contact (zero penalties in 2021) … highly physical downhill with the competitive appetite to match … rams and bounces off blockers, maintaining his pursuit … Quarterbacked an option offense and played wide receiver in high school and is comfortable with the ball in the air … senior captain and was voted to the SEC leadership council in 2020 (served two terms as vice-chair) productive on special teams (462 career snaps) and has the skill set to be a four-phase coverage player. “ The Beast has Taylor listed as a Safety. https://theathletic.com/3233612/2022/04/07/2022-nfl-draft-guide-the-beast-dane-brugler/
Taylor is a 3rd Round Draft value according to BGC’s Spreadsheet.
5th round Pick #158 – Jack Sanborn ILB Wisconsin – He was the leading tackler for Wisconsin in 2019 and 2020, that is until Leo Chenal came by. Still can’t argue with Sanborn’s production. Sanborn stands 6’2” 239 lbs and ran 4.73 40 and 6.96 3-con drill. According to PPF Draft Guide “Sanborn has been starting ever since his sophomore year in 2019. After flashing some playmaking ability in coverage that year with three picks and three pass-breakups, Sanborn never quite became a weapon in that regard. He capped out physically and never quite developed NFL-caliber range. As such, he got deployed more as a blitzer as his career went on where he showed off his knack for playing around blocks. In a linebacker-friendly scheme, though, playing through blocks in the run game is something he’s rarely asked to do. Plays every snap at full speed without looking out of control. Fills vs. the run with reckless abandon. Comes in to send a message. Agile and flexible. Difficult for blockers to locate.” https://www.pff.com/news/pff-2022-nfl-draft-guide
The Athletic, The Beast – 2022 Draft Guide by Dane Brugler, has this to say about Sanborn. “Aggressive run filler and competes with an attacking mindset … strikes low and hard as a tackler, creating immediate stopping power … instinctive working between the tackles, using his hands to combat or slip blocks … diagnoses play speed well and trusts his vision … moves with functional quickness to work laterally or drop in zone coverage … tracks the eyes of the quarterback to constrict passing lanes … excellent timing as a blitzer and Wisconsin would line him up on the edge … well-respected team captain, and NFL coaches will love his energetic motor … was a regular on punt coverage … durable and started all 34 games the past three seasons, twice leading the team in tackles.” https://theathletic.com/3233612/2022/04/07/2022-nfl-draft-guide-the-beast-dane-brugler/
Sanborn rates as a 4th round value.
Round 5 Pick #170 – Bo Melton WR Rutgers – The pipeline to Rutgers continues with the selection of Melton. At 5’11” 189 lbs, ran 4.34 40 and a 6.81 3-cone drill. The Athletic, The Beast – 2022 Draft Guide by Dane Brugler, had this to say about Melton. “Has the top-end speed to stretch the field vertically … open-field brake-and-balance skills exploit holes in coverage … gets defenders widened or turned with his body/head fakes … uses slide-and-burst footwork to release and win at the line of scrimmage … savvily shifts gears to be a threat after the catch … competitive toughness shows with confidence to work heavily patrolled areas … has experience (in high school and college) as a running back, and can be productive from anywhere in the formation … two-year team captain, and will be an asset in an NFL locker room … has some return experience, averaging 24.4 yards on kickoff returns and 16.0 yards on punt returns … finished career No. 6 in school history in career catches (164) despite spotty quarterback play.” One trait I don’t like is that he lets too many passes into his body.
https://theathletic.com/3233612/2022/04/07/2022-nfl-draft-guide-the-beast-dane-brugler/
According to PPF Draft Guide, “he’s a speedster who never quite had a quarterback that could maximize that ability. In his five years of playing time, Melton managed only 26 deep receptions. For a player with his caliber of speed, that’s borderline criminal. After garnering a Senior Bowl invite, he qualified as a riser with his performance of the week of practice. Speedster that can threaten linear routes. Sets up leverage on posts/corners well. Where a lot of his explosive plays came. Well-built despite being on the shorter side. Can shrug off arm tackles. On the negative side, he drops too many passes with a 9.4% rate last season.” https://www.pff.com/news/pff-2022-nfl-draft-guide
Melton is a 3rd Round value in BGC’s Spreadsheet.
Round 6 Pick # 200 – Marquan McCall NT Kentucky – A true, battle-tested SEC Nose Tackle. At 6’2.5” 354 lbs, he is an immovable object. This is what the PFF Draft Guide had to say about McCall. “Wide-framed nose tackle with heavy mass and giant hands … lost weight as a senior and was sub-350 pounds for the first time since high school … looked quicker and more efficient with his initial steps on the 2021 tape … flashes an occasional burst to squeeze gaps … maintains his body position vs. double-team blocks and clogs up interior lanes … powerful upper half to shock and shed or control the point of attack … his nickname in the Kentucky program was “bully” for a reason … shows the ball awareness to find and track … his coaches say that no player in the program showed more improved maturity the last four years. He was ranked the #6 OG in the 2018 draft class.”
https://www.pff.com/news/pff-2022-nfl-draft-guide
This is what The Athletic, The Beast – 2022 Draft Guide by Dane Brugler had to say “McCall showed promise with a 76.5 overall grade on 229 snaps. Unfortunately, he never built upon that as he couldn’t keep his weight in a position where he could stay on the field. Hopefully, that changes at the next level because there is enough physical ability there to make an impact. Plays with a feisty attitude. Tone setter. Can really get off the ball for a man his size. Can execute stunts/slants. Massive mitts that pack a punch when timed up well”
https://theathletic.com/3233612/2022/04/07/2022-nfl-draft-guide-the-beast-dane-brugler/
McCall has a rating of a 5th-round pick in the Spreadsheet.
Round 6 Pick # 210 – EJ Perry QB Brown – Perry is the only player selected that was not on the BGC Patriots Type Players spreadsheet. However, Perry was one of the 30 “official” visits allowed to each team. That is considerable interest if he was given one of those limited visits. His family are local legends in Andover MA. The East / West Shrine Game Offensive MVP played at Brown for his Uncle after transferring from Boston College. According to Draft Dive, “once he got to Brown, all he did was set the Ivy League record with 3,678 yards of total offense in a single season (2021). Perry did this with 2,948 through the air and another 730 on the ground. He added 30 total touchdowns (22 passing, eight rushing). He was named First-Team All-Ivy League and runner-up for the Asa Bushnell Cup (Ivy League Player of the Year).” Perry competed at the Combine, and posted a 4.65 40 and a 6.85 3-cone drill at 6’2”, 210 lbs. The Patriots may consider him at Wide Receiver.
Perry was not listed in BGC’s Spreadsheet at the time this draft was conducted but may be now.
With the exception of Rhyan and McCall, two big linemen, the emphasis in this draft was on speed!
Transactions
Stephon Gilmore signs two year deal with Indianapolis. Too bad that Gilmore misread the market. He could have signed that contract with the Patriots as a two year extension last season. He played 2021 on his $7M contract he signed with New England.
Denzel Ward signed the highest AAV contract for a cornerback with the Browns. It’s a 5-year $100.5M, $71.25M guaranteed contract.
Barndon King signed with the Colts last week between the time I wrote my article and it was published. The Special Teams stalwart will be missed, but he is replaceable.
Free Agent Signings An important date is coming up on May 1st. This is the date that Free Agents signings do not count in the compensation folder. Players like Donta Hightower, Kyle Van Noy, Jamie Collins and Troy Fumagalli may sign once teams don’t have to include them in the draft pick compensation equation.
Trouble on the horizon for TEN, PIT, SF, WAS, and SEA. The crazy deals being paid WR’s this off-season has prompted AJ Brown, Diontae Johnson, Deebo Samuel, Terry McLaurin, and DK Metcalf to request re-negotiations of their contracts. Johnson want $90M over 5 years. Brown, Johnson, Samuel and McLaurin are not participating in off-season workouts until they get paid.
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Merrimack Valley native and lifelong fan of the New England Patriots. My earliest memories of the Patriots were attending as a child with my dad, the off-season practice at Phillips Academy. I was at the Patriots game at Harvard Stadium in 1970 where Bob “Harpo” Gladieux was called out of the stands by the stadium announcer over the PA to play in the game. Analyzing the draft since ESPN first started to televise it in 1980 and former writer for the Lowell Sun Newspaper.
Excellent Mock. One of your best. Of course highly doubtful Davis will be there at 21 and your CB selection is a head scratcher.
Thanks for your comment. I was limited in who I could select because I took O lineman Rhyan at #85 and there was limited CB available under BGC’s PTP spreadsheet at #127. Taylor has outstanding speed, was a 4-year starter, special teams ace, 2-time captain, and academic all-conference. Those are big factors for the Patriots. If a player is a Team Captain they get extra points in their evaluation. I really wanted Marcus Jone but he was taken. You know how BB loves those Special Teams players. Taylor was a 3rd rd value under BGC’s spreadsheet. I think Taylor received… Read more »