Daily Patriots News 4/28: 5 Things to Follow on Draft Weekend
By: Ian Logue
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What the Patriots decide to do tonight is obviously the big question, with New England currently slated to have the #21 overall pick in Round One. Based on all the mock drafts and with everything we know, the odds seem like they favor the team either making a selection on the defensive side of the football or trade out of round one altogether.As for who they might take, click the link below to read more.
NBC Sports Boston believes Belichick will stay in the SEC and target Georgia linebacker Quay Walker on night one, who was among the players the team met with back in March at the NFL Combine.
Walker is a terrific player, with the former Bulldog finishing the 2021 season as one of Georgia's key playmakers on defense. Walker finished the year with 65 tackles, including 5.5 for a loss. He also had 1.5 sacks and defended 3 passes, as well as ending up with a fumble recovery.
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Belichick spoke to Scott Zolak ahead of Thursday night, and talked about balancing best-available vs drafting for need:"That's a decision, for sure," said Belichick. "I think the key thing is you want to make sure the player that you take is good enough ... that he's a good enough player. Because if he isn't, then you haven't really filled the need, even if you have on paper and it's not going to work out. So you want to make sure the players are good enough to actually make your team and can contribute to your team if you take him."
The team continued doing some due diligence as Justin Melo of The Draft Network reported that the club recently held a virtual pre-draft meeting with Wake Forest offensive lineman, Zach Tom.According to Melo, the Patriots were among 15-20 teams to meet with the former Demon Deacon, with Melo pointing out that Tom is a versatile player who can "legitimately play all 5 positions".
One last thing to keep an eye on will be whether or not the team makes a move from N'Keal Harry, which will be something else to watch this weekend.The two sides have reportedly had a "positive dialogue" when it came to potentially moving the embattled wideout, which could see the Patriots use him to acquire a late-round chip to put themselves in position to give them additional flexibility to move around the board as they continue building their roster.
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