The 2020 NFL Draft is right around the corner, and the New England Patriots find themselves in an interesting position. Even though the Patriots have 12 picks in the upcoming NFL Draft, it’s probably in their best interest to trade down early and accumulate even more picks. The roster is one of the oldest in the league, has major holes at important positions, and is more than one player away from being a legitimate contender. The Patriots should do everything possible to acquire as much young talent as possible, and that starts by trading down in a deep, talented draft class.
The most important thing in any trade is that both sides end up getting a fair deal. DraftTek’s 2020 NFL Trade Value Chart states that New England’s draft is worth a collective 1,224.6 points, with their top pick worth 760 points. Any trade scenario would involve both teams receiving the same value according to this formula.
New England Patriots Trade Down Scenarios in the 2020 NFL Draft
Scenario 1: Patriots Trade With Los Angeles Chargers
- Patriots get: 37th and 71st Overall Picks (Value: 765)
- Chargers get: 23rd Overall Pick (Value: 760)
This is probably the best outcome the Patriots could hope for while still having a fair deal for both sides. Even though New England has 12 picks in the upcoming NFL Draft, seven of them come in the fifth round or later. This team needs to get younger at just about every position, and New England needs as many early-round picks as possible to rebuild the roster. Realistically, the Patriots can expect one of Xavier McKinney, Grant Delpit, Kenneth Murray, Patrick Queen, Jalen Reagor, Laviska Shenault, or Zack Baun to fall to this pick. Each player would be worthy of the 23rd overall pick, so in a sense, the Patriots are getting an additional third-round pick for free in this situation. With the 71st overall pick, the Patriots could select someone like Adam Trautman to be their tight end of the future.
Scenario 2: Patriots Trade With Kansas City Chiefs
- Patriots get: 32nd and 63rd Overall Picks (Value: 915)
- Chiefs get: 23rd and 87th Overall Picks (Value: 915)
This trade works as a perfect draw from a value standpoint. While the Patriots still make the same amount of selections in this mock, they no longer have a 64-pick gap between their first and second selections. As previously mentioned, the Patriots have at least seven players that they should be happy with for their first pick. The Patriots should still be in a position to take at least one of those guys, and could even trade back again if multiple players fall out of the first.
Scenario 3: Patriots Trade With Detroit Lions
- Patriots get: 35th and 67th Overall Picks (Value: 805)
- Lions get: 23rd and 125th Overall Picks (Value: 807)
Once again, this trade ends with the Patriots having the same amount of picks as before the trade. However, this trade is worth it because it eliminates the large gap between picks and it gives them even more ammo to trade back. This is a deep draft, and there should be plenty of interesting players left on the board in the third and fourth rounds. New England would have four third-round picks in this scenario and could easily trade one of those to pick up multiple fourth-round picks.
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