The New England Patriots have had a rather unsatisfying off-season thus far as they have been forced to let key veterans walk in free agency due to a lack of cap space. Furthermore, while New England possesses one of the highest number of 2020 draft picks, with twelve, five of those selections will come in rounds six and seven. Additionally, with no second rounder to work with, the Patriots will currently have a 64 pick gap between their first rounder and earliest third round picks. While Bill Belichick will likely make multiple trades on draft day to help bridge that gap, there is absolutely no telling which picks Belichick may acquire or trade out of. For this reason, the following Patriots mock draft was made without making any trades and features the New England Patriots draft picks as they currently stand.
New England Patriots Draft: Final Seven Round Mock Draft
Round 1, Pick 23: Linebacker, Kenneth Murray, Oklahoma (6-foot-2, 241 pounds)
A rare blend of size, speed, and power at the inside linebacker position, Murray excels as a thumping linebacker who plays a downhill, fast, hard hitting brand of football. While his coverage skills are not yet elite, Murray has solid fundamentals in both man and zone coverage as well as the athleticism to improve those skills with more experience. Additionally, Murray’s leadership along with maturity intangibles are well regarded within the scouting community and he would likely be a day one starter for New England.
Round 3, Pick 23: Cornerback, Damon Arnette, Ohio State (6-foot, 195 pounds)
While Arnette does not possess any outstanding qualities on film, he does a lot of things very well and does not have any glaring holes in his game, a quality which Belichick loves. Additionally, Arnette is an extremely versatile player as he frequently excelled in man, zone, and press coverage for the Buckeyes last season. Furthermore, the Patriots have made known their love for physical corners, a quality which Arnette certainly possesses, especially when matched up with bigger receivers. While secondary is not an immediate need, Arnette is simply too good to pass up during this stage of the draft.
Round 3, Pick 34: Interior Offensive Line, Tyler Biadasz, Wisconsin (6-foot-4, 314 pounds)
After David Andrews missed all of last season, it became very apparent the Patriots are in need of having a quality backup center. Biadasz played exclusively at the center position throughout his collegiate career and was the heartbeat of one of the best offensive lines in the nation. Additionally, Biadasz would bring nasty toughness to New England as he started 41 consecutive games for the Badgers. While health is a concern for some teams, Biadasz’ natural strength as well as experience are obvious and he could develop into a very productive starter.
Round 3, Pick 36: Linebacker, Troy Dye, Oregon (6-foot-3, 231)
A four-year starter for the Ducks, Dye brings an eye popping blend of size and speed to the linebacker position. Dye’s range and pursuit skills make him a very intriguing prospect for the Patriots given their desperate need for athleticism at linebacker. Dye thrives when playing in space along with coverage as he has an abundance of athleticism. If Belichick can mold Dye’s raw ability and improve his mental processing, Dye would be a versatile force capable of playing inside and outside linebacker.
Round 4, Pick 19: Defensive Line, Rashard Lawrence, LSU (6-foot-2, 308 pounds)
Lawrence has the play style of an old school run stuffing nose tackle, but has almost none of the size. However, Lawrence’s skill set is very apparent as he brings leadership intangibles and a high motor while excelling at maintaining leverage along with mauling blockers at the point of attack. Lawrence will need time to develop counter pass rush techniques as he improves upon his footwork and hand timing in order to maximize his average athleticism. Although, as a rookie Lawrence is very capable of playing on early downs and maintaining a solid anchor within the interior of a defense.
Round 4, Pick 33: Wide Receiver, K.J. Hill, Ohio State (6-foot, 196 pounds)
Hill has largely been overshadowed due to the overwhelming top end receiver talent in this draft class. However, Hill is a tremendous short and intermediate route runner who projects as a slot receiver at the next level. Additionally, despite a smaller catch radius, Hill has reliable hands and has caught the most passes in the history of Ohio State football. The Patriots are in need of finding young receiver talent and with an aging Julian Edelman, Hill could be the future of New England’s slot position.
Round 5, Pick 26: Guard, Shane Lemieux, Oregon (6-foot-4, 310 pounds)
Lemieux would break the mold of a typical Patriots guard as he does not excel while playing in space on screens or pulls. However, Lemieux has high upside as he plays with the strength, power, and enough nastiness to be a mauler in the run game. Furthermore, Lemieux brings experience, toughness, and leadership as his 52 game starting streak cannot be overlooked. Moreover, if the Patriots can develop Lemieux’s pass sets and awareness, he would slot in as a quality future starter.
Round 6, Pick 16: Defensive Line, Nick Coe, Auburn (6-foot-5, 280 pounds)
Coe’s collegiate career had ups and downs as he struggled to find consistent production at times. However, Coe’s size along with versatility are sure to catch Belichick’s eye, especially at this stage of the draft. Coe has the size and athleticism to play an edge role on early downs while kicking inside to rush the quarterback on passing downs.
Round 6, Pick 25: Safety, K’Von Wallace, Clemson (5-foot-11, 206 pounds)
Despite being considered a tad undersized for the position, Wallace checks off a lot of boxes for what New England traditionally looks for in a safety. Wallace brings versatility to the position as he has proven his ability to play in deep zones along with in the slot within sub-package defenses. Furthermore, Wallace is expected to be a stand out special teams player which will buy him some time to develop into a starting caliber safety.
Round 6, Pick 33: Offensive Tackle, Trey Adams, Washington (6-foot-8, 318)
Adams is one of the biggest high-risk, high-reward prospects within this draft class and one the Patriots should take a chance on in the later rounds. While Adams boasts the skills and size of a franchise left tackle, he has dealt with some serious injuries throughout his collegiate career. Adams was once considered to be an early round draft pick, but health concerns along with a poor combine performance has severely dropped his draft stock.
Round 6, Pick 34: Quarterback, James Morgan, Florida International (6-foot-4, 229 pounds)
Morgan has been linked to the Patriots throughout the entire draft evaluation process. Morgan has intriguing physical ability as his athleticism, arm talent, and size scream NFL quarterback. However, Morgan needs development with both his accuracy and decision making, but getting a player with Morgan’s physical skill set at this stage in the draft would be a quality pick for New England.
Round 7, Pick 27: Kicker, Rodrigo Blankenship, Georgia (6-foot-1, 190 pounds)
With Stephen Gostkowski being released earlier this off-season and limited cap space, the Patriots are in need of a cheap option at kicker. Blankenship brings a big personality, but a bigger leg to the team as he has all the strength needed to hit deep field goals as well as consistent touchbacks on kickoffs.
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