{"id":63383,"date":"2019-04-13T09:37:57","date_gmt":"2019-04-13T13:37:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonnfl.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=63383"},"modified":"2019-04-19T22:09:06","modified_gmt":"2019-04-20T02:09:06","slug":"new-england-patriots-recent-first-round-picks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2019\/04\/13\/new-england-patriots-recent-first-round-picks\/","title":{"rendered":"New England Patriots Recent First Round Picks"},"content":{"rendered":"

Free agency is all but over, which means it\u2019s time to put the focus on the 2019 NFL Draft<\/a>. The New England Patriots<\/a> boast 12 picks in this years\u2019 draft and have the chance to restock their roster with cheap, cost-controlled talent. Adding said talent begins in the first round, so let\u2019s take a look back on the recent history of the New England Patriots first round pick.<\/p>\n

New England Patriots Recent Second Round Picks<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

New England Patriots Recent Third Round Picks<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

A Breakdown of Recent New England Patriots First Round Picks<\/strong><\/h2>\n

2018: Isaiah Wynn, Tackle<\/h3>\n

The jury is still out on this selection, as Georgia offensive lineman Isaiah Wynn<\/strong> missed the entirety of his rookie season with an Achilles injury. On paper, the first-round pick was going to compete with Trent Brown<\/a><\/strong> for the starting left tackle job. That obviously never came to fruition, but Wynn should be ready to take the starting job in 2019.<\/p>\n

Wynn came out of college boasting prototypical NFL strength, arms, and agility. He has the strength to match up against power rushers and the speed to hold his own against quicker edge defenders. The only question revolves around his height, as his 6\u20192\u201d stature is short for a tackle. In a worst-case scenario, Wynn should be an easy plug-in at guard. Joe Thuney<\/a><\/strong> is in the final year of his contract and Wynn could be a natural replacement if he can\u2019t handle being a tackle.<\/p>\n

2018: Sony Michel, 31st<\/sup> Overall<\/h3>\n

If you\u2019re going to draft a running back in the first round, make sure you take somebody as good as Sony Michel<\/a><\/strong>. While the positional value will never be there, the Georgia product showed he\u2019s capable of being New England\u2019s best running back since Corey Dillon<\/a><\/strong>. Despite battling a knee injury throughout training camp, Michel finished his rookie season with 931 yards and six touchdowns in 13 games. He added to his impressive season by posting 336 yards and a ridiculous six touchdowns during New England\u2019s Super Bowl run.<\/p>\n

Michel should enter 2019 as the top option in New England\u2019s backfield. While the analytics community will always look at this pick as a reach, there\u2019s no denying Michel\u2019s top-end talent. He\u2019s great as a runner but could add to his value by earning a bigger role in the passing game.<\/p>\n

2017: No Pick \u2013 Acquired Brandin Cooks\u00a0from New Orleans Saints<\/h3>\n

The 2017 off-season was one of the most aggressive in the history of the Belichick-era Patriots. Unhappy with the\u00a0New Orleans Saints<\/a>, the Patriots traded away their first-round selection for the speedy wideout.<\/p>\n

At the time of the trade, it looked as though Cooks would just be adding to an abundance of riches at the receiver position. However, after losing receivers\u00a0Malcolm Mitchell<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Julian Edelman<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0for the entire season, Cooks became the unquestioned top wide receiver. Once Chris Hogan<\/a> <\/strong>went down with a shoulder injury midway through the season, Cooks was essentially the only outside receiver left on the roster.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s not a true number one receiver like\u00a0DeAndre Hopkins<\/a><\/strong> or\u00a0Julio Jones<\/a><\/strong>, but the offense would have been lost without Cooks. He struggled towards the end of the regular season, but his blazing speed was always good for big plays downfield. Additionally, he had a knack for drawing key pass interference penalties.<\/p>\n

His best game\u00a0came in the AFC Championship Game<\/a>\u00a0against the\u00a0Jacksonville Jaguars<\/a>. Facing arguably football\u2019s best cornerback duo in\u00a0A.J. Bouye<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Jalen Ramsey<\/a><\/strong>, Cooks compiled six receptions for 100 yards. Additionally, Cooks drew several key pass interference penalties that kept drives alive. Receiver\u00a0Danny Amendola<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0earns all the praise from that game, but the Patriots probably don\u2019t win without Cooks\u2019 production.<\/p>\n

The Patriots traded Cooks away<\/a>\u00a0to the\u00a0Los Angeles Rams<\/a>\u00a0but received a first-round pick in return. That pick turned into Isaiah Wynn. While Cooks was just a one-year rental,\u00a0he performed admirably<\/a>\u00a0in his one year and actually improved the Patriots draft stock in the long run.<\/p>\n

2016: No pick, lost due to DeflateGate<\/h3>\n

The less said about DeflateGate, the better. Moving on\u2026<\/p>\n

2015: Malcom Brown, 32nd Overall<\/h3>\n

As the Patriots pick neared in the 2015 NFL Draft, all signs pointed to them trading out of the first round. Then, the\u00a0Indianapolis Colts<\/a>\u00a0passed on Malcom Brown to draft receiver\u00a0Phillip Dorsett<\/a><\/strong>. Suddenly, the Patriots were no longer selling their pick, and they got the heir apparent to\u00a0Vince Wilfork<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Brown is no Wilfork, but he performed well as a rotational defensive tackle. He played a valuable role on the team during his four years and ended his Patriots tenure with two Super Bowl rings. After winning Super Bowl LIII, Brown signed a three-year contract with the New Orleans Saints.<\/p>\n

2014: Dominique Easley, 29th Overall<\/h3>\n

This one was bad. Easley oozed talent but didn\u2019t have a good enough head on his shoulders to stick around in New England. After missing the majority of his rookie season with an injury, Easley found a role as a situational interior pass rusher for the 2015 squad.<\/p>\n

While a first rounder should amount to more than that, it still caught Patriot Nation by surprise when New England released Easley after the 2015 season. Then, slowly but surely, details about Easley started to emerge. According to numerous sources, Easley actively went against the advice of the medical staff while recovering from his injuries. Several sources labeled him a \u201clocker room cancer,\u201d and Easley\u2019s release made a lot more sense.<\/p>\n

This is one that Belichick would definitely like to have back. First round picks can be incredibly valuable, and to waste one on a cancerous teammate who actively went against the training staff is an incredible loss. Ultimately, Easley goes down as probably the biggest draft bust of the Belichick tenure.<\/p>\n

Main photo:
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>