6 rings & football things: Diving into Kadlick's Post-Combine Patriots Mock Draft 2.0
Patriots director of scouting and de facto general manager (for now) Eliot Wolf spoke for the first time in his new-ish front office role at the NFL Combine last week, and in doing so was able to sneak in how New England is going to try and improve heading into 2024:
“We need to weaponize the offense.”
Weaponize, huh?
Say no more. As we continue to go through several different draft day scenarios for the Patriots here on WEEI.com over the next two months, here’s another crack at it following a big week in Indianapolis.
Welcome to Mock Draft 2.0 – Post-Combine edition:
Round 1, Pick 3: QB Jayden Daniels, LSU
With all of the on-field information we received at the combine came plenty of off-field intel. According to MassLive.com, the Patriots plan to sign a veteran quarterback in free agency and then draft one with the No. 3 overall pick.
Enter: Jayden Daniels.
The 2023 Heisman Trophy winner, Daniels burst onto the scene for LSU last season. The senior threw for 3,812 yards and 40 touchdowns (to just four interceptions), while also adding 1,134 yards on the ground and 10 rushing touchdowns.
In Mock Draft 1.0, I paired North Carolina with New England due, in part, to his fit into Alex Van Pelt’s West-Coast system, the offensive coordinator himself sounds ready to adjust no matter who’s under center:
“It’s not so much about scheme, it’s about the players and putting those people in positions,” said Van Pelt of his offense at his introductory press conference. “There’s a lot of different schemes out there. The best one’s put the best players in positions to be successful.”
"It would be dope,” Daniels said on Friday at the Combine when asked about potentially playing for the Patriots. “Obviously, growing up and seeing what Tom Brady did, six Super Bowls, that's tough to live up to. But that'd be dope to come in there, [after] seeing the success they've had, and help them get back on track."
Round 2, Pick 34: WR Adonai Mitchell, Texas
Wishful thinking that Mitchell will be there at 34? Perhaps, given the outstanding Combine he put together this week in Indy. But if the former Longhorn is still sitting there at 34 (which is entirely possible given the depth and the amount of tier 1 & 2 wide receivers there are in this class), then the Patriots should sprint the card to the podium.
Mitchell measured in at 6-foot-2, 205 pounds and behind only his Texas teammate Xavier Worthy and LSU’s Brian Thomas Jr., notched the third fastest 40-yard dash time of all wide receivers with a 4.34.
After winning two national championships with Georgia in 2021 and 2022, Mitchell transferred to Austin for his junior season and shined. While putting up 845 receiving yards on 55 catches, the Texas native also led the Longhorns with 11 touchdown receptions.
New England needs weapons. They get one early in the second round in Mitchell.
**TRADE** Round 3, Pick 68
TRADE COMP: Broncos receive pick No. 68, Patriots receive pick No. 81, pick No. 146
With a drop-off in talent at the beginning of round three, New England moves back 13 spots and picks up an additional fifth-round pick.
Round 3, Pick 81 (via Broncos): CB Mike Sainristil, Michigan
A corner?! Yes, a corner.
Assuming New England can get something done with Mike Onwenu as well as also bring in some more offensive line help through free agency, they wait a little longer on a tackle and bring the home-town kid comes home in Everett, Massachusetts’ Mikey Sainristil.
Originally a wide receiver at the University of Michigan, Sainristil moved to cornerback ahead of the 2022 season. Over two seasons on the defensive side of the ball, he tallied 102 tackles, four sacks, two forced fumbles and seven interceptions (including two pick-sixes in 2023).
A nickel corner at just 5-foot-9, Sainristil would add to a rotation of defensive backs in Foxborough rather than be an every-down player. However his athletic ability, which he showed off at the Combine with 40 inch vertical and a 4.47-second 40-yard dash, makes him an intriguing athlete worthy of a top-100 pick.
Round 4, Pick 103: OT Roger Rosengarten, Washington
Washington’s Roger Rosengarten was the bookend to Troy Fautanu in the Huskies’ scheme last season and while he technically played on the right, he was the blind side tackle due to quarterback Michael Penix Jr. being a lefty.
Does this mean he’ll be able to immediately translate to a day-one left tackle in the NFL? Not necessarily, but Rosengarten was touted by OC Ryan Grubb as being able to play both tackle spots and if, as we mentioned above, New England can attack the left side in free agency and re-sign Onwenu, he’d would be a great developmental talent who wouldn’t have to play right away.
On the field, Rosengarten didn’t allow a sack in all of 2023. Off the field? He ran the fastest 40 out of all of the offensive lineman at the NFL Combine with a 4.92. He has tremendous upside.
Round 5, Pick 135: WR Ricky Pearsall, Florida
After an impressive Senior Bowl week back in late January, Florida’s Ricky Pearsall shined again this week at the NFL Combine.
Measuring in at 6-foot-1, 189 pounds, Pearsall shined with a 6.64-second 3-cone drill (1st among wide receivers), a 40-inch vertical (2nd), a 4.05-second 20-yard shuttle (3rd), and ran a 4.41 40-yard dash.
On the field, Pearsall is shifty and has ridiculous hands that are both reliable and highlight-reel-worthy. Pairing him with AD Mitchell as rookies would be a slam dunk.
Round 5, Pick 146 (via Broncos): TE Theo Johnson, Penn State
Penn State’s Theo Johnson was yet another Combine winner this week, separating himself from the pack of tight ends during the on-field testing.
He clocked in a 4.57-second 40-yard dash, a 39.5-inch vertical, and a 10’5” broad jump, all of which were second among tight ends.
Johnson didn’t put up eye-popping numbers for the Nittany Lions, but mixing his 6-foot-6, 260-pound frame with the above athleticism can play on Sundays.
Round 6, Pick 181: RB Isaac Guerendo, Louisville
Louisville’s Isaac Guerendo put on a show this week. Not only did he measure in at 6-foot, 221 pounds, but he absolutely smoked every drill imaginable. Here’s a look at his performance relative to the rest of his position group:
- 40-yard dash: 4.33 seconds (1st among RBs)
- Vertical jump: 41.5 inches (1st)
- Broad jump: 10’9” (2nd)
- 20-yard shuttle: 4.15 seconds (t4th)
- 3-cone: 6.94 seconds (4th)
Put it all together, and you get a 9.99/10 relative athletic score (RAS), which ranks 2nd all-time of 1745 RBs (!!) since 1987.
During his season with the Cardinals in 2023, Guerendo tallied 810 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on 132 carries - good for 6.1 yards a pop. He also showed off some receiving skills as well hauling in 22 catches for 234 yards.
With just three rostered running backs heading into 2024, including Rhamondre Stevenson in a contract year, the Patriots will need to address the position before the season begins. Guerendo could be a developmental addition to the backfield.
Round 7, Pick 228: EDGE Eric Watts, UConn
New England closes out their 2024 class with another local tie in UConn’s Eric Watts.
Watts (6-foot-6, 274 pounds) shined in ‘22 with seven sacks and two forced fumbles, but a down year in ‘23 may put him on the outside looking into the NFL Draft. Given the uncertainly along the Patriots’ front seven with Matthew Judon’s contract situation and both Josh Uche and Anfernee Jennings headed to free agency, New England needs depth on the edge. newly-appointed coordinator DeMarcus Covington may want to beef up the unit through the draft. Watts brings that.
Make sure to follow Mike on Twitter @mikekadlick, and follow @WEEI for the latest up-to-date Patriots and Boston sports news!
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