By all accounts the Patriots had a fantastic 2021 NFL Draft. There were picks made for need and for value in many rounds, creating competition and depth on offense and defense for the foreseeable future. Many analysts agree that New England had one of the best if not the best Draft class this season. This draft went so well talk radio is having to find things to criticize, and even the fans seem pleased with the results.
While the picks all look great on paper, not every one will work out as expected. And part of the fun of what we do here is the “What if...?” game. We hope each selection finds their role on the team and has a long and fruitful career, but the odds say that won’t be the case. Given who they selected and where, and who was available around the same spot in the draft, we’ve come up with a list of five players we’ll keep an eye on over the next few years. Some might have been mocked to the Pats as fits given what the team was looking for. And no, we’re not second guessing Bill Belichick, the Patriots or any of the picks. Rather we’re just bookmarking this group for a revisit to help gauge value. For fun. And maybe radio. Like I said it’s what we do!
JUSTIN FIELDS
Quarterback was the talking point all draft season long, given the need to add a new signal caller in New England. While last season’s starter, Cam Newton, is still on the roster, and the presumptive starter, we knew a fresh signal caller wasn’t a matter of if but when. Fields seemed to be the athletic high-upside guy all the Pats fans had fallen for. Turns out it wasn’t meant to be, as the Chicago Bears traded up from 20 to 11 to snag the former Ohio State standout, with Mac Jones falling to the Pats at 15. While the debate now is whether or not the Pats really loved Jones he seems oan ideal fit for the team and their scheme. Yet some will always wish the highlight-filled Fields came to Foxboro. We’ll watch his career with great interest while hoping for Cam to play better and Mac to succeed him, and then overall, eventually.
TEVEN JENKINS
Here we go again with a Pats pick vs. a Bears pick, this time in Round 2, where the Patriots traded up eight spots to select defensive tackle Christian Barmore out of Alabama. Jenkins, an offensive tackle, was selected right after at pick thirty nine. Both rank on the list of 2021 Draft steals, so perhaps each team found a a great value at a more than fair price. Barmore could make an immediate impact on the rebuilt Patriots defensive line in a situational capacity, while Jenkins could start from Day One in Chicago. Considering the Patriots didn’t dip into the O-Line pool until the fifth round it’s unlikely they would have taken an O-lineman this high, and they obviously love Barmore given the trade up from forty six to thirty eight. There’s more pressure on Jenkins right away than Barmore, who will have time to develop. Jenkins, whose disposition on the field is nasty, and whose strength is jaw-dropping (36 bench reps), merits monitoring for a time to come should he become the next great tackle at the pro level. Also worth watching is Quinn Meinerz, the versatile powerful O-lineman who hates trees that went two picks after Ronnie Perkins at pick 96 to the Broncos.
AMON-RA ST. BROWN
Only at draft’s end did we realize the Patriots weren’t prioritizing the wide receiver position in the 2021 Draft the way scouts, analysts and fans were. We thought they’d add someone from the middle rounds, an area abundant with speedy undersized pass catchers with return prowess and value in the slot and potentially the vertical game. While many could be highlighted here, the now former Trojan sticks out as one to watch given how many mocked him to the Pats for his sure hands, solid route running and ST value. The new Lions receiver, Pick No. 112, fell between the Pats selections of Ronnie Perkins (96) and Rhamondre Stevenson (120). Will be interesting to see how St. Brown performs while the Patriots look to their new acquisitions in free agency (Agholor, Bourne) and the draft (7th rounder Tre Nixon) to develop in the system and thrive alongside Jakobi Meyers and Gunner Olsziewski, who all get a vote of confidence from their coach after the draft. Not to mention the new and recently drafted tight ends.
KENNETH GAINWELL
OK, we’ll admit that we thought that if the Patriots were drafting a running back in this draft it would be someone in the James White/third down back mold, and not someone in the big back/lead back mold. So by the time Gainwell, the speedy dual threat back from Memphis, went in the middle of the fifth round, the Patriots had already dipped into the RB pool with Oklahoma’s Rhamondre Stevenson, a bruiser of a back who is the spitting image of LaGarrette Blount (all the way down to wearing 29). With Damien Harris slated as the lead back, and Sony Michel, now in “prove it” mode after not having his fifth year option picked up, plus the return of 2020 opt-out Brandon Bolden, the Pats seem to have plenty of backs with size. Oh, and there’s QB Cam Newton and his 12 rushing TDs from 2020. Hence the surprise the Pats went big, what with Rex Burkhead unsigned, recovering from an ACL injury, and White, a veteran on a one year deal. Gainwell’s versatility and value leads us to pick him as “one to watch”, especially if this is a victory lap for Sweet Feet. Then again, maybe this means JJ Taylor’s time is coming?
AVERY WILLIAMS
A special teams standout with return value who could play his way into a rotational secondary piece? Without saying the words Navy or lacrosse what else could be a bigger football turn-on to Bill Belichick? You can only have 80 in camp, roster 53 and have 46 game ready, but a guy like the former Boise State Bronco screams Patriots on paper, especially when you consider that several members of the Patriots secondary have expiring contracts for 2022 (Gilmore, Jackson, McCourty). Williams went at the end of the fifth round, six picks after the Pats selected linebacker Cameron McGrone out of Michigan. McGrone might be a draft-and-stash redshirt pick for New England, given that the team has said he may need the 2021 season to recover from his November 2020 ACL injury. The Patriots are good at linebacker now, and obviously don’t need a punt returner thanks to Olsziewski, but KR seems up for grabs. And CB depth could soon be an issue. We’ll see if Williams can crack the Falcons secondary, while also keeping an eye on if Gilmore and Jackson play in Foxboro beyond 2021, or if Jalen Mills steps up, or JoeJuan Williams finally finds a role, or second year UDFA corner Myles Bryant continues his upward trajectory.