The NFL draft is exactly two weeks from Thursday and for the first time in a few years the draft actually has a lot of buzz in New England as the team has two first-round picks and two second-round picks. It also seems likely it will be drafting a quarterback, who potentially could be Tom Brady's successor.
This mock draft is assuming the Patriots make all their draft picks and not make any trades, which seems very unlikely considering Bill Belichick has made over 60 draft-day trades in his 18 drafts in New England.
Here's our best guess as to how it will go, as of now. (Keep in mind a lot will change between now and the draft, and the plan is to have two more mock drafts between now and when the first pick is made.)
Round 1 (No. 23 overall): Kolton Miller, OT, UCLA
A top priority, if not the biggest, seems to be securing a long-term replacement for Nate Solder. While the team has 2017 third-round pick Tony Garcia on the roster, it's hard to fully depend on him given what he went through last season (reportedly losing 40 pounds due to blood clots in his lungs). Miller is one of the best tackles in the draft and has already been compared to Solder in some ways.
Round 1 (No. 31 overall): Rashaan Evans, LB, Alabama
Evans could be drafted a little bit higher, especially by the Steelers, but right now we see them drafting Leighton Vander Esch out of Boise State. The Patriots have had a lot of success with drafting Alabama players and Evans, who was a team captain his senior season, feels like a player who could be Dont'a Hightower's replacement, whenever his career comes to an end.
Round 2 (No. 43 overall): Justin Reid, S, Stanford
The Stanford product ironically could replace another Stanford product, Jordan Richards. The Patriots seem interested in Reid, as they tried to set up a visit, but couldn't make the schedules work. Reid would be able to learn from Devin McCourty, Duron Harmon and Patrick Chung, arguably the best position on the entire roster.
Round 2 (No. 63 overall): Jerome Baker, LB, Ohio State
The Patriots need help at the linebacker position, and it may take more than one player, which is why we see them double-dipping in the first two rounds. Baker is known for his speed and that is what the Patriots lacked at the position last year. Having played for Urban Meyer and Greg Schiano, Belichick would be able to get some good intel.
Round 3 (No. 95 overall): Luke Falk, QB, Washington State
Depending on how things go, the Patriots may need to use No. 63 overall on a quarterback, but we see Falk still being available in the third round. They have spent a lot of time doing due diligence on all quarterbacks -- first-rounders to late-rounders -- but given the other needs on the roster and their success with finding quarterbacks in the middle rounds, this is the route we see them going. Members of the organization haven't been connected to Falk (pro day, private workout, etc.), but that's usually how the Patriots want it, and is good enough for us to peg him to the Patriots in the third round.
Round 6 (No. 198 overall): Sean Welsh, OL, Iowa
The Patriots have had some success with players who played under Kirk Ferentz, so why not take a shot at another. Welsh can play all three interior line positions, which certainly helps his value, especially to Belichick.
Round 6 (No. 210 overall): Chase Edmonds, RB, Fordham
Edmonds' measures and times, a three-cone time of 6.79 seconds (the best out of the running backs), stood out at the combine and fit into what the Patriots generally like. He compared himself a bit to Dion Lewis and he seems like a player the team could take a flier on late in the draft. New England does need to eventually start thinking of getting younger at the running back position.
Round 7 (No. 219 overall): Daniel Carlson, K, Auburn
If Carlson, arguably the best kicker in the draft, is still not taken why not select him and give some competition to Stephen Gostkowski during training camp. It feels like the year for that.
