With so much attention on linebacker, cornerback and wide receiver as positions of need for the Patriots, defensive end has flown under the radar a bit as a position Bill Belichick probably needs to address as well.
That hole hasn’t gone unnoticed by Mel Kiper, though, as the ESPN draft expert has the Patriots taking Penn State pass rusher Arnold Ebiketie with the 21st overall pick in his latest mock draft published on Tuesday.
“At 6-foot-3, 260 pounds, he could put on a few more pounds and add the position versatility that New England loves, shifting all along the defensive line,” Kiper writes of Ebiketie. “He has extremely long arms and can create leverage on his pass-rush moves.”
Ebiketie transferred from Temple to Penn State last year and had a breakout senior season, registering 9.5 sacks and 19 tackles for a loss in 12 games. That was a significant jump in production over his time at Temple, where he had just six sacks and 10.5 tackles for a loss combined over three seasons. Most NFL draft rankings seem to have Ebiketie more in the second-round range, but Kiper has him 23rd on his Big Board.
As Kiper points out, the Patriots could certainly use another pass rusher to line up opposite Matt Judon. While Judon had 12.5 sacks, no one else had more than Kyle Van Noy’s five, and Van Noy is on the back nine of his career. When Judon slowed down in the second half of the season, there was no one who was able to pick up the slack. A better pass rush could also help a Patriots secondary that may or may not have J.C. Jackson back.
It’s interesting to note some of the players Kiper has the Patriots passing on, as several of them have been common names on lists of Patriots targets. Kiper has Georgia linebacker Nakobe Dean -- the kind of all-around linebacker the Patriots could use -- going one pick later at 22. Wide receivers Chris Olave, Jahan Dotson and Jameson Williams all go within the next seven picks.
Todd McShay’s most recent Pats pick -- Washington cornerback Kyler Gordon -- slips to the bottom of the first round in Kiper’s mock. Meanwhile, WEEI’s “perfect pick” -- Utah linebacker Devin Lloyd -- is long gone by 21 in Kiper’s draft, as he has Lloyd going inside the top 10 to the Giants.
