The wait is finally over. Draft Day is here.
After the wildest and most uncharacteristically aggressive offseason in memory the Draft is at hand, silly season is over and hope springs eternal for every team and fanbase. And while for some teams that hope might be fleeting, for the Patriots, and their fans, visions of meaningful football in January have returned. Sure, it may have come thanks to a different approach with some big checks handed out in recent weeks, but business is business and it is what it is. Now we get to the part where Mr. Kraft stressed teams are built, futures are molded and value is found. The Draft: The most anticipated non-sporting sporting event of the year.
Seriously, there’s a chance this draft might be the most watched non-NFL game of the year, crushing last Sunday’s Oscars telecast where “Nomadland” won Best Picture. Oddly enough that’s not a documentary about the parking lots surrounding MetLife Stadium. I digress.
So after all the waiting, and all the spending, the time to cast a net and reel in the future has come. The biggest questions in all of New England, aside from “Why do I put up with these winters?”, will finally be addressed tomorrow night: “Who will the Patriots select first?”, “Will the Patriots take a QB in the first round?”, and “Do I throw my TV out the window when they trade out of the first round?”. We’ve watched a lot of Patriots and studied Belichick just enough to get a feel, though we, like Jon Snow, know nothing. While we offer no guarantees, with no more insight than anyone who professes themselves an insider, here are five players we could see the Patriots realistically drafting in the first round. Despite your dreams and draft crushes just be prepared, like you are every year, to be finale of “The Sopranos” frustrated by midnight. We feel you.
The Pick - Jaycee Horn: CB, South Carolina
The Scenario - Patriots remain at 15
One of two succession plan selections, Belichick loves to have ascending talent in reserve for the eventual replacement of current starters (call it “The Winter Solder Project”). And while cornerback isn’t a pressing need currently, the 2022 uncertainty of Stephon Gilmore and JC Jackson, both scheduled to be free agents, might lead you to believe Belichick starts stockpiling for the future at a premium position. Patrick Surtain II will likely be gone, and Caleb Farley’s injury concerns could red flag him to lower in the round. Horn has the combination of strength, skill, pedigree and experience Belichick might covet. Being a standout at Gilmore’s alma later can’t hurt, either.
The Pick - Christian Darrisaw: OL, Virginia Tech
The Scenario - Patriots remain at 15
Remember what I just said about cornerback? OK, well now flip it to the offensive side of the ball. Where the Patriots quite literally did just this nearly a decade ago. Matt Light had one of his best seasons in 2011, fresh off the Pats drafting Nate Solder out of Colorado to be his eventual replacement. Light retired at the top of his game after Super Bowl 46, and Solder, who saw some action in the ’11 campaign, took over and become a dominant tackle. New England had also just drafted two tight ends the previous season, too! Anyway. Trent Brown is on a one year deal, and Isaiah Wynn has been injured too often to be relied on. Crazier things have happened, and Darrisaw has the size to get it done.
The Pick - Zaven Collins: LB, Tulsa
The scenario - Patriots remain at 15, or trade back with QB-hungry Washington at 19 or Chicago at 20
Building for the future, just back on defense. Dont’a Hightower is slated to return after his 2020 opt-out, but who knows at what level, let alone for how long? Prevailing wisdom says one to two years, tops, left in the tank for the linebacker and defensive leader. So when a bigger, faster version of Zeus comes along he’d seem like a natural fit, no? Collins is a freakish athlete who can do it all from the middle of the defense. He can run, cover, tackle and disrupt in the backfield or the secondary (four picks with two pick-6 in 2020). Most mock drafts have him being a late teen to early 20’s pick. If New England feels they can trade back a few, acquire some capital, and still get the Tulsa standout then by all means. No shame in eliminating risk and getting your guy where you pick, either.
The Pick - Jaelan Phillips: DE, Miami
The scenario - Another possible Patriots trade back with Washington or Chicago scenario
Herein the educated speculation begins thanks to Bill Belichick’s love of defense, big defense, that can be disruptive. The Patriots coach was in attendance at the Miami Pro Day a few weeks back, where a number of defensive edge prospects in the front end of 2021 are expected to be taken. Just because Belichick made the trip doesn’t mean anyone is in his crosshairs. And while Edge defender Gregory Rousseau is mocked to go higher in some drafts, Phillips seems the kid of specimen Belichick might be able to turn into a force. His size (6’ 5” 270 lbs) and speed make him a prototypical Pats edge setter, and Phillips can get after anyone with the ball in their hands. Something about this guy’s size and skillset says Willie McGinest 2.0, and if Bill thinks he can add value and snag a future stud? Newly acquired Matt Judon will start, but after that it’s anyone’s gig for the taking.
The Pick - Justin Fields: QB, THE Ohio State
The scenario - Patriots trade UP to 8th overall with Carolina
OK, I’ll humor this Foxboro football fantasy. He’s THE player Pats fans have convinced themselves they want and need to save the franchise in the future, delivering the team from the post-Tom Brady funk. Oh the cruel irony to ask a Buckeye to save you after two decades of Michigan dominance. Rumors have circulated plentifully the past week that the Patriots may indeed have interest in trading up for a QB - conversations with Atlanta - framework of a deal with Carolina. But who is the player they’re interested in? And at what price would they make their move for him? Again, we’ve all been there, Belichick’d that. Trading up for a QB, whether or not they make a deal for Jimmy G, seems out of character. But this is the year of uncharacteristic aggression. And if you’ve loaded up to be get back into it now, while simultaneously stockpiling to stay competitive, a player of Fields’s talent might just be the right pick. Fields could go early, or could be a candidate for a draft night slide. Burt ending up in Foxboro may just be the right fit after all. Cam Newtown once called Fields, “the best player in high school football”. Who knows? Maybe he’ll have the chance to tell say his teammate is the best player in the pros, too.
