Now that we are a week into free agency, and we got a glimpse into the vision that Mike Vrabel and the front office have for the New England Patriots this season and moving forward, it is a perfect time for another mock draft.
Since the opening of the legal tampering window last Monday, the Patriots brought in a receiver, an edge defender, a safety, a blocking tight end, a left guard, a fullback, and a few other depth players as well. Given who they signed, we have a better idea of what they might be looking for in the draft.
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As always, I’ve included the current ranking of the players in the Mock Draft Database for context. My previous mock draft can be found here: 1.0 | 2.0
Round 1
1-31: OT Blake Miller (Clemson | No. 36): Miller has the potential to be a very good tackle in the NFL, but he has some obvious holes in his game right now especially regarding his technique. The Patriots, however, can provide him time to develop.
Similar to what they did with Nate Solder when Matt Light was nearing the end of his career, the Patriots can sit Miller behind Morgan Moses, and feel good about his ability to take over as the starter in 2027.
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Miller’s top-end talent is obvious, and he posted a 9.97 Relative Athletic Score at the Scouting Combine, the sixth-best among all offensive tackle prospects over the last 40 years. He also has some incredible tape, even though the inconsistencies are what might push him down to this spot. His mentality is a bonus for the Patriots too, as he puts the team first and is a true Iron Man, who plays and competes in almost every game, including Clemson’s bowl game this year.
Fans may not love drafting a guy in the first round who, hopefully, won’t play this year, but the offensive line is so important that taking a guy with the potential of Miller isn’t just justifiable but smart business.
Round 2
TRADE: Patriots trade 2-63 to Saints for 3-73 and 4-136: Not loving the board at 63, the Patriots move down 10 spots and pick up an extra fourth-rounder while doing so. Picking up another selection in the top 140 makes moving down 10 spots make a ton of sense.
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Round 3
3-73: ED Romello Height (Texas Tech | No. 75): The Patriots will reportedly host Height on 30 visit, and he brings some serious burst off the edge when rushing the passer. He needs to bulk up a little to be able to play on more than just obvious passing downs, but I like the idea of adding someone in who can get after the passer to begin with. And Height did that at Texas Tech, finishing his only season with the school after transferring over from Georgia Tech with 62 pressures and 10 sacks.
That’s the kind of production that the Patriots are looking for from their pass rushers. With the lack of explosiveness in the room right now, they need someone like Height in there.
TRADE: Patriots trade 3-95, 6-191, and 6-202 to Jaguars for 3-88: The Patriots moved down at the beginning of the third round, and now they are moving up later in the round. Giving up two of their sixth-round picks to do so is fine, since they will still have two left.
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3-88: LB/S Kyle Louis (Pittsburgh | No. 89): The NFL is changing, and, as we all know, it’s a copycat league. The Seahawks were successful last year in large part because of their ability to play defense consistently out of nickel. Louis is technically a linebacker, but he plays like a safety. To have someone who can fly around and play defense the way that he does makes the Patriots significantly more dynamic. These are the types of players that they need to acquire to continue to revamp and improve their defense.
Round 4
4-125: TE Oscar Delp (Georgia | No. 141): The Patriots need some help at tight end even after signing Julian Hill to a three-year deal. Delp might fit what they are looking for. An intriguing prospect who measured well at the Combine but didn’t run because of a hairline fracture in his foot, he combines the ability to block with the speed and natural hands to become a solid receiver. His work down the seam was very good at Georgia, and that’s a staple in the Josh McDaniels offense.
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Delp is someone that looks poised to step in and be a contributor right away, and could develop into an even better player with some added weight and better technique.
4-131: CB Charles Demmings (Stephen F. Austin | No. 134): Demmings is a small school prospect who lit the Combine on fire with a 4.41-second 40-yard dash, a 42-inch vertical and an 11-foot broad jump, all while measuring in at 6-foot-1 and 193 pounds. His resulting Relative Athletic Score of 9.97 topped the list at his position group and ranks 10th among all cornerbacks since 1987.
Demmings is best in press man coverage, as his frame allows him to get into receivers, and had solid ball production, with eight interceptions the last three years, with four of them coming last season. He needs some work in the run game and with his physicality, but if that’s the biggest question mark, I’m willing to bet that the Patriots can coach him up on that. They have a great secondary already, but it makes sense to continue to try to build it as much as they can, especially with their lack of cornerback depth on the bench.
4-136: WR Jeff Caldwell (Cincinnati | No. 158): The Patriots missed out on one tall, fast receiver from Cincinnati in free agency, but they get one here in Caldwell. He is 6-foot-5 and weighed in at 216 pounds. His athleticism is off the charts, running 4.31 seconds in the 40, combined with a 42-inch vertical, an 11-foot-2 broad jump and an overall RAS of 10.0 out of 10.0 — ranking second among wide receivers since 1987.
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He is an explosive play waiting to happen, scoring a touchdown on over 22% of his catches in college (look it up, that stat is real). He was a small school transfer from Lindenwood, so he only had one season of Power Five football, but, especially in the fourth round, I’m willing to bet on size and speed.
The Patriots should always be looking to get more explosive in the passing game, and, even though he needs some work on his contested catch win rate, Caldwell makes them a lot more explosive.
Round 5
5-171: S V.J. Payne (Kansas State | No. 175): We already talked about making the Patriots defense more explosive at the second level by adding Kyle Louis, now the Patriots are adding a safety with the size and speed to do the same thing at the backend. Payne measured in at 6-foot-3 and 206 pounds, and ran the 40 in 4.4 seconds, with a 35-inch vertical and a 10-foot-7 broad jump (9.61 RAS).
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He was a demon covering tight ends this year, and can eat up space and angles with his size and speed. He might not be the most physical tackler, but he isn’t afraid to stick his nose in there to make a play either. On Day 3 of the draft, you’re looking for guys who fit a prototype but maybe a few flaws. Payne does just that in that he has all the measurables of an impactful starting safety, but a few questions to his game as well.
If he can develop, and even add some muscle to his frame, he could turn into a solid contributor for the Patriots.
Round 6
6-198: DT Nick Barrett (South Carolina | No. 205): With the Patriots losing Khyris Tonga, they could use some help at nose tackle, and that is where Barrett is best suited to play. He’s not overly explosive, and he doesn’t bring much to speak of in the pass game, but he is excellent at getting off blocks, and when he hits you, you feel it.
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He also has a kind of slow power, where he is able to just shed blockers as the backs approach, and gets them on the ground even when it looked like he was going to be blocked out of the play. The 312-pounder seems to have the frame that could allow for him to add even more weight if necessary, and that’s just what the Patriots might want him to do in order to stick at nose tackle.
6-212: RB Desmond Reid (Pittsburgh | No. 230): They don’t make NFL prospects much smaller than Reid, who is all of 5-foot-6 and 174 pounds. What he lacks in size, though, he makes up for in quickness. He is electric with the ball in his hands, and his stop-start abilities are fantastic. He would be a receiving option only out of the backfield because I don’t love his running ability, especially between the tackles, but I really like what he could bring to the table out of the backfield.
He also returned punts at Pitt, and had two touchdowns in just 18 career punt runbacks. He probably won’t be doing that in New England, given that the Patriots have All-Pro Marcus Jones, but it’s a good example of that elusiveness in the open field and might also translate to kickoff return work.
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It is a risk to take someone his size, but, like we’ve seen with guys like Darren Sproles and Tarik Cohen, it can work.
Round 7
7-247: OT Nolan Rucci (Penn State | No. 254): How about a Patriots legacy pick? Nolan’s dad, Todd, started 75 games, including Super Bowl XXXI, for the Patriots from 1993 to 2000. His dad was a guard, but Nolan is a tackle with great size at 6-foot-8 and 305 pounds. He has some development to do, but the size and athleticism is there, and I think he could be a very good developmental prospect that they could use as a swing tackle in the future.
As you can see, this latest mock draft is all about bolstering the trenches. What do you think of the Patriots’ haul, though? What picks would have made differently? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.
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