‘Strong Belief’ Patriots Want to Close a Gap on NFL Draft Night: Report

Getty Bill Belichick and the Patriots have some balancing to do with the teams salary cap situation.

According to the NFL Network’s Mike Giardi, the New England Patriots are interested in closing the gap between their second and third-round picks.

Traditionally, there is a ton of value in the second and early third rounds of the draft. The Patriots drafted safety Kyle Dugger in this range in 2020. There is a great concern they will miss out on similarly skilled guys in 2021 because, after their 46th pick, they won’t be on the clock again until the third round with the 96th selection.

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Giardi tweeted:

As of rt now, the #Patriots will go 50 selections between rounds 2 and 3 (46 in the 2nd, 96th in 3rd). There is a strong belief in certain circles league-wide that is something the team would like to rectify. Lot of good players will fly off the board in that window. 

Part 2 of Giardi’s tweet:

If you look at last year’s draft (sim in depth), Chase Claypool, Trevon Diggs, Cam Akers, Jalen Hurts, AJ Epenesa, JK Dobbins, Raekwon Davis, Jeremy Chin, Zack Moss, Cam Danzler, Julian Blackmon, Lloyd Cushenberry, Michael Ojemudia, Jonah Jackson, Damien Lewis…

The Patriots could use Claypool, Akers, Hurts, Epenesa, Dobbins, Davis, and Chin on their roster.

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How the Patriots Can Add More Picks

There’s a lot of talk about the Patriots trading up into the Top 10 for a quarterback, but that’s not the only potential wheeling and dealing the team could explore. The Patriots have ten total draft picks; Belichick could offer a team a package of selections from later in the draft or even future picks to close the gap between their 46th and 96th picks.

New England would be thrilled if they could add a pick in the 60s. If they keep their No. 15 pick, that will give the team four selections within the Top 100. With that many options, New England would have a much better chance of finding one or perhaps multiple impact players.

The Players They Could Grab in the Second and Third Rounds

• The list of players who projects as second or third-round picks, who would be excellent additions to the Patriots roster, is a lengthy one. Here’s a list of six of those players.
  • Purdue’s Rondale Moore – Electric open-field playmaker who could be an excellent slot receiver and punt returner.
  • Ole Miss’ Elijah Moore – He is a better route runner than the Purdue star, but not quite as explosive.
  • Texas A&M’s Kellen Mond – An excellent backup plan if the Patriots don’t trade up to get Justin Fields or Trey Lance.
  • Florida’s Kyle Trask – Another backup plan for New England. Trask has a huge arm, but he isn’t as mobile as Mond. However, he did play in a pro-style offense at Florida, where he put up huge numbers.
  • North Dakota State’s Dillon Radunz – Solid offensive tackle in a pretty deep draft at the position.
  • USC – Amon-Ra St. Brown – One of the draft’s best route runners with excellent hands.

Also Read:

• Patriots ‘Making Calls’ for Epic Trade-up to Draft Franchise QB: Report
• Patriots Are a Potential Landing Spot for Future Hall-of-Fame WR: Report
• Jarrett Stidham Making Strong Push to Take Cam Newton’s Spot
• ‘Human Joystick’ Linked to Patriots in 2021 NFL Draft
• Facebook Poll Shows Fans Divided on Patriots’ QB Options