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If members of the New England Patriots‘ fanbase are upset with the team’s lack of free-agent moves this offseason, they might have another piece of frustration headed their way with the NFL Draft.
The Patriots are currently scheduled to pick at No. 21 in the first round, but multiple sources are predicting New England will make a rather huge draft-day trade to move down and add more selections to their 2022 haul.
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NFL.com’s Chad Reuter, Mass Live’s Nick O’Malley, USA Today’s Henry McKenna and CLNS’ Evan Lazar are all predicting the Patriots will trade the 21st pick.
Patriots Deal With the Chiefs?
Reuter sees the Patriots dealing the No. 21 pick to the Kansas City Chiefs, who are expected to covet Alabama WR Jameson Williams. In Reuter’s predicted deal, the Patriots would get the Chiefs’ 29th pick, plus a third and fourth-rounder.
“With Tyreek Hill taking his talents to Miami, the Chiefs could use another speedy playmaker,” Reuter wrote. “Williams is coming off an ACL tear, but Andy Reid should still have interest in flipping two picks (their third-round compensatory selection and assigned fourth-rounder) to the Patriots to lock him up.”
In Reuter’s mock, he has the Patriots selecting Michigan safety Dax Hill. Reuter’s mock was done before the Patriots signed Jabrill Peppers, but perhaps the team would still opt for Hill as a long-term replacement for Devin McCourty who was signed to a one-year deal this offseason.
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Patriots Deal With the Bears?
O’Malley is sending the Patriots’ No. 21 pick to the Chicago Bears, who would also go looking for a WR.
“Here’s my proposal, O’Malley offered. “The Patriots make a move with a team that’s probably desperate to trade up and grab one of the top receivers who falls to the end of Round 1. Looking at you, Chicago Bears. Here’s what it would look like (based on the ol’ Jimmy Johnson trade value chart).”
- Bears receive: Pick No. 21 overall
- Patriots receive: Pick No. 39 overall (2nd round), No. 71 overall (3rd round), No. 148 overall (5th round)
According to O’Malley, the Patriots would walk away from this deal with the Bears with cornerback Kyler Gordon from Washington, OL Jamaree Salyer from Georgia, and they would later package the 148th pick to move up to 106 to take UCLA WR Kyle Phillips.
The predicted selections make sense from a pure need standpoint. The Patriots need WR help, and O’Malley also has the team taking Alabama’s John Metchie III, and they clearly need long-term options at corner, which Gordon seemingly fits the bill. New England has also had good luck with offensive lineman in the middle or late in the draft.
They plucked Mike Onwenu out of the sixth round and he’s been excellent in his two years in the NFL. Perhaps Salyer could have a similar impact that helps to lessen the impact of losing Ted Karras to the Cincinnati Bengals in free agency and trading away Shaq Mason to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Patriots Deal With the Bills?
McKenna doesn’t have the Patriots making quite as dramatic of a trade back. In his scenario, the Patriots do a deal with the devil aka the Buffalo Bills. McKenna has the Patriots sending the No. 21 pick to the Bills for No. 25 and No. 57. At No. 25, McKenna has the Patriots picking up Florida’s athletic cornerback Kaiir Elam.
“Elam had some rough moments against the top programs (Alabama and Georgia), but showed progress throughout his college career as a starter,” McKenna wrote. “New England likes to see players moving on an upward trajectory at the highest level of competition. He has a rare set of physical tools at 6-foot-2, 193 pounds and a 4.39-second 40-yard dash. He’s an instinctive ballhawk, who might someday develop into a standout CB1. That’s just what the Patriots need.”
An injection of athleticism would be just what the doctor ordered for the Patriots, even if Elam needs a year before he’s ready to step in as the starter on the outside.
Like O’Malley, McKenna likes the Patriots selecting Metchie, who was Mac Jones’ favorite receiver in college. He has New England pulling the trigger on Metchie with the 57th pick in the draft.
Patriots Deal With the Lions
Lastly, Lazar delivered his entire Patriots mock draft via the Pro Football Focus mock simulator in this tweet:
Lazar has the Patriots moving back to No. 32 after a deal with the Detroit Lions. New England would also get the No. 66 and 217th pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
At No. 32, Lazar likes Minnesota’s Boye Mafe, an edge rusher. At No. 66, there is Sam Houston State’s Zyon McCollum. Finally, at No. 217, Colorado linebacker Nate Landman would round things out.
Lazar’s mock got a B- grade on the simulator.
At this point, it would be a surprise to see the Patriots keep their No. 21 pick, or even trade up. Who knows? How many people expected the Patriots to be as active on the free-agent market last year?
More surprises might be on the horizon.
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