2013 NFL Mock Draft: New England Patriots select Keenan Allen
Well, this is a new one. Each week, I like to take a look at the New England Patriots selection in the 2013 NFL Mock Draft published by our friends on the FanSided.com main page, and this week they had the Patriots selecting Keenan Allen of the California Golden Bears with the 29th pick of the draft. You can view the full mock draft here.
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Allen is the best wide receiver in this draft class, and I would love for the Patriots to snap him up with the 29th pick if he falls there. It’s crazy how Allen’s stock has been falling, despite the fact that there is little to indicate that he deserves his stock to fall. Cordarrelle Patterson is viewed by many as the best wide receiver in this draft, but I am a little hesitant to give him that title over Allen- I prefer wide receivers who are standouts before the catch as opposed to after it.
In all honesty, I would even take Allen over Tavon Austin, who was selected earlier in FanSided’s mock draft. Austin is quickly rising as well after his incredible forty time at the Combine, but I feel like Allen is still the top guy in this class. He is an excellent route-runner with terrific hands and an innate sense of finding soft spots in coverage. He doesn’t have much speed, but I could see him as a solid pick for the Pats and somebody who could easily replace Brandon Lloyd.
It’s all about finding value in the draft, and Allen would be a great value at 29 for the New England Patriots. Looking at picks around the division the New York Jets took pass rusher Barkevious Mingo in the FanSided mock, the Miami Dolphins took Kenny Vaccaro, and the Buffalo Bills took Jets target Dion Jordan one pick before the Jets.
The pick of Vaccaro for the Dolphins is one that makes little sense, because the Dolphins already have a very good safety tandem. Reshad Jones may have been the best safety in the NFL last season, while Chris Clemons was solid and is a priority for the Dolphins to re-sign. Vaccaro is good, but he just doesn’t fit the Dolphins.
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