New England Patriots Seven Round Mock Draft 5.0

Feb 23, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Penn State defensive tackle Daquan Jones speaks to the media during the 2014 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadum. Mandatory Credit: Pat Lovell-USA TODAY Sports

I felt that this draft did the best of getting the best available talent in the first two rounds of the draft, and relying on dropping back again. The first round is so loaded, it would really be a shame not to take advantage even if the package offered to the Patriots was really hard to turn down. But that’s the nice thing about this draft, the Patriots will have plenty of options to pick in round one, but also plenty of options to trade with out of round one if need be. Shazier is a special pass rushing talent waiting to happen. Troy Niklas provides the size and receiving the Patriots had been missing with Gronk down, and AC Leonard is a ready contributor all over the field. Potential guys were taken along both sides of the line, in Trai Turner and Larry Webster, and if developed correctly, could have great impacts down the road. Finally, defensive tackle and running back were both addressed with really solid players, capable of stepping in day one and playing meaningful minutes, while also building towards bigger roles in the future. What did you guys think of this final version of my New England Patriots Seven Round Mock Draft? What are the selections you’re hoping to see come NFL Draft time on Thursday? Let me know in the comments below.