The New England Patriots have plenty of valuable draft picks, will they look to trade any away?
Last offseason, the New England Patriots left their norm, making multiple trades within the first week of the new league year.
With free agency starting on Monday, another wave of trades could be on their way. The Patriots have multiple players poised to hit the open market, including starting cornerback Malcolm Butler, left tackle Nate Solder, and running back Dion Lewis.
New England will need to do some revamping to their roster if they’re going to making another run at the Super Bowl. With so many key players slated to hit the market, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if the team made some sort of trade over the next few days.
On Wednesday, NFL Media’s Chris Wesseling reported that the Patriots were in the running to get defensive end Michael Bennett from Seattle before he was traded to the Eagles.
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Shortly after, NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported that the Seahawks are expected to trade cornerback Richard Sherman, a player in which the Patriots showed interest in, last offseason.
New England has three 2018 draft picks in the first two rounds, giving them plenty of valuable draft capital. They have the 31st overall pick in Round 1, and the 43rd overall (from San Francisco) and 63rd overall picks in Round 2.
Below are two mock trades the Patriots could consider making as the new league year approaches.
Patriots trade 2018 fifth-round pick for Lions TE Eric Ebron
On Tuesday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Detroit Lions were listening to trade offers regarding tight end Eric Ebron. Were the Patriots one of the teams interested in acquiring the former first-rounder? There’s reason to suspect so.
According to the MMQB’s Peter King, Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski is still undecided on whether or not he’ll retire. Even if Gronkowski does return to New England next season, the team’s second-string tight end, Dwayne Allen, could be a potential cap cut, carrying a $5-million cap hit in 2018, per Spotrac. Combine that with the recent release of Martellus Bennett, and the Patriots’ only tight ends are Gronk, Jacob Hollister, and former practice squad member Will Tye.
Ebron hasn’t lived up to the expectations of a top-10 pick, although, he’s been a serviceable weapon in the Lions’ offense. Last season, he posted 53 catches for 574 yards and four touchdowns.
Why it should happen: New England loves to bring on tight ends to pair with Gronkowski. In 2014, it was Tim Wright, 2015, Scott Chandler, and since then, the aforementioned Bennett and Allen. The Patriots can find ways to create mismatches in two tight end sets much like they did with Wright, four years ago.
Why it won’t happen: Detroit accepted Ebron’s fifth-year option, meaning he would carry an $8.25-million cap hit in 2018, per Spotrac. In addition, he earned the worst run-blocking grade among tight ends from Pro Football Focus in 2017. Given Bill Belichick’s fondness for blocking tight ends, New England would be better off restructuring a deal with Allen.
Patriots trade 2018 fourth-round pick for Titans OLB Kevin Dodd
Last offseason, the Patriots made a trade with the Carolina Panthers for defensive end Kony Ealy. Although the deal didn’t work out for New England — Ealy was released during training camp — that shouldn’t discourage the team from making a similar move this year.
Tennessee Titans outside linebacker Kevin Dodd hasn’t had the best start to his career. He was selected 33rd overall by the Titans in 2016 after racking up 12.5 sacks and 24 tackles for loss in his junior season at Clemson.
Dodd was placed on injured reserve midway through his rookie season and was made inactive for seven games in 2017. He made his first and only NFL start in Week 2 of the 2016 season, finishing with six combined tackles, one tackle for loss, four quarterback pressures, and a sack. According to Pro Football Reference, Dodd played 43 defensive snaps in that game, and he hasn’t played as many in a game since.
Why it should happen: Dodd was extremely productive as a defensive end in college before being moved to outside linebacker in the pros. The defensive end position is an area of need for the Patriots and converting Dodd back into an end could be beneficial for both sides. At 6-foot-5, 277 pounds, he has a similar build to current Patriots defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr. (6-5, 271lbs). Dodd also comes with a relatively low cap hit of $1.78-million in 2018 and $2.08-million in 2019, per Spotrac.
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Why it won’t happen: There aren’t any glaring reasons why New England wouldn’t pursue a trade for Dodd. New Titans head coach Mike Vrabel, however, has said he’s excited to work with Dodd and develop his skill set. If Tennessee sees him as part of their future plans, it’s unlikely they’ll entertain trade offers.