New England Patriots address multiple needs in Todd McShay’s mock draft
By Nick Ziegler
Todd McShay of ESPN recently released his ‘Grade A’ 3-round mock draft. Who did he have the New England Patriots selecting in the first three rounds?
Coming into the 2018 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots are in excellent position to have a strong couple of days. Due to trades this year, the Patriots have two first round picks and two second round picks.
Depending on how things go, we could be looking at the Patriots adding multiple starting caliber players in the NFL Draft this year, and that would be good for the defending AFC Champions. Since the Patriots do have four picks in the first two rounds, it is widely believed that they will be going after a quarterback with one of those picks.
Due to the trading of Jimmy Garoppolo, the Patriots are currently without an heir to Tom Brady, and this seems like a golden opportunity to find a quarterback to groom. However, they do have some other needs still from losses in free agency.
Recently, Todd McShay of ESPN.com released his 3-round mock draft. Here’s who he had the Patriots taking with their first five picks.
"Round 1 (23): Mike McGlinchey, OT, Notre DameRound 1 (31): Josh Jackson, CB, IowaRound 2 (43): Darius Leonard, LB, South Carolina StateRound 2 (63): Rasheem Green, DE, USCRound 3 (95): Kyle Lauletta, QB, Richmond"
As you can see, the Patriots wasted no time in this mock draft addressing the loss of Nate Solder in free agency. Mike McGlinchey is one of the top offensive tackles in the draft this season, and taking him at 23 would be a strong first pick for the Patriots.
After that, the Patriots then begin to work on their defense. Even though they have signed and traded for some players that look to have improved the defense on paper, the Patriots do need some youth and depth on that side of the ball.
Finally, the Patriots do then select their quarterback in the third round, as McShay has them taking Kyle Lauletta from Richmond to groom. With just a few weeks to go until the NFL Draft, the players can surely change. However, this would be a solid 3-round mock draft for the Patriots.