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New England Patriots take a tight end in recent Pro Football Focus mock draft

By Nick Ziegler

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - FEBRUARY 04: Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots reacts after his team scored a 4-yard touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium on February 4, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - FEBRUARY 04: Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots reacts after his team scored a 4-yard touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium on February 4, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /
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With the NFL Draft just days away, Pro Football Focus recently released an updated mock draft. Who did they have the New England Patriots take?

In just a few days, the Cleveland Browns will be on the clock with the first overall pick, and the NFL Draft will begin. For the New England Patriots, they hold two picks in the first round this season and could be major players on Thursday night.

Coming into the draft, the Patriots do have some needs on both sides of the ball, and their first two picks will give us an indication of what the Patriots might do in the second round, where they hold two more picks.

While the Patriots do have needs, the possibility of them trading up or down is certainly high. Historically, the Patriots love to move down in the NFL Draft, however, with two first-round picks, they would be in prime position to move up fairly high in the first round. While this would be shocking for the Patriots, it is certainly a possibility.

In the most recent mock draft by Pro Football Focus, they had the Patriots take a player on each side of the ball in the first round. With the 23rd overall pick, the Patriots selected tight end Dallas Goedert from South Dakota State. Due to some of the uncertainty surrounding the future of Rob Gronkowski with the team, taking Goedert gives them insurance in case Gronkowski isn’t back next season. If Gronkowski is back, then the Patriots would simply have two talented tight ends, which they like to have on their offense.

With the 31st overall selection, the Patriots addressed a need in the secondary, as they selected Mike Hughes from UCF. Cornerback is certainly going to be one of the first things addressed by the Patriots in the draft, as most mock drafts have had them taking one at either 23 or 31.

Next: Full first round mock draft

Overall, this would be a pretty solid combo in the first round for the Patriots. Getting another tight end gives them some insurance for Gronkowski, and the addition of Hughes fills a need in the secondary.

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