New England Patriots pick Duke Dawson with No. 56 in 2018 NFL Draft
With the 56th pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots selected Florida cornerback, Duke Dawson.
The New England Patriots have been active on Day 2 of the 2018 NFL Draft. There have been seven trades made thus far in Round 2, and the Patriots have been a part of three of them.
The first two trades the Patriots were involved in, they traded down. New England traded the No. 43 pick to the Detroit Lions in exchange for No. 52 and No. 117. They then flipped that No. 52 pick to the Chicago Bears, landing the No. 105 pick and a 2019 second round pick.
The most recent trade that the Patriots made, they actually moved up. Using some of the picks they acquired in previous trades, the Patriots moved up to the No. 56 spot in the 2018 NFL Draft.
The Patriots traded the No. 63 and No. 117 picks to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to move up to No. 56.
Pats gave up 63 and 117 to take Dawson at 56
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) April 28, 2018
With the No. 56 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, the Patriots selected Florida cornerback, Duke Dawson. This is a good pick for the Patriots, who are looking to continue shoring up their defensive backfield.
More from Musket Fire
- What trading Mac Jones during the draft can do for the Patriots
- Best and worst draft picks during the Bill Belichick era
- Early round Patriots draft picks you’ll hate now, love later
- Musket Fire Roundup: Our own final predictions for round 1
- Breaking down the Patriots’ options in the 2023 NFL Draft
After seeing Malcolm Butler leave in free agency, as he signed with the Tennessee Titans, the Patriots acquired Jason McCourty from the Cleveland Browns. McCourty will help the Patriots replace Butler on the outside, opposite of Stephon Gilmore. The slot has still been an issue for New England, and that is where Dawson will help out.
Dawson should slide right into the Patriots lineup as a slot cornerback. He is at his best when able to play press coverage, and that is what New England will have him do from the start.
New England knows how to get the most out of their players. They will not ask Dawson to do more than he is capable of doing, especially early on out of the gate. With the struggled that 2016 second round pick Cyrus Jones had had, Dawson could find himself earning playing time right away.
With a cornerback being selected now, the Patriots have knocked one of their needs off their to-do list.
Next: 2018 NFL Draft First Round Grades
Some people will be surprised that the New England is yet to select a quarterback, but none have been selected yet on Day 2. The Patriots look like they will be able to fill that need later on in the draft.