New England Patriots receive high grades in 2018 NFL Draft first round
New England Patriots No. 31: Georgia RB Sony Michel
It might have come as a bit of a surprise to see that the New England Patriots didn’t trade this pick as they frequently like to late in the first round. Earlier in the draft, the Patriots were able to address one of their needs with the selection of Isaiah Wynn from Georgia to bolster the offensive line. With the 31st overall pick, the Patriots stayed in their new-found Georgia pipeline and selected running back Sony Michel.
Seeing the Patriots take a running back here was certainly shocking, but the selection is a pretty good one. Last season, Dion Lewis was great for New England, as he nearly rushed for 1,000 yards. Since the Patriots lost him in free agency and didn’t make any major additions to their backfield, a running back here makes sense.
At Georgia, Michel was part of a dynamic backfield with Nick Chubb, as he is used to being in a crowded backfield. With the ability to have a big play anytime he touches the ball, Michel will provide the Patriots with a very scary weapon in their backfield. Even though it was a dire need, this was a pretty solid pick by New England to help replace Lewis and the explosiveness of Brandin Cooks on offense.