New England Patriots: What is the team’s 2019 NFL Draft strategy?
By Hal Bent
Who are the former impact players taken at No. 32 overall?
New England has historically found an impact player at this spot.
In 2002, they traded up for tight end Daniel Graham. In 2004, they stayed put to build their first true two-tight end offense by grabbing Benjamin Watson to pair with Graham. In 2005 – to much criticism at the time – they selected future seven-time Pro Bowl guard Logan Mankins.
In 2015, it was defensive tackle Malcom Brown, who was a four-year starter at defensive tackle and won two Super Bowl rings with the Pats. Two years later in 2017, they traded the pick to New Orleans for wide receiver Brandin Cooks. After returning to the Super Bowl (where Cooks missed much of that game due to injury), New England flipped Cooks to the Rams for another first-round draft pick and then beat Cooks and the Rams in last season’s Super Bowl.
This year – like any other NFL Draft where Bill Belichick is calling the shots in New England – is near-impossible to predict. However, with the team coming off a Super Bowl victory and the pick still in hand at this point, let’s guess that the Patriots are going into the draft with the plan to keep the 32nd pick.