New England Patriots: What is the team’s 2019 NFL Draft strategy?
By Hal Bent
Recent examples of “need picks” around the NFL
Last year was a good example of “need picks” being made widely around the league, as Oakland grabbed tackle Kolton Miller at No. 15 overall, and Buffalo reached with linebacker Tremaine Edmunds instead of taking safety Derwin James – who was a top-ten level talent but played safety, an area the Bills did not value as highly as linebacker.
Overvalued quarterback Josh Rosen was taken at No. 10 overall by Arizona, and now could be traded with a new regime in place that is reportedly infatuated with Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray. Both Detroit and Cincinnati reached for interior offensive linemen at Nos. 20 and 21 overall, passing on impressive and undervalued linebackers Rashaan Evans and Darius Leonard in the process.
In 2017, there was an embarrassing run at wide receiver when Corey Davis, Mike Williams, and John Ross all went in the top-ten. Three teams reached at defensive end/edge rusher in a weak year for that position, with Miami taking bust Charles Harris at No. 22, Takkarist McKinley at No. 26 getting picked by Atlanta, and Taco Charlton going at No. 28 overall with Dallas.
In 2016, another group of over-valued wide receivers flew off the board with Corey Coleman, Will Fuller, Josh Doctson, and Laquon Treadwell all going between Nos. 15 and 23 overall. Quarterbacks Jared Goff and Carson Wentz both went before Jalen Ramsey and Joey Bosa, which still makes for good debate among fans of those four teams.
Reaching for a quarterback? How does Denver feel about Paxton Lynch at No. 26 overall that year? (Hint: not good.)
In the AFC East, Buffalo reached with Shaq Lawson at No. 19 and the Jets tried to top that by reaching themselves with Darron Lee at No. 20 overall. Cornerbacks Eli Apple (No. 10 overall), Vernon Hargreaves (No. 11), William Jackson (No. 24) and Artie Burns (No. 25) were all reaches due to draft position.
In 2015, the best player in the draft fell to No. 6 overall when the New York Jets had Leonard Williams fall into their laps. Four of the five teams ahead of them reached for a position of need: Tampa Bay and Tennessee took quarterbacks Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota, and Dante Fowler and Amari Cooper at Nos. 3 and 4 overall have both since been traded by their original teams. In fairness, the No. 5 pick overall that year, Brandon Scherff, has made a few Pro Bowls at guard for the Washington Redskins.
The 2015 NFL Draft also saw busts Kevin White (Chicago at No. 7 overall) and Ereck Flowers (Giants at No. 9 overall) get picked well before undervalued running backs Todd Gurley and Melvin Gordon. Teams reached at wide receiver for DeVante Parker (No. 14 by Miami, Nelson Agholor (No. 20 by Philadelphia), Breshad Perriman (No. 26 by Baltimore) and Phillip Dorsett (No. 29 by Indianapolis).
Despite these warnings from drafts past, teams are going to continue to overvalue the quarterback, cornerback, and wide receiver positions. One-dimensional pass-catching tight ends with second-and-third round draft grades are also getting mocked in the first round, as tight end looks to be an overvalued position with just T.J Hockenson the only true first-round talent.