Yodny Cajuste closes out Day 2 of draft for Patriots
The New England Patriots used their final pick of the third round in the 2019 NFL Draft to select West Virginia offensive tackle Yodny Cajuste.
In our mock draft, we predicted the New England Patriots would be selecting a pair of West Virginia Mountaineers at the turn of the third and fourth rounds in this year’s draft.
One of those projections – David Sills V – became moot Thursday evening when the Pats drafted Arizona State receiver N’Keal Harry. In fairness, Harry was clearly the superior receiver in college, so that pick makes a whole lot of sense.
The other WVU player we had the Pats picking up was quarterback Will Grier with the 134th pick. As it turns out, Grier ended up going a bit earlier (No. 100), about right where we had Sills going in our mock draft (No. 101). Except Grier went to the Carolina Panthers, not the New England Patriots.
Would Bill Belichick have taken Grier if he was still available at No. 101?
We may never know. Multiple rumors and reports seemed to link the veteran QB to the Patriots just days before the draft got underway. Some of that may have been a smokescreen if New England was never really interested in him, but it’s hard to see why they wouldn’t be.
Tom Brady is easily the greatest to ever play the position, but unless someone invents a time machine or finds the magic fountain of youth, sooner or later this franchise is going to have to invest in the future at quarterback. Hopefully that time won’t come for another two or three years, but it’s coming faster than we’d all like it to arrive nonetheless – even by Brady’s own admission.
Next. Damien Harris of Alabama added to crowded Pats' backfield. dark
So what did the Patriots do at No. 101 without Grier on the board? They drafted his blindside protector from last season, offensive tackle Yodny Cajuste. Cajuste was Second-team All-Big 12 two years ago, and First-team All-Big 12 last year. He was also voted as the conference’s top offensive lineman in 2018 by all the coaches of the Big 12.
In other words, he comes to the Patriots full of accolades and accomplishments. He should be an asset in the run game and immediately provides valuable depth as a potential swing tackle or even a backup at guard. Especially with Trent Brown and LaAdrian Waddle now playing elsewhere in 2019, it’s a great idea to add more depth and talent at offensive line, especially with Brady turning 42 before the new season begins.