New England Patriots: Complete 7-round mock draft

After watching Rob Gronkowski for so long, Patriots fans realized just how spoiled they were at tight end last year. To say the position was a weakness would be an understatement.

With no effort made to improve the position in free agency, it’s hard to imagine New England going into the season with Matt LaCosse at the top of the depth chart.

In comes Adam Trautman.

Trautman is a big guy, checking in at 6’5′ and 255 lbs. He serves as a big target with good hands who can create space. A reliable option outside of Julian Edelman is exactly what this Patriots offense needs with second-year QB Jarrett Stidham seemingly on track to become the starter.

Trautman is not Gronk — he’s certainly going to get tackled more easily. His ability to be relied on as a heavy pass-catcher is Gronk-esque, however. With 70 receptions and 14 touchdowns in the 2019 season, he was a dominant force in Dayton.

With a shallow TE class this year, expect the Patriots to fill their need early.

Yes, I’m talking about Jake Fromm again. Fromm is likely the most confusing player in the draft. As someone who has watched every game of Fromm’s career in Georgia, even I have no clue where this guy is going to get drafted. You could convince me that taking him with a late third-round pick is a reach, or that he won’t be on the board at pick 98 and I’d legitimately believe both.

Fromm’s got an accurate throw so long as he’s confident. He’s got high football IQ, and he was praised in his freshman year for changing plays and reading defenses.

He’s also got a competitive edge, chasing two five-star QBs out of Georgia while holding his starting job. He’s also had tons of success, taking Georgia to the SEC Championship game all three years of his tenure.

What Fromm isn’t, though, is a game-breaker. That’s what turns so many people off him when put in comparison to other quarterbacks in the class. He doesn’t have the arm of Joe Burrow or Justin Herbert, and he doesn’t have the legs of Jalen Hurts or Tua Tagovailoa.

There’s still value to be had in Jake Fromm though. At the very least, Fromm will be a good backup in the NFL. He has potential to be a serviceable NFL starter, though he will need a team of playmakers around him. This makes it harder to take him as a serious option.

Fromm with an extremely late third-round pick is good value in my eyes for a guy who is a safe bet at becoming a long-term backup with potential upside for a Patriots team with no clear no. 1 QB for the long-term.

In such a deep receiver class, some teams are going to be very happy with who they are able to pick up late in the draft at the position. With at least four and likely more pass-catchers going in the first round, some seriously good players are going to fall to the mid-to-late rounds of the draft.

K.J. Hill is no exception. There’s no reason Hill wouldn’t go in the second round in most drafts, yet he’s projected to likely be a fourth-round pick.

Hill’s route tree is deep — he can run pretty much anything successfully. He doesn’t showcase incredible speed and his burst off the line leaves much to be desired.

He’s a smart player though. Hill knows how to get open and he knows how to move the chains.

Hill will murder zone-coverage. He knows how to find the void zones and gain easy yards. While he’s not a burner who will make a 40-yard play happen, Hill can certainly find time in the slot for New England coming out of college.