Here are three players Patriots fans should watch closely in the CFP National Championship on Monday night.
To put it simply, the New England Patriots have little margin for error entering what’s shaping up to be their most important offseason in over two decades. With two teams in their division in Buffalo and Miami seemingly light years ahead of them in terms of talent, they cannot afford to swing and miss on free agent signings, potential trade targets, and draft picks.
Speaking of the draft, the Patriots are slated with the No. 15 overall selection, so they’ll have have no shortage of touted prospects to choose from. Whether it be pouncing on a future quarterback, a dominant edge rusher, game-breaking wideout, or a behemoth offensive lineman, they’d be hard-pressed to leave fans disappointed in the aftermath.
Since the Patriots’ decision in terms of which position of need they want to address with that pick obviously isn’t made up, they should be tuned in tonight’s College Football Playoff Championship between Alabama and Ohio State.
These are programs that flaunt two of the most robust recruiting classes in the country, so there will no doubt be a multitude of future NFL stars on the field. Any one of these players could end up with the Patriots in a few months’ time, so here are three first-round prospects fans should watch closely.
3. Alex Leatherwood
Alabama stud Alex Leatherwood is a seemingly can’t-miss OL prospect.
For Alex Leatherwood, choosing to return to Tuscaloosa for his senior year was a no-brainer. After all, it was virtually impossible to improve his draft stock last season while playing in the shadow of former teammate Jedrick Wills, who was taken No. 10 overall by Cleveland in the 2020 draft.
That situation really kept him out of the spotlight and Leatherwood unsurprisingly responded by becoming the sixth Alabama player to take home the Outland Trophy, which is an annual award given to the nation’s top interior lineman. That brings us to our next point. A tackle by trade, the Florida native has the requisite athleticism to thwart speedy edge rushers, but at 6-foot-6 and 312 pounds (!), he’s more than capable of handling himself in the trenches.
We all know the Patriots champion versatility when it comes to evaluating offensive linemen, and Leatherwood is as dynamic as any OL prospect in the 2021 class. For the season, he conceded just two sacks and three pressures while curtailing his penalty volume, which plagued him early in his career at Alabama. He was flagged just twice over 12 contests in 2020.
As a result, he earned first-team All-SEC honors and was even recognized as an All-American in the eyes of voters. The bottom line is that Leatherwood currently projects as a mid- to late-round draft pick and a promising showing against Ohio State could push him right up to where the Patriots are slated to pick at No. 15 overall.
2. Jaylen Waddle
Alabama WR Jaylen Waddle could return from injury for the CFP Final.
It was largely viewed as a surprise when Alabama announced that wideout Jaylen Waddle was cleared to practice last week ahead after he missed the previous seven games with a fractured ankle suffered on a kick return against Tennessee early in the season. He underwent surgery to repair the injury and all signs point to him being available, though he could be on a snap count.
Assuming the 22-year-old star is given the green light, this is somebody Patriots fans must pay close attention to on every snap. We say that partly because he’s lightning quick and it’s easy to lose track of him, but mostly because of his jaw-dropping playmaking ability. In five games before the injury, Waddle compiled 25 receptions for 557 yards (22.3 yards per catch) and four scores, all of which ranked at or near the top of the national leaderboards at the time.
He was admittedly inconsistent in 2019, but that mostly boiled down to the fact that he was competing for targets behind the likes of Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs and DeVonta Smith.
At 5-foot-10 and 182 pounds with blinding speed, Waddle is as lethal of a deep threat as any wideout to come out of college over the last couple of seasons, but mistake him for a one-trick pony at your own peril. In the simplest of terms, he’s one of the most dynamic receivers in the 2021 class and his current draft projection could see him fall right into the Patriots lap at No. 15 overall.
1. Justin Fields
Ohio State QB Justin Fields could boost his draft stock with a win over Alabama.
It’s widely understood that recency bias can be dangerous when it comes to analyzing draft prospects and that proved to be true after Justin Fields underwhelmed in two straight games leading up to the College Football Playoff against the likes of Northwestern and Indiana.
Already considered the consensus No. 2 quarterback prospect behind Trevor Lawrence, those performances had many analysts and scouts second-guessing if he should be the second QB taken off the board. In fitting fashion, however, Fields responded by producing the game of his young career in an upset win over Clemson in the semifinals.
The Buckeyes star finished 22-of-28 for 385 yards (13.75 yards per) and six touchdowns to just one interception, adding eight carries for 42 yards with his legs…all while battling what looked to be an agonizingly painful core/rib injury after taking a monster hit in the first half.
You might think that the Patriots have no chance at drafting Fields, but in one of their latest mocks, ESPN recently projected him to fall to No. 15. If Patriots fans don’t have a dog in the fight tonight, Fields is definitely somebody they should keep close tabs on. Who knows, he could end up being the quarterback of the future in Foxborough when all is said and done.