Patriots: 3 first-round talents Bill Belichick needs to avoid
By Jerry Trotta
The New England Patriots made a profound statement in free agency this offseason.
When all was said and done with the first and second waves, they doled out close to $300 million in contracts and emerged on the other side with a replenished roster.
The spending spree clearly emphasized upgrading the front seven and skill positions, as they signed multiple defensive linemen and a quartet of quality pass catchers.
While the Patriots are likely done adding elite talent in free agency, the draft will present them with a tremendous opportunity to nab more starting-caliber players. After all, they’re slated with the No. 15 overall pick, the highest selection they’ve had in … forever?
You could make an argument for Bill Belichick drafting his quarterback of the future, the top wide receiver remaining on the board, or potentially a linebacker or edge rusher if he’s pinned into a corner. Whatever he chooses to do, he’ll have a multitude of options.
While so much time has been spent discussing how the Pats should approach their first-round pick, what about shedding some light on what they should avoid doing? With that in mind, let’s highlight some prospects Belichick and Co. should steer clear of in Round 1.
The Patriots should stay away from these first-round talents.
3. Christian Darrisaw
The Patriots don’t need to draft an offensive lineman in Round 1.
The Patriots put an emphasis on revamping their offensive line early on in the offseason, which wasn’t all that surprising given their overload of starting-caliber talent.
For the sake of time, we won’t provide a recap of the bevy of moves. The bottom line is that they likely have their five starters lined up for next season. Here’s a quick glance of what fans might be looking at come Week 1:
- LT: Isaiah Wynn
- LG: Michael Onwenu
- C: David Andrews
- RG: Shaq Mason
- RT: Trent Brown
Taking that into account, the Patriots have no reason to draft a lineman in the first round. You would think that Belichick would be aware of this, but he sent one of the team’s co-OL coaches to scout touted tackle Christian Darrisaw, who seemingly has all the requisite intangibles to start as a rookie and is projected to go fairly high in Round 1.
Listen, if one of the Patriots’ tackle spots wasn’t filled, we would be all for them taking a lineman at No. 15 overall. Seeing as though that isn’t the case, however, they should wait until the second or third rounds to draft one for depth purposes, which they currently lack.
This might sound like we aren’t sold on Darrisaw, but that couldn’t be any less accurate. His inclusion on this list boils entirely down to need more than his ability. Unless the Patriots shock the world and shop someone like Wynn before the draft, they should stay far away from Darrisaw or any highly-rated lineman, for that matter.
As far as position of needs are concerned, we’d much rather see Belichick target a quarterback, linebacker, wide receiver (if one of the top three guys is available), cornerback, and potentially a safety following the retirement of longtime starter Patrick Chung.