Patriots: Kyle Pitts just hyped up potential draft target for Bill Belichick

The New England Patriots draft class could be defense-heavy this season after their free agency spending spree.

Players like Jaelan Phillips, Jaycee Horn, or Micah Parsons could be headed to New England if Bill Belichick thinks that beefing up his side of the ball is what will get this team back to the playoffs.

Considering the fact that Stephon Gilmore is still embroiled in trade rumors that could kick him out of town and the almost certainty that Alabama cornerback Patrick Surtain II is not going to slip to No. 15, the idea of Horn coming to New England has picked up steam in recent weeks.

While Florida tight end Kyle Pitts will in no way be available for New England at pick No. 15, the generational tight end prospect might inform New England’s draft decision making, as he recently testified on the behalf of Horn and his quality as a player.

While Pitts was interviewing with the Dallas Cowboys, he mentioned the fact that Horn was the toughest defensive back he played against last season.

Considering how Horn only allowed one catch on three targets when he was matched up against Pitts, it becomes clear why the 6-6, 240-pound tight has so much respect for the former Gamecock.

Kyle Pitts thinks potential Patriots pick Jaycee Horn can play.

The son of former New Orleans Saints Pro Bowl receiver Joe Horn, Jaycee backed up his stellar play on the field with athletic testing numbers that are so astonishing you can count on one hand the number of cornerbacks that produced equal measurables. In the weight room and on the field, Horn is a stud.

You won’t see one second of playing time under Belichick if you are unable to play solid press-man coverage, and that is Horn’s specialty. Alongside potentially Gilmore, JC Jackson, Jalen Mills, and Kyle Dugger, we sincerely wish anyone who wants to throw on the Patriots for the next decade all the luck in the world, because they’ll need it.

New England could opt to pick a quarterback in the draft, but they need not reach if the top players are off the board. A wide receiver makes sense, but some of the top prospects have some red flags. Horn is one of the safer prospects in the draft at a position of need, and both of those phrases are catnip to Belichick.

The Patriots will probably add one defensive back in this draft, but Horn is starting to look more like the pick with each passing day. Horn is a feisty corner that Belichick will love, and testimonials from a player of Pitts’ caliber should only continue to push his stock up into the top half of the first round.