Peter Schrager Mock Draft: Patriots make interesting selection
Peter Schrager is well-connected, and put together his first official mock draft in which the New England Patriots make an interesting first round pick. It’s important to pay attention to some of what these well-connected people say within the NFL.
Schrager’s first round mock draft is quite interesting, and as we know, the New York Jets have the 13th overall pick, so they are picking just before the Patriots’ selection.
The one downside here is that if the Jets end up keeping this pick, as in, not having to trade it for Aaron Rodgers, they could select a prospect that the Pats have their eye on. Both teams have needs at tackle, and in Schrager’s mock, Broderick Jones is the Jets’ selection at 13th overall.
That could be a devastating blow if New England wanted to go offensive tackle with their first pick and had their eyes on Broderick Jones. However, with the 14th overall pick in Peter Schrager’s Mock Draft 1.0, the New England Patriots select Devon Witherspoon, cornerback, Illinois.
Interesting indeed.
Witherspoon does help fill a huge need for the team, but he doesn’t exactly bring size to the mix, which is something the Pats need at this position. He’s 5’11” and 181 pounds, so he’s actually a bit undersized.
NFL.com has Witherspoon rated as their third cornerback, behind Oregon’s Christian Gonzalez and Alabama’s Brian Branch. During a private workout, Witherspoon had some nice 40 yard dash times
"The 5-foot-11, 181-pound Witherspoon ran 40-yard dash times of 4.46 and 4.42 seconds at his private workout at Illinois, according to NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah. Because of a hamstring injury, Witherspoon was unable to work out at all at the NFL Scouting Combine or Illinois’ pro day on March 10."
He did have 14 pass breakups in 2022, so he’s got a knack for the ball, which is something that the New England Patriots could use. I’d probably rather take an offensive tackle or wide receiver at this pick, but cornerback is surely an option.