Report: Patriots considered trading into the late first round

The Patriots’ first-round pick of top-ranked cornerback Christian Gonzalez set the NFL world ablaze, considering his slim chances of falling out of the top 10.

But apparently, Bill Belichick was not done after the wildly approved pick was made.

According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, New England was among the teams making calls last night to trade into the late first round.

The idea of Belichick trading into the first round is a shock. Because they have historically moved back or out of the round completely, even trading back three spots last night, the report becomes much more intriguing to know who they hoped to grab.

However, the trade with the Steelers allowed them to acquire a fourth, fourth-round pick, giving them several options to package a few to get a player they really want.

Where exactly they were hoping to land is unclear, as is the prospect they have their eye on. They addressed a major need by selecting Gonzalez, but offensive tackle and wide receiver remain priorities as they head into night two.

Because they were unsuccessful in their attempt to trade back into the first round, that likely means we will see a big trade-up from the Patriots tonight. They are set to only have two picks in rounds two and three, with picks 46 and 76 overall, but have the ammunition to make some deals tonight to complete their quest for the perfect draft.

When speaking to the media late Thursday night, Matt Groh even alluded to a potential move-up for day two.

"“I think we’re the 15th pick here in the second round. Having those fourth-round picks does give us a little bit of currency. We’ll have to take a more in-depth look here in the morning. We’ll regroup, take a look at some of these players that we’ve got, go through a couple different scenarios as a staff and do our best to plot it out.”"

The most notable players still available that could land with the Patriots are mostly wide receivers and offensive tackles, with some tight ends that could be game-changers for them as well.

WIDE RECEIVERS
(10 receivers the Patriots can take after round one)

• Jonathan Mingo – Ole Miss
• Jalin Hyatt – Tennessee
• Cedric Tillman – Tennessee
• Marvin Mims – Oklahoma
• Josh Downs – North Carolina
• Nathaniel “Tank” Dell – Houston
• Charlie Jones – Purdue
• Tyler Scott – Cincinnati

OFFENSIVE TACKLES

• Dawand Jones – Ohio State
• Tyler Steen – Alabama
• Matthew Bergeron – Syracuse
• Cody Mauch – North Dakota State
• Blake Freeland – BYU

TIGHT ENDS

• Michael Mayer – Notre Dame
• Darnell Washington – Georgia
• Sam LaPorta – Iowa
• Luke Musgrave – Oregon State
• Tucker Kraft – South Dakota State
• Luke Schoonmaker – Michigan