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The NFL draft is in the registers and the Patriots added 10 players and made seven exchanges along the way, one of them constituting a fourth round pick for 2020.
Entering the weekend with 12 overall selections and six of the top 101, the Patriots left with solid players and, according to all accounts, a very strong draft.
Here are 10 ideas to conclude.
1. For the first time in a few years, almost everyone has retired saying that it was a successful project for the Patriots. Part of that was the number of selections at the top after a few years of delay where they had not had a first round pick, but even in the middle rounds, the team caught players who seemed capable to make impacts only this year, but for years to come.
2. One of the few suspicious selections was to swap three places for Stanford striker Jake Bailey in the fifth round, but when asked about it, Nick Caserio said the Patriots had just too many selections. and it was a question of the team that just did not want to make all the selections, so why not eliminate one to win three places? The other selection to raise the eyebrows was to select Alabama midfielder Damien Williams in the third round, and it seems he was too good a player to still be there when the Patriots were on the clock so they could not let him pass. He was ranked by many as one of the top three finishes in the overall repechage.
3. The first-round pick N & # 39; Keal Harry has a very cool story, but the best selection of the Patriots could well be the offensive lineman Hjalte Froholdt, who was selected on the fourth day. Originally from Denmark, he played collegiate in Arkansas. a child wanted to be a French art thief. "A burglar in France, especially in France. I do not know why, he says. Me and my good childhood friend, Carl, we wanted to be burglars in France, and you grow up and discover that it is frowned upon. So, of course, the dream has changed, but yes, I think my mother still has the paintings of me – stick figures – that steal diamonds in France. Froholdt came to the United States first by going to Ohio, then to Florida and to IMG Academy before enrolling in Arkansas. That's his former Arkansas coach Bret Bielama, who is now with the Patriots, who called him to tell him the good news.
4. Of all the choices, Chase Winovich, of the third round, seems to have the greatest potential to be a fan favorite in the summer. He is very sociable and plays with a lot of passion in the field. "I like to consider myself a sort of Junkyard dog, just a tenacious, relentless effort and a motor, just scrapped every inch," he said at a conference call after have been selected. "But at the same time, I like to think that I'm slipping here – as they say in Pittsburgh:" slippery ". I think I bring some versatility and I think my combine was an example of the speed that I have, and when you consider all of this together, I think it makes me a choice and a pretty interesting and potential football player. At the end of the day, I'm just trying to go out there, prove my worth to the other guys on the team, and ultimately to the rest of the world. "
5. Given all the coaching changes on defense this season, we still do not know exactly who the position coaches are, but fifth-row defensive lineman Byron Cowart of Maryland could have given us a idea of the defensive coach. Maryland's product indicated that he had worked with the Patriots as part of the pre-project process. So we naturally asked who it was. "He was the D-Line coach," he said, adding "Coach Covington". DeMarcus Covington was assistant coach for several seasons and worked extensively with linebackers last year. the D-line.
6. The choice that may have generated the most buzz is quarterback Jarrett Stidham in the fourth round, but it's important to stay patient with him and not be surprised to see growth pains at first. Caserio noted how much the Auburn system is different from the Patriots, so he could take it to be comfortable. The good news is that Stidham is a great talent who could someday replace Tom Brady (stressful potential).
7. It's really impressive to see the Patriots working on the board year-to-year with respect to trades. More often than not, they rank at the top of the agreements, which makes it interesting to ask if the teams are less and less willing to handle them, but this did not seem to be the case. this year. One of the most underrated parts of their contracts is the way they are always able to get selections in the coming years with better rounds.
8. Dante Scarnecchia will still have a lot of work to do because the team has recruited two rather crude linemen. As mentioned earlier, Froholdt was drafted in the fourth round and not only did he come from Denmark to the United States, but he also started his university career as a defensive lineman. The Patriots also selected offensive tackle Yodny Cajuste in the third round in West Virginia. Throughout high school, basketball was his number one sport and before West Virginia played a football season.
9. This is not a surprise, but Josh McDaniels is back in the battle room for a second season in a row. The reasoning of last year was meant to allow him to deepen his knowledge about what it takes to become a head coach someday. In addition, although nothing prohibits, it should be noted that Robert Kraft was not seen or heard throughout the weekend. Sometimes he is present at the season ticket holders event on day 1 and has already been shown in the past by calling the first-round picks on the phone.
10. As always, the Patriots were very involved in the UDFA market after the repechage and it is likely that at least one of them will be part of the team, as happened in 15 seasons consecutive. At present, the two favorites are Jakobi Meyers, receiver of NC State, and Malik Gant, of Marshall. Meyers was converted from quarterback three years ago. The position continues to grow and seems to have a considerable upside potential. Meanwhile, Gant totals 195 tackles, 15 for defeat, two INTs and 14 passes defended over the past two seasons and is a solid player.
The WEEI coverage project is brought to you by Town Fair Tire.
Related: Joejuan Williams, second choice of the Patriots: I watch a movie as I watch Games of Thrones
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