The first round of the 2020 NFL Draft is over, and Bill Belichick elected not to make a pick. He and the New England Patriots had the 23rd overall pick, and instead elected to trade back with the Los Angeles Chargers, who gave up the 37th and 71st overall picks.
So on day two of the draft — which includes rounds two and three — the Patriots will have no shortage of picks. For now, they have Nos. 37, 71, 87, 98 and 100 — and that’s just in the second and third round. New England has 13 picks in total. As Belichick showed in round one, that could change. He has made a habit of spinning trades. But for now, let’s look at what the Patriots might target with some of those picks. Here are the best remaining prospects who fill the Patriots’ needs: tight end, quarterback, offensive tackle, edge and safety.
Jacob Eason, QB, Washington
He’s got that tantalizing size and arm talent that NFL evaluators love. But clearly, his problems outweighed his strengths, so far as the first round is concerned. His pocket presence isn’t great — he’ll need a coaching staff that’s patient in bringing him along mentally to NFL speed. If he can get to the point where he’s reading defense and delivering the ball under pressure, he’ll be excellent. Until then, he’s just another impressive thrower.
Jalen Hurts, QB, Oklahoma
Everyone raves about Hurts’ competitiveness. He’s the player you want on your team, because you don’t want to have to play against him. He’s a creative runner and a resourceful playmaker. However, his quarterbacking abilities are somewhat suspect. His run-first mentality leads to him missing open receivers. That’s one of his many inconsistencies as a passer. He’s a project. But again, he loves winning — a lot. Perhaps he’s the type of project the Patriots would like to take on.
Jacob Fromm, QB, Georgia
He’s this draft class’ brainiac. He’s so good at reading defenses and understanding where the ball needs to go. The problem is that he can’t always get the ball to his receivers. His arm talent is lacking. An NFL offensive coordinator — like Josh McDaniels — will have to decide if he’s willing to commit to masking Fromm’s physical deficiencies.
Cole Kmet, TE, Notre Dame
He’s the best tight end in this year’s draft, with the size and athleticism that projects him to be an all-around impressive tight end. But — and this is a big but — he isn’t there yet. He’s not a good blocker, so in his rookie year, he’ll have to make a big leap, if his team wants him to be more than just a move tight end.
Harrison Bryant, TE, Florida Atlantic
He’s not as highly touted as Kmet, but Bryant might provide better value if he falls to the third round. They’ve got a lot of similarities, with size and athleticism that project a well-rounded tight end. The one difference with Bryant is his production — he was the leading pass-catcher on his team. Opponents knew the offense was running through Bryant and he continued to produce. Even at a lower level of competition, you have to respect that.
Tee Higgins, WR, Clemson
He’s got a lot of overlap with N’Keal Harry, when he was a prospect coming out of school. Higgins’ speed won’t necessary scare teams, and he did struggle to get off the line of scrimmage against press. Even so, Higgins has a really impressive catch radius, and he runs well after the catch. He saw no shortage of tough cornerbacks, but had 59 catches, 1,167 yards and 13 touchdowns. It’s impressive production for an impressive prospect.
Denzel Mims, WR, Baylor
From a measurements standpoint, Mims is the guy for New England. The Patriots love the 3-cone drill, and Mims put up the best time among receivers at the NFL combine this year. His bread-and-butter were back-shoulder fades and seem routes, largely because of his size and speed. But he seems to have unlocked potential, and could be one of the best pros in this draft, if he develops.
Michael Pittman, WR, USC
He’s such a solid prospect. He’s a possession receiver in the making, and while he may never be a great pro, he’s almost definitely going to be a good one. He’s likely to be a WR2 for a long time in the NFL.
Ezra Cleveland, OT, Boise State
There was some buzz he might go in the first-round, but the tackle was not among the six tackles taken. He’s got good technique, though he needs to play with better power to be effective in the NFL.
Josh Jones, OT, Houston
An impressive pass-protector, who also was thought to be a potential first-rounder. He improved enormously through the course of the 2019 season, which is promising if that trajectory continues in the NFL.
A.J. Epenesa, DE, Iowa
He’s what you’d expect from an Iowa player. He may not be the most athletic player, but he’s tough and hard-working with good fundamentals. That led to 22 sacks over the last two seasons. And that’s what’s likely to lead to a lot of sacks in the NFL, too.
Zach Baun, OLB, Wisconsin
He draws comparisons to linebacker Kyle Van Noy, which quickly illustrates the natural fit Baun would be in New England. Baun is an impressive edge prospect with the versatility to do just about everything Bill Belichick asks of an outside linebacker: coverage, run defense and pass-rushing. He’s just scratching his potential after a season when he had 19.5 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks and 76 total tackles.
Yetur Gross-Matos, DE, Penn State
Gross-Matos is a high potential prospect, who the Patriots would invest deeply in developing into an impressive pass-rushing 4-3 defensive end. Schematically, he may not be a fit, considering New England ran a 3-4 last year. But Belichick is scheme-flexible and he asks that his players are the same. If Belichick drafted Gross-Matos, the Patriots coach would surely find a way to get production.
Ross Bladlock, DT, TCU
This would be an interesting test for Belichick. On one hand, Bladlock does well penetrating the backfield by busting through gaps. On the other hand, the defensive tackle doesn’t eat space well when he’s forced to take on blockers. Lawrence Guy, probably Belichick’s favorite defensive tackle currently on the Patriots, is just the opposite. Would Belichick want someone different than Guy? Than Bladlock is the guy.
Xavier McKinney, S, Alabama
He seems to have fallen out of the first round after failing to put up a good 40-yard dash time at the 2020 NFL Combine. McKinney is a physical and versatile defensive back who should own the slot at the NFL level. Perhaps, however, NFL teams fear he’ll be limited to covering tight ends with his slower 40-yard dash time.
Antoine Winfield, S, Minnesota
His film was tantalizing: he looked like Earl Thomas. But there was one question: How would he measure at the combine? Because his range didn’t quite seem to be there. Then he ran a 4.45 40-yard dash. It’s wild he slipped out of the first round.
