The New England Patriots shouldn’t feel too much pressure when their first pick in the 2016 NFL Draft comes up April 29.
The Patriots have taken a smart approach since free agency opened three weeks ago, filling most of their needs with veterans. They traded for guard Jonathan Cooper and tight end Martellus Bennett and signed wide receiver Chris Hogan, defensive end Chris Long, cornerback E.J. Biggers, linebackers Shea McClellin and Ramon Humber, tight end Clay Harbor, defensive tackle Frank Kearse and running back Donald Brown.
The Patriots’ draft picks still will have an impact in 2016, however, as the team needs to add youth at offensive tackle, cornerback, running back and wide receiver.
Check out who NESN.com believes the Patriots should select in our latest mock draft.
Second Round (60th overall):Â Xavien Howard, cornerback, Baylor
Drafting a cornerback with the Patriots’ first pick would be done with a look toward the future and the present. New England has cornerbacks Malcolm Butler, Logan Ryan, Justin Coleman, Darryl Roberts, E.J. Biggers and Rashaan Melvin under contract. Coleman and Roberts showed potential last season, but the third cornerback role still is up for grabs behind Butler and Ryan.
Butler and Ryan will be free agents after the 2016 season, and if there’s a chance either one of them could depart, the Patriots need a young cornerback with high upside. The film on Howard is mixed, but he has great size at 6 feet, 201 pounds. He also has ideal athleticism with a 4.44-second 40-yard dash, 6.91-second three-cone, 4.15-second short shuttle, 38.5-inch vertical leap and 10-foot, 5-inch broad jump.
Howard also had 10 interceptions in three seasons with Baylor.
Second Round (61st overall; acquired from Arizona Cardinals): Shon Coleman, offensive tackle, Auburn
Coleman has ideal size at 6-foot-5, 307 pounds, and he was a two-year starter at left tackle for Auburn. He was unable to go through combine or pro day testing because of offseason surgery. The 24-year-old also missed two seasons at Auburn while beating leukemia.
Coleman has high upside and could benefit from sitting for one year behind starting offensive tackles Nate Solder and Sebastian Vollmer.
Third Round (91st overall): Jordan Howard, running back, Indiana
Howard has the best combination of size, athleticism and ball security for the Patriots. He fumbled just six times in 671 career college touches.
Third Round (96th overall; compensatory pick): Malcolm Mitchell, wide receiver, Georgia
Mitchell currently is projected as a fourth-round pick, but we expect him to come off the board earlier. He has good size at 6 feet, 198 pounds and served as a productive “X” receiver in the SEC. Mitchell did fight through injuries and was briefly moved to cornerback early in his career with the Bulldogs.
Mitchell ran a 4.45-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine and also posted a 36-inch vertical leap, 10-foot, 9-inch broad jump, 6.94-second three-cone and 4.34-second short shuttle. He had 58 catches for 865 yards with five touchdowns as a senior at Georgia.
Sixth Round (196th overall; acquired from Houston Texans): Yannick Ngakoue, edge defender, Maryland
At 6-foot-2, 252 pounds, Ngakoue is undersized for an edge rusher, but he had 13 sacks as a junior before declaring for the draft.
Sixth Round (204th overall; reacquired from Chicago Bears): Tyvis Powell, safety, Ohio State
Powell has great size at 6-foot-3, 211 pounds and owns the ideal athleticism for the Patriots. He ran a 4.46-second 40-yard dash, a 7.03-second three-cone and a 4.25-second short shuttle, and also posted a 10-foot broad jump.
Powell had eight interceptions in three seasons with the Buckeyes.
Sixth Round (208th overall; compensatory pick): Nile Lawrence-Stample, defensive tackle, Florida State
The Patriots could use additional bodies on their interior defensive line. Lawrence-Stample ran a 5.14-second 40-yard dash at his pro day and also posted a 27-inch vertical leap, 10-foot, 5-inch broad jump, 4.78-second short shuttle and 7.81-second three-cone at 6-foot-2, 314 pounds.
Sixth Round (214th overall; compensatory pick):Â Nick Kwiatkoski, linebacker, West Virginia
The Patriots added Shea McClellin this offseason to serve as their third linebacker, but Kwiatkoski could serve as valuable depth.
Sixth Round (221st overall; compensatory pick): Keenan Reynolds, running back, Navy
This is the most obvious pick in the draft. Bill Belichick loves Navy products, and Reynolds, a college quarterback, could take a similar journey in the NFL as Patriots receiver Julian Edelman has.
Seventh Round (243rd overall; acquired from Houston Texans): D.J. Foster, running back/wide receiver, Arizona State
Foster is the kind of versatile player the Patriots would have fun molding in the NFL. He started his college career at running back before moving to wide receiver in his senior season. He finished his college career with 444 carries for 2,355 yards with 18 touchdowns and 222 receptions for 2,458 yards with 14 touchdowns.
Foster could serve as a slot receiver or third-down back for the Patriots.
Seventh Round (250th overall): Dean Lowry, defensive lineman, Northwestern
Lowry has great size and athleticism to play a number of different roles along a defensive line. He’s 6-foot-5, 296 pounds and ran a 4.87-second 40-yard dash, a 4.38-second short shuttle and a 7.26-second three-cone, and also posted a 9-foot, 6-inch broad jump and 32.5-inch vertical leap.
Thumbnail photo via Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports Images
