After trading down twice in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots moved up to make their first selection of the night.
The Patriots traded the 63rd and 117th overall picks to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for pick No. 56, which they used to select Florida cornerback Duke Dawson.
The 5-foot-11, 195-pound Dawson primarily played in the slot for the Gators and is known for his physicality. He ran a 4.46-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine and a 4.39-second short shuttle and 7.02-second three-cone drill at Florida’s pro day.
Dawson had his most productive collegiate season as a senior in 2017, tallying 34 tackles, four interceptions and nine pass breakups in 10 games.
NFL Media’s Lance Zierlein projected Dawson as a third- or fourth-round pick. The Patriots nabbed him with the 24th pick of the second round.
“Dawson can handle himself in man or zone coverage and is ready to work when run support calls,” Zierlein wrote in Dawson’s NFL.com draft profile. “He has some length and speed limitations, but he has the instincts and cover talent to become a starting nickel cornerback.”
Dawson joins a Patriots cornerback group headlined by Stephon Gilmore and newcomer Jason McCourty. It also featured Eric Rowe, Cyrus Jones, Jonathan Jones, Ryan Lewis and Jomal Wiltz. New England lost Malcolm Butler in free agency after head coach Bill Belichick benched him in Super Bowl LII.
Before selecting Dawson, the Patriots swung two trades to move down the draft board, first dropping No. 43 to No. 51 in a trade with the Detroit Lions and then shipping that pick to the Chicago Bears. The two deals yielded the Pats the 105th and 117th selections in this year’s draft — the latter of which was included in the Dawson trade — and Chicago’s 2019 second-rounder.
Dawson was the third SEC product drafted by the Patriots this year. They selected two ex-Georgia Bulldogs on Thursday, taking tackle/guard Isaiah Wynn at No. 23 and running back Sony Michel at No. 31.
