New England Patriots fans — the ones who didn’t go to sleep Thursday night falsely believing the team had traded out of the first round, at least — should be ecstatic Friday morning. The rest probably woke up very confused.
Patriots fans are accustomed to being disappointed with a Patriots pick. The team has a tendency to pass on the player that seems best suited for New England by either trading down or taking a lesser-known player. It appears they nailed it this year, though.
The Patriots made a consensus great selection with the 32nd overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. Texas defensive tackle Malcom Brown ranked 18th in NESN.com’s composite draft rankings. Draft rankings from experts at ESPN.com, NFL.com and NFLDraftScout.com are compiled to fill out the composite list, which is designed to give a consensus look at the top prospects in the draft.
The Patriots scored best among NFL teams when comparing draft slot to composite rankings. Four teams picked players who didn’t crack the composite totals, which means they never were ranked in the top 32 by any of the draft experts.
Check out the best values and the perceived “reaches” from Day 1 of the 2015 NFL draft:
VALUE PICKS
New England Patriots: Malcom Brown, defensive line, Texas
Composite ranking: 18; draft slot: 32
Denver Broncos: Shane Ray, edge defender, Missouri
Composite ranking: 13; draft slot: 23
Baltimore Ravens: Breshad Perriman, wide receiver, Central Florida
Composite ranking: 17; draft slot: 26
Miami Dolphins: DeVante Parker, wide receiver, Louisville
Composite ranking: 7; draft slot: 14
New York Jets: Leonard Williams, defensive line, USC
Composite ranking: 1; draft slot: 6
“REACHES”
Cincinnati Bengals: Cedric Ogbuehi, offensive line, Texas A&M
Composite ranking: unranked; draft slot: 21
Carolina Panthers: Shaq Thompson, linebacker, Washington
Composite ranking: unranked; draft slot: 25
Detroit Lions: Laken Tomlinson, guard, Duke
Composite ranking: unranked; draft slot: 28
New Orleans Saints: Stephone Anthony, linebacker, Clemson
Composite ranking: unranked; draft slot: 31
New York Giants: Ereck Flowers, offensive line, Miami
Composite ranking: 22; draft slot: 9
Thumbnail photo via Dennis Wierzbicki/USA TODAY Sports Images
