It would be an upset at this point if the New England Patriots didn’t take a pass rusher with one of their first selections in the 2017 NFL Draft.
Defensive end is the Patriots’ top remaining offseason need, it’s a deep class at the position, and the Patriots are doing their due diligence on most of this year’s second-tier prospects. Usually when the Patriots concentrate heavily on one position, they wind up selecting one or more players at that spot. The Patriots met with many top quarterbacks in 2014 and drafted Jimmy Garoppolo, for instance.
Here’s a list of edge players the Patriots have met with this offseason and their projected draft positioning, via the fantastic work of PatsPulpit.com‘s Rich Hill and WalterFootball.com:
East-West Shrine Game
Colorado DE/OLBÂ Jimmie Gilbert, Round 7
Senior Bowl
Michigan DE/DT Chris Wormley, Round 2-3
Youngstown State DE/OLBÂ Derek Rivers, Round 2-3
Kansas State DE/OLBÂ Jordan Willis, Round 2-3
Illinois DE/OLBÂ Carroll Phillips, Round 3-4
NFL Combine
Missouri DE/OLBÂ Charles Harris, Round 1-2
Auburn DE/OLBÂ Carl Lawson, Round 1-2
Florida State DE/DTÂ DeMarcus Walker, Round 3
Pro Days
Tennessee DEÂ Derek Barnett, Round 1
Wisconsin OLB/DEÂ T.J. Watt, Round 2
Ohio DE/OLBÂ Tarell Basham, Round 2
Villanova DEÂ Tanoh Kpassagnon, Round 3-4
Florida DE/OLBÂ Bryan Cox, Jr., Round 7
BYU DE/OLB/ILB Harvey Langi, Round 7
BYU DE/OLB Sae Tautu, Round 7
The Patriots don’t currently have a draft pick in the first two round, so players like Harris, Lawson, Barnett, Watt and Basham might be out of the question for now.
Among the players listed above, Willis, Phillips, Basham, Rivers, Kpassagnon and Watt fit what the Patriots typically look for in an edge player based on their size and testing numbers.
Langi, who also played linebacker and running back with the Cougars, apparently has been the object of the Patriots’ attention for years.
Drafting Langi even in the third round would appear to be a reach for New England, but a Patriots scout was overheard telling him, “We enjoyed watching you the past couple years” at BYU’s pro day.
Langi had 57 tackles, five tackles for loss and two sacks in 2016. He had 66 tackles, 6 1/2 tackles for loss and 4 1/2 sacks in 2015. He also had 25 career carries for 102 yards with two touchdowns at BYU.
Looking deeper, Langi recorded 25 total pressures on 211 pass rush snaps, according to Pro Football Focus’ Draft Edge. He had a 7.7 run stop percentage, per PFF.
The Patriots also worked out Tautu, who had six sacks in 2016, at the same time as Langi at BYU’s pro day. They already have former BYU edge defender Kyle Van Noy on their roster.
The Patriots need at least one more pass rusher to fill out their 53-man roster before training camp begins. They could take two of the above players later this month.
Thumbnail photo via Brian Spurlock/USA TODAY Sports Images
