FOXBORO, Mass. — The New England Patriots only came away from the 2017 NFL Draft with four selections, but owner Robert Kraft would like to throw four more players into the class.
“This is the smallest draft class, officially,” Kraft said Thursday as the Patriots unveiled their four draft picks. “It’s the first time we haven’t had a first-round pick or a second-round pick, but we think that Brandin Cooks and Kony Ealy and Mike Gillislee and Dwayne Allen are also a part of this draft class. We gave up picks for every one of them.”
The Patriots traded their first-round pick and a third-rounder to the New Orleans Saints for Cooks and a fourth-round pick. They traded a second-round pick to the Carolina Panthers for Ealy and a third-rounder. They gave the Indianapolis Colts a fourth-round pick for Allen and a sixth-rounder, and they acquired Mike Gillislee as a restricted free agent from the Buffalo Bills for a fifth-round pick.
The Patriots also traded for tight ends James O’Shaughnessy and Michael Williams and linebackers Barkevious Mingo and Kyle Van Noy using 2017 draft picks. Mingo is no longer on the team after signing with the Colts as a free agent this offseason.
Thumbnail photo via Bob Donnan/USA TODAY Sports Images
