With Devin McCourty, Patrick Chung and Duron Harmon all set to return in 2018, the New England Patriots don’t have a need at safety entering this year’s NFL draft.
But if the Patriots choose to move on from Jordan Richards after his brutal Super Bowl LII performance, they could look to use the draft to bolster the depth of a unit that already is one of the team’s strongest.
Richards, a second-round pick in 2015 who’s never truly looked comfortable on defense, played just 16 defensive snaps in New England’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles but allowed three catches on three targets for 81 yards, including a 55-yarder to Corey Clement that set up Nick Foles’ “Philly Special” touchdown catch.
Reserve safety Nate Ebner, who almost exclusively plays on special teams, also is set to hit free agency next month.
As part of our pre-combine draft preview, we’ve compiled a list of the top 10 safety prospects, as ranked by WalterFootball.com. Click the link below to see the full list.
