Draft day is upon us.
The first round of the 2019 NFL Draft kicks off at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday night in Nashville, Tenn., with Rounds 2 and 3 following on Friday night and the remaining four rounds taking place Saturday.
Before the Arizona Cardinals officially go on the clock with pick No. 1, we took some time to answer — or at least try to answer — five questions about the team that currently owns the 32nd and final pick of the opening round: the New England Patriots.
1. What are the Patriots’ needs?
Pressing needs? Wide receiver, tight end, defensive tackle, offensive tackle, edge rusher. The departures of Rob Gronkowski, Trey Flowers and Malcom Brown left holes that haven’t been adequately filled, and Julian Edelman is the only sure thing left in the Patriots’ receiving corps.
Areas that should be addressed for the future? Safety and quarterback, since Devin McCourty and Patrick Chung both are on the wrong side of 30 and Tom Brady, as you might have heard, turns 42 this summer.
Linebacker and guard could be in play, too, with Kyle Van Noy, Elandon Roberts and Joe Thuney all entering the final year of their respective contracts. New England’s backfield is fully stocked, but the Patriots could target a running back in the later rounds, especially if he can catch passes and/or return kicks.
And while the Pats return their entire cornerback group from the end of last season — including 2018 second-round pick Duke Dawson, who found himself so buried on the depth chart that he never even made it into the gameday roster as a rookie — sources told NESN.com’s Doug Kyed that selecting another corner at No. 32 is a real possibility.
TL;DR: The Patriots have either obvious needs or the desire to add at nearly every position on the field. So good luck guessing their strategy this weekend.
2. How many picks will the Patriots make?
New England enters this draft with 12 total selections: one in the first round, two in the second, three in the third, one in the fourth, one in the sixth and four in the seventh. That’s tied with the New York Giants for the most picks of any team this year, and if the Patriots use all 12, it would match the largest draft haul of the Bill Belichick era (2009).
The chances of that happening are quite slim, though. The Patriots have traded at least one of their picks in 18 of the 19 Belichick-era drafts, swinging 70 draft-day deals in all. Standing pat isn’t in their nature.
3. What will the Patriots do with their first-round pick?
If the Patriots keep the 32nd pick, some players they could consider include Clemson defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, West Virginia quarterback Will Grier, Duke quarterback Daniel Jones, Notre Dame defensive tackle Jerry Tillery and Alabama tight end Irv Smith Jr. Vanderbilt cornerback Joejuan Williams also could be an option, according to Kyed’s sources.
Of course, a trade is always a possibility, as well.
In his pre-draft news conference, Belichick said a move up to, say, No. 8 would be unrealistic, but the Patriots more than enough capital to move into the 20s if a desirable player like Clemson’s Clelin Ferrell or Christian Wilkins or Iowa’s Noah Fant is available there. The Seattle Seahawks, who own the 21st pick and who have completed multiple trades with the Patriots in recent years, reportedly are among the teams looking to move down the board.
A jump from No. 32 to No. 21 would equal the largest first-round climb the Patriots have made under Belichick. They traded up from 32nd to 21st in 2002 to select tight end Daniel Graham. Belichick also moved up one spot in 2003 to take defensive tackle Ty Warren at No. 13 and six spots each to draft D-end Chandler Jones (No. 21) and linebacker Dont’a Hightower (No. 25) in 2012.
New England also could go the trade-down route if the players they value are scooped up too early. In 2013, for instance, the Patriots traded the 29th overall pick to the Minnesota Vikings for second-, third-, fourth- and seventh-round selections. (The player Minnesota wanted? Cordarrelle Patterson, who wound up landing in New England five years later.)
Since the Patriots already own a wealth of picks this year, they’d likely look to land a 2020 first-rounder if they move back from No. 32.
4. Who are some potential Day 2 targets?
There should be a ton of talented receivers available Friday night, including several who would fit in well in New England. UMass’ Andy Isabella, South Carolina’s Deebo Samuel, Ohio State’s Parris Campbell and Terry McLaurin, Georgia’s Mecole Hardman and Riley Ridley, Stanford’s J.J. Arcega-Whiteside and Notre Dame’s Miles Boykin all are on that list, as is Ole Miss’ A.J. Brown if he’s not snatched up on Thursday.
At tight end, keep an eye on Smith (who seems to be sliding), Texas A&M’s Jace Sternberger and Ole Miss’ Dawson Knox here. This also could be where the Patriots address their need for edge help by grabbing a player like Michigan’s Chase Winovich, Alabama’s Christian Miller, TCU’s L.J. Collier, Boston College’s Zach Allen or Iowa’s Anthony Nelson.
For quarterbacks, Grier or North Carolina State’s Ryan Finley should come off the board by the end of Day 2, and both visited Foxboro during the pre-draft process. (The Patriots drafted a QB in the second or third round in 2016, 2014, 2011 and 2008.) Washington’s Kaleb McGary, Ole Miss’ Greg Little, Alabama State’s Tytus Howard, Northern Illinois’ Max Scharping and Kansas State’s Dalton Risner are potential Friday options at tackle.
Projected Day 2 safeties include Washington’s Taylor Rapp, Virginia’s Juan Thornhill, Maryland’s Darnell Savage, Iowa’s Amani Hooker and Florida’s Chauncey Gardner-Johnson. Mississippi State thumper Johnathan Abram could slide into the second round, as well.
5. How about Day 3?
Here are some Saturday names to know:
— Wide receiver:
Jalen Hurd, Baylor
Hunter Renfrow, Clemson
Stanley Morgan, Nebraska
David Sills, West Virginia
Cody Thompson, Toledo
Nick Easley, Iowa
— Tight end:
Kahale Warring, San Diego State
Keenen Brown, Texas State
C.J. Conrad, Kentucky
Trevon Wesco, West Virginia
Foster Moreau, LSU
— Quarterback:
Brett Rypien, Boise State
Jarrett Stidham, Auburn
Tyree Jackson, Buffalo
Easton Stick, North Dakota State
— Running back:
Tony Pollard, Memphis
Alex Barnes, Kansas State
Bryce Love, Stanford
— Offensive tackle:
Tyler Jones, North Carolina State
Tyler Roemer, San Diego State
Trey Pipkins, Sioux Falls
— Defensive end:
Jonathan Ledbetter, Georgia
John Cominsky, Charleston
Maxx Crosby, Eastern Michigan
Kingsley Keke, Texas A&M
Sutton Smith, Northern Illinois
— Defensive tackle:
Trysten Hill, UCF
Daylon Mack, Texas A&M
P.J. Johnson, Arizona
–Linebacker:
Jahlani Tavai, Hawaii
Sione Takitaki, BYU
Ben Burr-Kirven, Washington
— Defensive back:
Will Harris, Boston College
Jake Gervase, Iowa
Zedrick Woods, Ole Miss
