FOXBORO, Mass. — The New England Patriots selected five players on the third and final day of the 2019 NFL Draft.
After the final pick came off the board Saturday evening, Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio took to the podium in the Gillette Stadium media room to explain each selection.
Fourth round, 118th overall: Hjalte Froholdt, G/C, Arkansas
Froholdt, who hails from Denmark and was recruited to Arkansas as a defensive tackle, started 34 games at left guard and three at center over his final three seasons with the Razorbacks.
“Interesting player,” Caserio said. “He started his career as a defensive lineman and then transitioned to the offensive line and ended up playing basically three years as a starter, never missed a game. He played against a number of good players, a number of good people.
“He’s smart, has got good size, pretty good playing strength. He’s played multiple positions inside there. ‘Good football player against good people’ kind of fits the mold of some of the other players that we’ve talked about here a little bit over the last few days.”
For his first three years at Arkansas, Froholdt played under head coach Bret Bielema, who joined the Patriots’ coaching staff last offseason. He’s the latest of several Bielema disciples who have gone on to play for New England (James White, Trey Flowers, Deatrich Wise).
“I’m not sure who had more enjoyment on that pick, Bret or the kid,” Caserio said. “But Bret was pretty involved on the phone after the pick, so I think they were talking about their recruiting days when he brought him into the program.”
Fourth round, 133rd overall: Jarrett Stidham, QB, Auburn
The Patriots addressed their perceived need for a developmental quarterback by selecting Stidham, who was a mixed bag during his two seasons as Auburn’s starter.
Stidham regressed as a senior after a strong junior campaign, but the Patriots believe he has the traits they want in a signal-caller.
“A lot of people probably know his background, leaving Baylor and then going to Auburn, but (he was) a pretty productive player,” Caserio said. “Their system is probably a little bit different relative to what he’s going to play in offensively here, but (he’s) a really smart kid.
“We had a number of interactions with him along the way. Smart player, takes care of the ball, pretty good arm strength, fairly athletic — not a running quarterback, but he has decent movement skills. He certainly will be competitive with the rest of the players that we have at the position.”
Stidham will compete with veteran Brian Hoyer and 2018 seventh-round pick Danny Etling for the top backup spot behind soon-to-be 42-year-old Tom Brady.
Fifth round, 159th overall: Byron Cowart, DL, Maryland
Cowart was the nation’s top-ranked recruit in 2015, but he played sparingly and struggled mightily in three seasons at Auburn. He finally found some solid ground after transferring to Maryland, tallying three sacks, five tackles for loss and two interceptions in 2018.
At 6-foot-3, 298 pounds, Cowart projects as a defensive tackle in the Patriots’ defense. New England traded up three spots to draft him.
“He was a five-technique (defensive end) in (Maryland’s) three-man fronts,” Caserio said. “They were really a 3-4 defense, so he played a little more five-technique. But he’s probably a little bit more of a run player. I mean, this guy’s really thick when you see him. I mean, he’s well-built, really strong, plays powerful at the point of attack. (He) did some decent things at Auburn, did some decent things at Maryland, as well.”
Fifth round, 163rd overall: Jake Bailey, P, Stanford
The Patriots traded up four spots to select Bailey, who punted, kicked off and held on field goals and extra points in college. He’ll compete with incumbent Ryan Allen for a roster spot this summer.
“(He’s) a pretty athletic kid, a great kid,” Caserio said. “Great traits — smart, mature. It’s really nothing more than competition. We’ll see how it goes.”
Differentiating Bailey from Allen and other recent Patriots punters is that he’s right-footed. Head coach Bill Belichick typically prefers left-footed punters, but Caserio said that was not a significant factor in their evaluation of Bailey.
Seventh round, 252nd overall: Ken Webster, CB, Ole Miss
Webster was one of the most athletically gifted cornerbacks in this year’s draft class. He ranked near the top of the charts in every drill at the NFL Scouting Combine, including first in the vertical jump (43 inches), tied for second in the bench press (18 reps) and sixth in the 40-yard dash (4.43 seconds) for his position group.
Caserio compared him to Keion Crossen, a similarly athletic corner whom the Patriots drafted in the seventh round last year. Crossen earned a roster spot as a special teamer and made several cameos on defense as a rookie.
“I’d say similar to Crossen, just from a standpoint of outstanding testing numbers,” Caserio said. “I mean, really explosive, just in terms of his speed, his explosiveness. I mean, like, eye-popping numbers. Now, there’s an element that has to translate over to the field, but from a physical/athletic traits standpoint, there’s a lot of good qualities, and he played against some pretty good people on a weekly basis (in the SEC).”
Caserio added that Webster was “a really, really good player” before he suffered a serious knee injury that sidelined him for the entire 2016 season.
