Patriots Mock Draft: Top Pick Fills Two Major Needs In One Selection

The New England Patriots will pass on the first round in our latest seven-round mock draft.

We conducted another Patriots mock draft simulation using Fanspeak.com. In this week’s edition, we trade down from the first round, grab a few versatile playmakers and try to fill needs across the roster.

Without further ado:

FIRST ROUND, 23RD OVERALL: TRADE
We were offered a trade by the Los Angeles Chargers before the draft started to send our first-round pick and our lowest sixth-round pick for their second- (37th overall) and third-round picks (71st overall). The deal added up perfectly on the trade value chart, so we agreed to it.

We weren’t committed to a trade-down but figured we could wait until early in the second round to take our top target.

SECOND ROUND, 37TH OVERALL: LB/S JEREMY CHINN, SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
Picking Chinn could potentially kill two birds with one stone. At 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, he has the size to play weakside linebacker in the NFL. And with a 4.45-second 40-yard dash, 41-inch vertical leap and 11-feet, 6-inch broad jump, he has the athleticism to play safety, even in the deep half of the field.

Chinn played free safety, slot and in the box at Southern Illinois. Think of him as a poor man’s Isaiah Simmons.

The Patriots have shown interest in taking this type of player in the past. They liked Su’a Cravens in 2016, drafted Matthew Wells and Kamu Grugier-Hill as undersized linebackers and signed Adrian Phillips as a free agent this offseason. They’ve also had Patrick Chung playing as a rover for the past six seasons.

The Patriots lost linebackers Kyle Van Noy, Jamie Collins and Elandon Roberts in free agency and are getting older at safety.

THIRD ROUND 71ST OVERALL: TE ADAM TRAUTMAN, DAYTON
Trautman is by far the most popularly mocked player to the Patriots this spring, but there’s good reason for it. He’s a talented and complete tight end.

Would the Patriots take two FCS prospects in a row? Eh, probably.

Trautman is a former high school quarterback who bulked up to play tight end at Dayton. He’s the second-best athletic fit among tight ends for the Patriots in the 2020 NFL Draft.

More Patriots: Pats Could Still Trade Picks For Pass-Catchers

THIRD ROUND, 87TH OVERALL: EDGE JABARI ZUNIGA, FLORIDA
Zuniga is the fourth-best athletic fit among edge defenders for the Patriots in the 2020 NFL Draft. He’s 6-foot-3, 264 pounds and ran a 4.64-second 40-yard dash with a 10-feet, 7-inch broad jump.

He likely would go higher if he didn’t miss most of the 2019 season with an ankle injury. He’s a strong edge-setter who was productive rushing the passer.

THIRD ROUND 98TH OVERALL: RB/WR ANTONIO GIBSON, MEMPHIS
Gibson is more of an offensive weapon than running back or wide receiver. He’s 6-feet, 228 pounds and clocked a 4.38-second 40-yard dash.

He scored 14 touchdowns on just 77 career offensive touches at Memphis. He also returned 23 kicks for 645 yards with another touchdown in 2019. Gibson averaged 19 yards per reception and 11.2 yards per carry during his college career.

THIRD ROUND, 100TH OVERALL: LB LOGAN WILSON, WYOMING
Our seventh-best fit for the Patriots among linebackers based on testing numbers, Wilson has the most important measurable for New England: size. He’s 6-foot-2, 241 pounds and tested well at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Wilson is at his best moving forward, whether that’s thumping in the run game or blitzing as a pass rusher.

FOURTH ROUND, 125TH OVERALL: C/G DARRYL WILLIAMS, MISSISSIPPI STATE
The Patriots need some insurance in case David Andrews isn’t healthy for the 2020 season. Williams also played left guard with the Bulldogs.

He’s undersized but athletic, which pretty much describes all Patriots interior offensive linemen.

FIFTH ROUND, 172ND OVERALL: K RODRIGO BLANKENSHIP
The Patriots need a kicker. Blankenship is considered the best in the draft. The Patriots could take a kicker as early as the fourth round. They typically take special teams players in the fifth round, however. Punters Jake Bailey and Zoltan Mesko, long snapper Joe Cardona and captain Matthew Slater are all notable examples.

SIXTH ROUND, 195TH OVERALL: TE DALTON KEENE, VIRGINIA TECH
Keene is our favorite sleeper in the draft. “Rambo” is our best athletic fit among tight ends. He’s versatile enough to block, catch passes and play some fullback and H-back.

SIXTH ROUND, 204TH OVERALL: WR K.J. OSBORN, MIAMI
Osborn was a productive slot receiver at Buffalo before transferring to Miami and moving outside.

He ran a 7-second three-cone and 4.48-second 40-yard dash at 6-feet, 203 pounds. He caught 146 passes for 2,037 yards with 17 touchdowns and carried the ball 14 times for 53 yards with a score in four college seasons. He also returned 49 punts for 594 yards and 33 kicks for 646 yards.

SIXTH ROUND, 212TH OVERALL: DT BRAVVION ROY, BAYLOR
Roy wasn’t invited to the NFL Scouting Combine, but he’s 6-foot-1, 332 pounds and was relatively productive at Baylor, registering 13 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and a forced fumble as a senior.

The Patriots need some big bodies in the middle of their defensive line.

SEVENTH ROUND, 230TH OVERALL: QB NATE STANLEY, IOWA
A developmental backup, Stanley has a strong arm and protected the ball well at Iowa. That could be enough to work with.

SEVENTH ROUND, 241ST OVERALL: RB/FB SEWO OLONILUA
It’s unclear what the Patriots would do with the 6-foot-3, 232-pounder, but he could play running back, fullback and maybe some H-back with his combination of size and athleticism.