You’d be hard-pressed to identify a Patriots first-round pick that was a bigger bust than Dominique Easley.
New England drafted the Florida defensive lineman 29th overall in 2014, overlooking multiple ACL surgeries and instead focusing on the huge talent that made Easley such an intriguing prospect. Easley lasted just two seasons with the Patriots, for whom he was active in 22 games while making three starts. He was placed on injured reserve multiple times and battled injuries throughout his Patriots career.
New England released Easley after the 2015 season. Shortly afterward, a Patriots player, requesting anonymity, told Ben Volin of The Boston Globe that Easley was a “locker room cancer.” Another source that spoke to Volin said Easley was “disrespectful and irresponsible.”
So, Easley didn’t exactly leave a good impression during his short time in New England. In fact, retired Patriots receiver Julian Edelman barely can remember his name.
Edelman briefly talked about Patriots first-round picks during his appearance on Wednesday’s “Pardon My Take” episode.
“We didn’t have a lot of first-round picks when I was with the Patriots,” Edelman said. ” … We had N’Keal Harry. We had the Florida — who was the Florida D-lineman? He was coming off a couple ACLs, though, so he never kind of panned out.”
Edelman then was reminded of Malcom Brown, a defensive lineman whom New England took in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft. “Malcom Brown, he was a good football player,” Edelman said.
Easley latched on with the Los Angeles Rams after his Patriots release and appeared in all 16 games in 2016. He then spent all of 2017 on IR before returning in 2018 when he played in three games before once again being placed on injured reserve.
Easly hasn’t played in the NFL since, and also has dealt with multiple lawsuits.
