Mel Kiper Jr. Wonders If Patriots Would Make This Draft-Day Trade

Cornerback is one of the Patriots’ most pressing needs entering the 2022 NFL Draft, but New England might not take a player at the position with its top pick April 28.

That’s because there’s “a drop off” at CB following the top three corners in this year’s class, as NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. explained to his ESPN colleague, Mike Reiss. Sauce Gardner, Derek Stingley Jr. and Trent McDuffie most likely all will be off the board when the Patriots are set to make their first selection at No. 21.

But one of those prospects is more likely to slide in Round 1 than the others. Stingley could end up being the best of the bunch, but the foot injury that sidelined him for nine games last season might spook some teams. As such, Kiper has thought about the possibility of Bill Belichick and company making a power play if the LSU product makes an unexpected plummet.

“Kiper wonders if Belichick might consider a trade into the teens if Stingley slips into that range, considering Stingley was tracking as a possible No. 1 player in the draft if not for the 2020 COVID-19 season and then suffering a torn Lisfranc ligament in his left foot that sidelined him for nine games in 2021,” Reiss wrote in a column published Sunday.

If the Patriots elected to stand pat and make a “safer” move to address their secondary, Kiper highlights Dax Hill as a potential target. The Michigan product can make a difference in the box and in the backfield, and everyone knows how much Belichick values versatility.

But as for what he actually sees happening in the first round, Kiper tabbed Utah linebacker Devin Lloyd as the Patriots’ pick in his latest mock draft.