NFL Draft Expert Has Patriots Getting Defensive In First Round

Many NFL analysts have the New England Patriots addressing one of their primary needs, whether it’s an offensive tackle, cornerback or wide receiver, with their first-round pick.

But NFL draft guru Daniel Jeremiah has the Patriots bypassing those areas at No. 14 overall in his final mock draft.

Instead, Jeremiah has the Patriots selecting Iowa edge rusher Lukas Van Ness as Jeremiah sees it as an ideal fit between player and organization.

“To me, there’s certain people that look like Patriots, like guys like Lukas Van Ness, because they’re versatile, they’re smart, they’re tough,” Jeremiah said. “And by the way, you have the Bill Belichick-Kirk Ferentz connection. We know about that pipeline that has existed for a long time.”

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While the Patriots have other glaring needs to address, they could use another edge rusher to complement Matthew Judon, who wants the Patriots to select a player on the other side of the ball in the first round.

Standing at 6-foot-5 and 272 pounds, Van Ness totaled 6 1/2 sacks and 11 tackles for loss this past season with the Hawkeyes to garner Second Team All-Big Ten honors. He also showed some versatility by playing inside on the defensive line, but until he adds to his frame, he is projected to play more on the outside.

New England’s defense has been a source of strength the last couple of seasons while their offense in 2022 was a complete disaster. It would make sense to give Mac Jones another pass-catching option or give him more protection by adding an offensive tackle, but adding a playmaker like Van Ness to an already solid defense is an intriguing option.

The Patriots could go in several different directions once they get on the clock and picking Van Ness certainly is the route Jeremiah sees New England taking.