The 2023 NFL Draft is just one week away. At this point, if you’ve been paying attention, you’ve probably heard the same handful of potential Patriots targets discussed ad nauseum.
So, for NESN.com’s penultimate New England mock draft, we decided to feature only players who did not appear in any of our first five mocks. We also took a different Round 1 approach — one that surely would be polarizing if it becomes reality next week.
Previous mock drafts: 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 5.0
(Advanced stats via Pro Football Focus and The Athletic draft guides.)
TRADE: No. 14 to Jacksonville for Nos. 24 and 56
First round, 24th overall: DE Myles Murphy, Clemson
Ah, yes, two of Patriots fans’ favorite draft-day occurrences: trading down in the first round and taking a player who wouldn’t address one of the team’s biggest perceived weaknesses. While offensive tackle, cornerback and wide receiver are more prominent needs and more likely first-round targets, don’t rule out the Patriots veering off script and taking an edge rusher on Day 1. They brought nearly every projected first-rounder at the position in for pre-draft visits. Big deal? Maybe not. But certainly notable.
Murphy isn’t the flashiest player, but he’s long, powerful, explosive and well-rounded, using his motor to make plays as a run defender and pass rusher. He had 11 or more tackles for loss in each of his three seasons at Clemson — plus seven sacks in 2021 and 6 1/2 in 2022 — and never missed a game due to injury, logging a total of 38 appearances with 27 starts. The Patriots have dialed in on Murphy throughout the pre-draft process, meeting with him at the NFL Scouting Combine, at his pro day and in a top-30 visit this week. Here, they nab him late in Round 1 and acquire an extra second-rounder in the process.
Second round, 46th overall: TE Darnell Washington, Georgia
The Patriots have two talented pass-catching tight ends in Hunter Henry and free agent pickup Mike Gesicki, but neither is much of a people-mover in the run game. Enter Washington, a 6-foot-6 1/2, 264-pound bully of a blocker who also happens to be an elite-level athlete. Players his size shouldn’t be able to move as well as he does. Washington’s raw receiving numbers (28-454-2 in 2022) don’t measure up against some of the other tight ends in this loaded class — partially a result of playing alongside Georgia teammate Brock Bowers, who could be the first tight end drafted next year — but he has potential there, too. He averaged 17.2 yards per reception in college and dropped just two of his 43 targets last season. For the Patriots, he can contribute right away as a blocker while continuing to develop as a pass-catching threat.
Second round, 56th overall: OT Matthew Bergeron, Syracuse
New England needs to draft a tackle at some point in this draft, and Bergeron checks a lot of its boxes: 39 collegiate starts, experience at both tackle spots, durable, team captain and Senior Bowl standout. He has some issues in pass protection (five sacks allowed last season) but is considered a strong run blocker. He also could provide extra depth at guard, which some draft analysts view as his ideal NFL position. Fun fact: Bergeron’s hometown of Victoriaville, Quebec, is located about an hour south of where Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron grew up.
Third round, 76th overall: WR Tank Dell, Houston
First things first with Dell: He’s tiny. Tiny. At 5-8, 165, he’s the same height and 10 pounds lighter than his former college teammate, Marcus Jones, who was the smallest player on the Patriots’ roster last season. That alone might cause Bill Belichick to look elsewhere, as he’s never drafted a wideout who’s weighed less than 181 (Tyquan Thornton). But Dell’s separation ability is rare, and he was insanely productive at Houston, catching 199 passes for 2,727 yards and 29 touchdowns over the last two seasons. He also was a team captain and starred at the Senior Bowl — the college all-star game that produces multiple Patriots picks in nearly every draft.
The Patriots drafted several undersized players last year, and they saw how explosive the similarly diminutive Jones could be as an offensive weapon. If they can look past Dell’s obvious height/weight concerns, he’d be a fascinating Day 2 option.
Fourth round, 107th overall: CB Kyu Blu Kelly, Stanford
Savvy, quick and fluid in coverage, Kelly doesn’t always play with the aggressiveness and physicality New England typically looks for in its cornerbacks. But he’s highly experienced as a four-year starter and, at 6 feet, 191 pounds, would add a bit of much-needed size and length to the Patriots’ shorter corner group. His play in Senior Bowl practices earned him Practice Player of the Week honors, as voted on by the receivers he faced. Kelly’s background as a former track star doesn’t translate to blazing straight-line speed on the field, but his explosiveness and acceleration are top-tier, as illustrated by his 91st-percentile broad jump and 89th-percentile 10-yard split.
Fourth round, 117th overall: TE Zack Kuntz, Old Dominion
Two tight ends? That’s right. While Washington brings the pain as a blocker, Kuntz is more in the Gesicki mold as a “move” tight end with mismatch potential in the passing game. He’s even taller than Washington at 6-foot-7, 255 pounds and is a true freak athlete, pacing all tight ends at this year’s combine in the vertical jump, broad jump, three-cone and bench press. There’s still rawness in Kuntz’s game, though, and after missing half of his senior season with a knee injury, he’d benefit from a developmental year as a Patriots backup, with an eye toward a 2024 breakout.
Fourth round, 135th overall: OL Ricky Stromberg, Arkansas
The first of several East-West Shrine Bowl alums in this mock, Stromberg played for the Patriots’ coaching staff at that all-star showcase after starting 44 games in the SEC and not allowing a single sack last season. The bulk of those starts came at center, but Stromberg also has experience at both guard spots and would give New England some additional depth in the interior, where their current top backup is 33-year-old James Ferentz.
Sixth round, 184th overall: S Chamarri Conner, Virginia Tech
Conner boasts a boatload of experience as a four-year collegiate starter, starting all 48 of Virginia Tech’s games since the start of the 2019 season. He’s a very good all-around athlete based on his testing numbers, was a team captain as a senior, has experience at safety and cornerback, and — importantly for a player drafted in the back half of Day 3 — saw a ton of action on special teams for the Hokies.
Sixth round, 187th overall: K Chad Ryland, Maryland
The Patriots brought in young kickers to challenge steady veteran Nick Folk in each of the last three offseasons. Eventually, one such player will beat him out. Ryland handled field-goal duties for all five of his collegiate seasons (four at Eastern Michigan, one at Maryland) and had a success rate above 82% in each of the last three. He also can handle kickoffs — a weakness of Folk’s that wound up burning the Patriots last season after Jake Bailey landed on injured reserve.
Sixth round, 192nd overall: WR Bryce Ford-Wheaton, West Virginia
Ford-Wheaton wasn’t hugely productive in any of his four seasons at West Virginia (his 62 catches and 675 yards in 2022 were career highs), and there are real questions about his hands and route-running ability. But Day 3 is the place for athletic, toolsy fliers, and this guy is exactly that. The 6-foot-4, 221-pound wideout ran a 4.38-second 40 and jumped out of the gym at the combine, and his three-cone and shuttle times also were strong for a player his size. The Patriots coached Ford-Wheaton at the Shrine Bowl, so they should have a good idea of whether he’s the type of developmental talent they’d want to work with.
Sixth round, 210th overall: DT DJ Dale, Alabama
It wouldn’t be a proper Patriots draft without a player from Alabama or Michigan. Dale played in 48 games with 34 starts for New England’s favorite program. He won’t offer much on third downs, but he has the skills to be a solid rotational run stuffer. Dale played for Patriots D-line coach DeMarcus Covington at the Senior Bowl (Covington was the defensive coordinator of the American Team) and, oddly enough, for Covington’s dad in little league baseball.
Seventh round, 245th overall: DE/OLB Truman Jones, Harvard
Another Shrine Bowl alum, Jones played for the Patriots’ coaches out in Las Vegas and made a strong impression at the team’s local pro day last week, according to a source. A three-year starter and one-year captain at Harvard, he tallied six sacks, 13 tackles for loss and three blocked kicks last season.
