The Patriots own the 14th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. But that doesn’t, of course, mean they’ll actually select a player in that spot.
New England has pulled off by far the most draft-day trades in the NFL during Bill Belichick’s coaching tenure, and it reportedly is considering a move out of the No. 14 slot on Thursday night.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported the Patriots are one of several teams with picks in the middle of the first round that have made trade calls about moving either down or up the board.
“(T)o me, what best defines this draft class is what’s happening with the teams between 10 and 14 — in order, the Eagles, Titans, Texans, Packers and Patriots,” Breer wrote hours before the draft was set to begin in Kansas City. “I’m told all five of those teams have been making calls to teams above them about trading up and down. And it’s no coincidence that, in a year when everyone seems to be looking to trade down, it’s the group in that alley of picks that are looking both ways at this intersection of the draft.”
No. 14 would be the highest the Patriots have picked since 2008, when they took Jerod Mayo 10th overall, meaning they theoretically have access to higher-caliber players than they do in most drafts. But this year’s class features fewer slam-dunk prospects than most, which could result in a dead zone of sorts in the early teens.
It’s not surprising, then, that many teams picking in that range are looking to either climb up for a premier prospect or trade back, acquire additional assets and select a player later in Round 1.
“They’re going up because you start to run out of guys there,” one head coach told Breer. “And if you’re there and you can’t get up, then you’re in no-man’s-land, and you’re looking to go back.”
Belichick has a long history of trading down in the first round. He did so twice in the last three drafts, dropping from No. 23 to 35 in 2020 before selecting safety Kyle Dugger and moving from No. 21 to 29 last year to take guard Cole Strange. The current dearth of blue-chippers could make it difficult to find a trade-down partner this year, however.
The Patriots have traded up in Round 1 before, but not in over a decade. Their last such move came in 2012, when they vaulted up twice to draft Chandler Jones and Dont’a Hightower at Nos. 21 and 25, respectively. In this draft, the Patriots could be aggressive if one of the top tackles (Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski, Ohio State’s Paris Johnson Jr.) or cornerbacks (Oregon’s Christian Gonzalez, Illinois’ Devon Witherspoon) is available near the bottom of the top 10 or in the early teens.
