Patriots Use Late-Round Pick On Appropriately Named Cornerback

After using their first pick in the 2023 NFL Draft on Christian Gonzalez, the Patriots selected another cornerback late in the sixth round.

New England on Saturday used the 214th overall pick on Michigan State cornerback Ameer Speed. A 6-foot-3 developmental project, Speed ran a 4.33-second 40-yard dash at the Spartans’ pro day.

Speed began his collegiate career at Georgia before transferring to Michigan State. Most experts believe he’s more likely to stick as a special teamer in the NFL than as a cornerback.

“This is a Bill Belichick special,” draft expert Todd McShay said during ESPN’s broadcast. “He has traits to develop, but he’s a darn-good special teams player already.”

Speed was ranked 46th out of 46 cornerbacks in Dane Brugler’s draft guide for The Athletic. Here’s what Brugler wrote about him in a scouting breakdown:

“Speed was an All-Conference cornerback at Sandalwood High in Duval County and led his team to an undefeated regular season and the 2016 district title. A three-star recruit, he committed to Georgia over Michigan State and three other finalists. However, he struggled to find his footing on the cornerback depth chart and logged more snaps on special teams (518) than defense (336) over his five years in Athens. He transferred to East Lansing for his final season in 2022 and had a mixed season in his debut as a full-time starter. Speed lives up to his name with the wheels to turn and run with anyone downfield. He has impressive size and length but needs to put his long arms to better use in press and downfield. His route recognition and ball skills are both areas of concern. Overall, Speed doesn’t have the body of work or college tape of an NFL Draft pick, but he has enticing athletic gifts for his size plus a ton of special teams experience.”

At the time of Speed’s drafting, the Patriots owned one additional pick in the draft: the 28th pick in the seventh round (No. 245 overall). You can click here for quick-hitting analysis of all of New England’s draft picks.