Even with the logical selection of LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell at No. 4 overall, Thursday night may have sparked some feelings of “what if” for the New England Patriots.
The Patriots would’ve had the No. 1 overall pick if they had lost the regular season finale to the Buffalo Bills. We now know that Joe Milton’s farewell performance in a Patriots uniform defeated Buffalo’s backups and dropped New England to No. 4 overall.
That drop proved to be valuable, especially after an early draft trade when the Cleveland Browns traded the No. 2 overall pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars to select Colorado wide receiver and defensive back Travis Hunter. Cleveland got a haul with two first-round picks, a second-round pick and a fourth-round pick.
That could’ve been the Patriots earning that haul to build out the roster if they traded back based on belief in Campbell or, more likely, have taken a blue-chip prospect in Hunter or Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter. It’s a major hypothetical that would’ve been a huge splash this offseason.
Nonetheless, that’s in the past, though it’s notable context. Instead, the Patriots made the consensus pick and took what they hope is their left tackle for the next decade.
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Featured image via Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images
