2019 NFL Draft War Room: New England Patriots

The New England Patriots hold the 32nd pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. They seem to hold that pick a lot because they just keep winning Super Bowls. New England comes into this draft with 9 draft picks and they have some holes to fill. Trey Flowers and Trent Brown left via free agency so New England needs to replenish the roster. Let’s enter the New England Patriots 2019 NFL Draft War Room and let’s project how the Pats might wind up using those picks.

First Round (Pick 32) – I think tight end is the way to go here if Irv Smith is on the board at the back end of the first round. Dwayne Allen was cut. Rob Gronkowski is still debating retirement. If he doesn’t return, the Pats have no answer at the position. Irv Smith is a great fit because he can block. Bill Belichick isn’t putting up with a tight end that can’t block and neither does Nick Saban. Irv can block. I think Belichick will like the fact that his dad was also a first round tight end. Bloodlines are important. Tom Brady loves to get the ball out quick and having a tight end run seam routes in the middle of the field makes a ton of sense. Smith averaged 16.1 yards per catch in his last year at Alabama. He’s an explosive weapon that Tom Brady needs.

Second Round (Pick 56) – Belichick needs to find some sort of replacement for Trey Flowers. Chase Winovich from Michigan feels like a Patriot already. He fills that hybrid mold who can blitz from multiple positions. Winovich brings speed off the edge and can stand up if you need him to. He just looks like Clay Matthews.

Second Round (Pick 64) The Pats didn’t just lose Flowers up front. They also lost Malcolm Brown, Danny Shelton, and Adrian Clayborn. That’s a problem. The good news is that this is a historic defensive line draft. Why not double dip on Alabama guys. Isaiah Buggs seems like a great fit. He’s a better pass rusher than you think too racking up 9.5 sacks at Bama in 2018. You kinda know what you’re getting at this point with the Bama defensive lineman. I thought Buggs had his moments at the Senior Bowl.

You can book Saquan Hampton to the Pats. Nobody loves Rutgers defensive backs more than Belichick. He has both McCourty brothers. He drafted Logan Ryan and Duran Harmon. Put that one in the bank.

You can also book a white wide receiver to New England. Nobody loves white wide receivers like Belichick. They were outbid by the Bills and Titans respectively for Cole Beasley and Adam Humphries. You know Bill is chomping at the bit to get one in the draft. They took Braxton Berrios last year but Belichick wont’ be able to pass on this year’s crop. Andy Isabella from UMass, Hunter Renfrow from Clemson, and David Sills from West Virginia. He’s going to get one. Just will. If I had to guess, I think it’s Renfrow. Isabella will probably go higher and Sills struggles too much with press coverage.