Pre-Super Bowl 7-round New England Patriots 2018 mock draft, with trades

Round 3, Pick 96 and Round 6, Pick 192

I believe the Patriots could package these two picks, moving down from the third round and potentially moving up into the late 4th or early 5th from the 6th round. With tons of picks, the Cleveland Browns could be a trade partner.

Round 4, Pick 119: QB Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma State

Mason Rudolph had a stellar senior season in 2017 with 4,904 passing yards, 37 touchdowns, and 10 rushing touchdowns. He did have 9 interceptions though, and his accuracy and decision making is a bit of a concern. That’s part of the reason why the Patriots could be willing to trade down. Rudolph could be selected earlier than this, but New England can afford to take a risk and hope that he falls this far. If Rudolph isn’t available here, the Patriots could simply select another quarterback or address a different need entirely.

Walter Football agrees that it’s tough to figure out where Rudolph will be drafted, but it could become more clear before the NFL Draft arrives.

"“Rudolph is a love/hate prospect in the scouting community. One team source likes Rudolph, but many others are skeptics. A general manager of a playoff team told me they had Rudolph graded on the third day of the 2018 NFL Draft. Another NFC general manager said they thought Rudolph could go on Day 2. An AFC college scouting director of a playoff team said they were giving Rudolph a fifth-round grade.”"

Accuracy is the biggest reason why everyone has different grades on Rudolph. At Oklahoma State, he had wide receivers running wide open most of the time, and that won’t happen in the NFL. He clearly needs some work and time to develop in the NFL, and there’s no better place for that than in New England. Simply watching Tom Brady each day would help, and practicing on a Bill Belichick team is second to none. If Rudolph is going to succeed in the NFL, the Patriots could be the best fit for him.