The New England Patriots got solid production from rookie Deatrich Wise in 2017, but others left plenty of room for improvement.
The New England Patriots didn’t get too much out of their 2017 NFL Draft class, but to be fair they made just 4 selections. Deatrich Wise was the lone exception in the group, as he paired well with Trey Flowers on the defense to bring pressure on the edges.
Derek Rivers suffered an ACL injury in the preseason, so fans and the team never got to see him in any real action. 2018 will be a big year for him, but if the Patriots could re-draft, they may not have leaned towards him.
New England also selected two offensive tackles last offseason. Neither Antonio Garcia or Conor McDermott had any real impact. There were better options when you look back on it.
For this mock re-draft, I am assuming that the rest of the NFL Draft remained the same, so the Patriots could only have selected players that came after their pick. For example, the Patriots had the 83rd overall pick, so they could only pick players that came from 84th and beyond. Even with that methodology, there was tons of talent that got passed over. Of course, if a re-draft were to occur things would be much different, but this is a more realistic look at what New England could have done.
Round 3, Pick 83: RB Kareem Hunt, Toledo (Chiefs Rd. 3, Pick 86)
Actual Pick: DE Derek Rivers, Youngstown State
The New England Patriots knew that they had to address the pass rush, and they began that process with Derek Rivers from Youngstown State. He was a player from a smaller school, but the Patriots clearly thought that he has the talent to make it in the NFL. He might, but New England could have wound up with an electric playmaker.
Running back Kareem Hunt was selected just 3 spots later by the Kansas City Chiefs, and he had an incredible rookie season. He was selected to the Pro Bowl with 1,327 yards and 8 touchdowns. Hunt also added 3 receiving touchdowns as well. In week 1, the Patriots found out exactly who Kareem Hunt was as he exploded onto the scene with 148 rushing yards, 98 receiving yards, and 3 total touchdowns.
Hunt looks like he is going to be a very productive back in the NFL for years to come, and he could have been a Patriots star. New England did have a loaded backfield, but with Dion Lewis and Rex Burkhead now as free agents, Hunt would have been the perfect replacement.
Round 3, Pick 85: DE Deatrich Wise Jr., Arkansas
Actual Pick: OT Antonio Garcia, Troy
The Patriots were on the board just 2 picks later, and they chose to select offensive tackle Antonio Garcia from Troy. Honestly, he didn’t factor into the Patriots 2017 plans, and he doesn’t seem like a player with tons of potential. Instead, New England should have just now addressed the pass rush.
They could have selected Deatrich Wise slightly earlier here to ensure he wound up on their roster. Wise slipped a bit in the draft, but his production for the Patriots was tremendous as a rookie. Wise had 16 tackles and 5 sacks in 16 regular season games, but in just 3 playoff games he tallied 2 sacks. He is a great player to go along with fellow University of Arkansas alum Trey Flowers. The duo will continue to progress through their NFL careers, and the Patriots could soon have a very strong pass rush off the edge. New England fans would have loved to see anyone but Garcia selected here.
Round 4, Pick 131: QB Nathan Peterman, Pittsburgh
Actual Pick: DE Deatrich Wise Jr., Arkansas
The New England Patriots had to wait awhile to make their next pick, and they got a good player in Deatrich Wise. In this re-draft though, Wise went to the team a little higher. Now, the Patriots had options as to what position they would look to address.
If New England knew that they would trade both Jacoby Brissett and Jimmy Garoppolo, they could have begun their search for a future quarterback. Current Bills QB Nathan Peterman would have fit the bill. Forget about his poor play in Buffalo, he would have been learning from Josh McDaniels, Tom Brady, and Bill Belichick in New England. He would have time to develop and would have looked the part here.
Peterman has the typical quarterback frame standing at 6’2″ and weighing in at 226 lbs. That’s slightly smaller than Brady at 6’4″, but he’s the exact same size as Jimmy G.
Here’s the NFL Draft profile for Peterman.
"“Smooth, quick set-up in pocket. Grips the ball with big, 10-inch hands. Poised in pocket and takes the hit to deliver a completion. Will set-up, slide and then re-set before making his throw. Can cut it loose from off-balance angles from bootleg or play-action if he sees a winning option break open early. Full field reader. Works all the way through his progressions. Good escapability and can extend drives with his legs. Excellent deep ball accuracy completing 46.2 percent of his deep throws.”"
Peterman sounds a lot like Garoppolo. Of course, you can’t say he would be as good, but given a chance in New England, it’s possible that he could be.
Round 6, Pick 211: DT Adam Butler, Vanderbilt
Actual Pick: OT Conor McDermott, UCLA
The backend of the NFL Draft is tough to pick, but the Patriots certainly do not need Conor McDermott. Instead, one of their undrafted free agents could have been selected here. Either of the Hollister twins would have made sense, but defensive tackle Adam Butler had the biggest impact. He played in all 16 regular season games and all of the playoff games with 6 total starts. Butler racked up 14 tackles and 4 sacks in those 19 games.
New England and every other NFL team didn’t realize how much impact Butler could have on the field. He’s only going to get better too! He would have been a nice choice in the 6th round here.
Overall, the 2017 NFL Draft was strange for the Patriots since they made just 4 selections. They chose 2 defensive ends and 2 offensive tackles, but to this point, only 1 panned out. There were others, like Kareem Hunt and Nathan Peterman, that could have made great Patriots. Instead, we will never know.
Next: NFL Draft Profile: UGA DT Trenton Thompson
Now, the Patriots are preparing for the upcoming 2018 NFL Draft, and the pass rush is again a hot topic. New England could also find their future franchise QB in this draft, or a corner to replace Malcolm Butler. Chowder and Champions will have you covered this offseason with all of your New England Patriots news, notes, and analysis, so come back often!