New England Patriots 2020 NFL Draft: 7-round mock draft wish list
Seventh round, No. 230: Dominik Eberle, kicker, Utah State.
With their first 7th round pick, the New England Patriots fill a need created by their releasing of long-time star kicker, Steven Gostkowski. Gostkowski was a fixture for 14 years in New England after replacing legendary kicker Adam Vinatieri.
In the 7th round, they move to fill that opening with one of the top kickers in college football last season and select Dominick Eberle from Utah State. Drafting kickers is still somewhat unusual, but in this case, it makes perfect sense for New England this offseason. The need is unquestionable.
The best placekicker in this draft may very well be Rodrigo Blankenship from Georgia. Frankly, if the Patriots drafted Blankenship higher in the draft, it would not be much of a surprise.
As NFL.com notes,
"He completed his career with the ultimate accolade, winning the Lou Groza Award as the nation’s best kicker. The first-team All-SEC selection made all 46 extra point tries and 27 of 33 field goal attempts (81.8 percent), including three of five attempts from 50-plus yards."
But, since we have gone in a different direction, Dominik Eberle is the choice here. Forbes notes that New England selected punter Jake Bailey last year in the draft and he ousted Ryan Allen from the starting spot. Eberle would have a golden opportunity to take the position if he is selected in the draft by New England.
CBSsports.com comments on Eberle,
"While he didn’t have the illustrious career of Blankenship, Eberle improved his statistics in each of his four seasons kicking for the Aggies. He made 87.5% of his kicks during his senior season, including hitting on eight of 10 from 40-plus yards. He did miss his only attempt of 50-plus though."
New England could roll the dice and make a move up the draft board for Blankenship. Yet, USA today cited Eberle as a possible draft option for New England after the Patriots parted ways with Gostkowski. Either way, New England would acquire a quality young kicker to replace Gostkowski.
With their unfailing dedication to strengthening this “third phase of the game”, special teams, it would not be surprising at all if they select a kicker in this draft. The only question is likely to be whether they move up to get Blankenship or settle for Eberle. We’ll see.