Patriots 2021 NFL mock draft 3.0: Bill Belichick shocks the NFL

Tarringo Basile-vaughan

LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 07: Quarterback Davis Mills #15 of the Stanford Cardinal sets to pass in the fourth quarter of the game against the USC Trojans at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 7, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)

The biggest spotlight in the 2021 NFL Draft will be on New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and rightfully so.

The 69-year-old quarterback has already spent in free agency like he has never done before. He won’t admit it, but it is because of prior failed drafts highlighted by Patriots’ owner Robert Kraft.

So, what will GM Belichick do to atone for mistakes of NFL Draft past?

With the greatest need being at the quarterback position, rumors are swirling around the team possibly moving up to nab one of the fab five quarterbacks, which would be another uncharacteristic move by the great Patriots coach.

More from Chowder and Champions

Whatever he does. Whatever surprises Belichick pulls out of his back pocket, his overall approach will be the same. Giving nothing away during his press conference on Thursday, the Patriots coach is assessing the draft and the team’s opportunities the way he always has.

"“As always, there are some interesting players,” Belichick said, as transcribed by Patriots.com. “I think we talked earlier about the draft process. Some players didn’t play. Some players played a full season. Some players played a partial season. When you look at the players at that position, I think you see a lot of differences in the 2020 season. A lot of it’s by conference but there are some other circumstances as well. It’s an interesting class. It’s an interesting group of guys. Some are very strong in some skills. Some seem very strong in other skills. It’s defensively an interesting group.”"

The big question is will Belichick hit on this very interesting group? Drafting at No. 15 in the first round, the highest pick he has had since 2008, there will be an opportunity to select a big-time player or an opportunity to draft up or down for more picks. The latter will be frowned upon, but that would present more possibilities to hit on a player.

In this 2021 NFL mock draft 3.0, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots pick the best players available at their biggest positions of need.

Round 1 No. 15: Micah Parsons – Linebacker, Penn State

In the past two mock drafts, we have the New England Patriots selecting a defensive player in the first round, that trend continues in this version.

With the No. 15 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Bill Belichick will play it safe and go with the best player available, which will be Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons.

There will be opportunity to move up in the draft to select a quarterback who will start to fall within the top 10, but ultimately Belichick will decide to add more youth and speed on the defensive side of the ball and Parsons is an absolute stud.

At 6-foot-3, 246 pounds, Parsons is a competitor on the field with great burst and speed. Along with his explosive athleticism, the Penn State product would be an ideal addition to the Patriots defensive unit in that he would give them a linebacker who will be able to cover running backs out of the outfield. That has been an area Belichick’s squad has struggled with over the past two seasons.

With Kyle Van Noy and Dont’a Hightower back in the mix, there wouldn’t be much pressure put on Parsons to come in and contribute right away. He can sit back and learn from those veteran players a bit and slowly become a contributor as the season moves along.

Now, Micah Parsons does have some issues against the run, but given all of his other attributes, that weakness is something that could be coached and learned from watching players like Hightower and Van Noy.

In all, Patriots fans will want Belichick to be aggressive and go after a Justin Fields, but he will stay pat and play it safe with a player at a position he has had success with historically.

Round 2 No. 38 : Davis Mills – Quarterback, Stanford

(Patriots trade No. 46 and No. 120 to the Cincinnati Bengals for the No. 38 pick overall)

Here we go, Bill Belichick will trade up in the second round to draft his quarterback.

In obtaining the No. 38 overall pick from the Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for No. 46 and No. 120, the New England Patriots will select Stanford product Davis Mills.

The question with this pick is whether the team could have made this selection at No. 46, but with the Carolina Panthers selecting ahead of them, they will decide to move up to nab a player they really like.

As one of the five quarterback prospects Belichick must draft, Mills does have first-round talent, but lack of experience has him as one of this NFL draft’s most intriguing prospects.

Listed at 6-foot-4, 217 pounds, he is the prototypical pocket passer who does have some athleticism.

A roll out passer, Davis has a lot of the attributes Tom Brady has, except that his is a bit more athletic. Not only is the arm talent there, he is also a quarterback who can be coached up, which fits right into the framework of Belichick and Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.

While his 11 career starts will be considered a weakness, his skill set, and size presents a quarterback talent who still has some growth ahead of him. How high his ceiling is dependent on his continued dedication in getting batter as a quarterback, but under Belichick and McDaniels, there is no doubt he will have every opportunity to transcend into a solid NFL quarterback.

Round 3 No 80: Kellen Mond – Quarterback, Texas A&M

(Patriots trade No. 96 and a 2022 third round pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars for pick No. 65)

No one expected the New England Patriots to sign the top two tight ends in free agency in Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry and no one will see this coming from Bill Belichick.

Not only does he trade up to grab Davis Mills, but he will also see another quarterback the team likes sliding down the board and will trade up to the top of the third round to select Texas A&M quarterback Kellen Mond.

Round 4 No. 122: Nico Collins – Wide receiver, Michigan

The New England Patriots won’t be able to stay away from Michigan players as they select wide receiver Nico Collins with the No. 122 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Bill Belichick has not been successful drafting wide receivers in the higher rounds, so this is a pretty safe pick in the fourth round. Actually, the fourth round is where the team selected Malcolm Mitchell, who had a decent rookie season with the team and went on to contribute to the team’s Super Bowl win the year the team drafted him.

A chronic injury derailed Mitchell, but he was on path to be a pick Belichick actually hit on at the wide receiver position.

At 6-foot-4, 216 pounds, Collins is a bigger wide receiver who may be able to give the team what 2019 first-round pick N’Keal Harry has not been able to give the team through his first two seasons in the NFL.

A big possession type receiver with reliable hands, Nico Collins won’t impress you with quickness, but like Harry can go vertical and fight for the ball. If the team does trade Harry, Collins would be a nice player who can come in and be that big wide receiver target.

Not knocking Harry’s worth ethic, but hard work is Collins’ middle name which makes him an ideal fit for the New England Patriots.

In his last complete season at college, Collins logged 37 catches for 729 yards and seven touchdowns in just 12 games played. Given the Big Ten cancelled the 2020 season, Nico Collins could be one of those players who may have played himself higher up in the draft had there been a season.

This will be a good pick for the Patriots, especially given their recent success in selecting players out of the University of Michigan.

Round 4 No. 139: Demetric Felton – Running back, UCLA

The New England Patriots did bring back James White on a one-year deal but will draft his replacement in UCLA product Demetric Felton.

At 5-foot-9, 189 pounds, Felton is the ideal dual threat as he can line up in the backfield or as a wide receiver, which may come in handy with the retirement of Julian Edelman.

Round 5 177: Tre Norwood – Cornerback, Oklahoma

The New England Patriots will enter the 2021 NFL season with the secondary being their strength, but beyond next season is filled with question marks and unknowns.

That is why Bill Belichick will select Tre Norwood out of the University of Oklahoma.

At 5-foot-11, 192 pounds, he does have NFL size and can do the one thing Belichick loves in his secondary players. He can display versatility with his ability to play both cornerback and safety.

With five interceptions in his last six games, he gives off the ability to be a ball hawk. But what will intrigue Belichick more is his ability to play up in the box and attack the run.

If available at this spot, a no-brainer for the Patriots given the uncertain future of both Stephon Gilmore and J.C. Jackson. This is where Belichick must protect the team at the position as the team can deal with losing one of their top 2 corners, but if they somehow lose them both, suddenly the team will see their strength turn into their weakness.

In all, Tre Norwood is not the sole answer, but at least the team will add a young, versatile cornerback who could certainly be coached up and put in positions where he could succeed in the NFL.

Round 6 188: Khyiris Tonga – Defensive tackle, BYU

Going back to our mock draft 1.0, we are going to stick with the New England Patriots selecting big defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga with the No. 188 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

With Lawrence Guy returning and the team signing interior defensive linemen Montravius Adams, Henry Anderson and Davon Gochaux, depth is no longer a concern for the Patriots, but adding a mammoth, young defensive tackle won’t hurt.

At 6-foot-2, 325 pounds, the BYU product will take up some space along that defensive line. His ability to eat up space should help against the run as it will allow the more athletic linebackers to come up and make plays.

Along with his size and physicality, he just has the type of attitude the team needs on defense. He tackles with force and does have an ability to get to the quarterback by pushing the pocket.

In all, Khyiris Tonga would not be a bad pick at all in round 6 and serves a lot of promise as a player Belichick may even hit on.

Round 7 242: Jose Borregales – Kicker, Florida International

Can we really have an NFL draft without Bill Belichick selecting a specialist?

That is okay as long as the team actually needs one and they are selected where they should be selected.

With the No. 242 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Belichick will bring on some competition for veteran kicker Nick Folk when the New England Patriots select kicker Jose Borregales out of Florida International.

An accurate kicker with leg strength, Borregales is coming off a great 2020 season in which he was 20-for-22 on field goal attempts and 37-for-37 on extra points attempts.

What Belichick will like about the Miami product is his 51 touchbacks on 72 kickoff attempts. Unlike the last selection Belichick made at the position, Borregales is a kicker who should challenge Folk right away. If he doesn’t win the job, at least the New England Patriots will have a plan at kicker in place following the 2021 NFL season.

Certainly, this is not a bad pick at all in the seventh round. Given the success the team has round with undrafted players, they can go after a specialist at No. 242 and go the undrafted route in adding more talent in some other areas of need, precisely in the secondary and wide receiver positions.

Finding another J.C. Jackson or Jakobi Meyers would be ideal.

Tarringo Basile-vaughan

Site Expert @ NFL Mocks.com, Tarringo T. Basile Vaughan has been a Site Expert for NFL Mocks since 2023. Born a diehard Boston Sports fan, Tarringo begin with Fansided in 2016 as a Site Expert for Chowder & Champions covering the Boston Red Sox, New England Patriots, Boston Celtics, Boston Bruins and other Boston sports teams. As a published poet and creative writer, Tarringo blends his expertise of sports in a style that best relates to the reader as sports fans. A graduate of the University of Massachusetts - Amherst prides himself as a flexible writer who can cover different genres, which he has done as a contract writer since 2010.