New England Patriots: 5 best NFL prospects to select at No. 15
With the 2021 NFL Draft less than a week away, it’s almost time for teams around the league to bring in their next group of young players. After making a huge splash in free agency, the New England Patriots are one of the teams in the league that many are keeping an eye on with the draft quickly approaching.
Strapped with the No.15 overall pick in the first round, this is highest pick the Patriots have had since 2008 when they took Jerod Mayo 10th overall.
With the Pats probably still looking to add a quarterback to their roster, there is a high level of intrigue surrounding their status, as there’s a reasonable chance they look to move up or down on the board come draft day.
However, the Patriots need to be prepared to make a pick at No. 15 if they end up staying put, so here are five players they could look to add with their first round pick.
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New England Patriots selections at No. 15: Trevon Moehrig, Safety, TCU
Drafting Trevon Moehrig at the 15th overall pick may be a bit early, but Moehrig is looking like the top safety option in the draft and could be an option worth pursuing for New England.
Moehrig is a safety out of Texas Christian University who has quickly developed into one of the top defensive back prospects in the draft.
Moehrig’s true breakout season was in 2019, as he picked up 62 total tackles and four interceptions. He didn’t have as good a 2020 season, but still did enough to solidify his draft status as arguably the top safety available.
The TCU product projects as a more “true” safety, rather than the in-the-box, hybrid style safety that has become increasingly popular over the past couple of seasons. Moehrig is an exceptional coverage safety, excelling in both man and zone schemes. He has 20 pass breakups over the past two seasons combined, and has picked off seven passes throughout his time at TCU. While Moehrig isn’t a fantastic tackler, he more than makes up for that with his coverage skills.
Taking an initial look at the Patriots roster, it doesn’t seem like the safety position is much of a need for them. However, they’ve recently invested in guys like Kyle Dugger and Adrian Phillips, who fit the more hybrid style safety rather than a more traditional safety.
Devin McCourty is really the only true safety this team has, but he’s going to be 34 years old by the time the season starts. If the Patriots are looking to find McCourty’s potential replacement, Moehrig would be the top option in this draft.