New England Patriots holla Roll Tide in 2022 NFL Mock Draft 1.0

It’s that time of year again.  With the NFL Scouting Combine over, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots will start their draft board in hopes of scoring another big draft.

With the success of Mac Jones, Christian Barmore and Rhamondre Stevenson, the Patriots coach proved he does have an eye for talent.

New England Patriots look to hit on back-to-back NFL drafts

Graded as one of the top rookie classes in 2021 by NFL.com, the Patriots hit on their first two picks by dipping into the Alabama Crimson Tide talent pool.

"“With Jones as the headliner, the Alabama-New England pipeline treated the Patriots quite well in this draft class,” NFL.com writer Gennaro Filice wrote.  “Famous friends with Nick Saban, Bill Belichick immediately doubled down on the Tuscaloosa talent pool by snatching up Barmore with the Pats’ second selection. As the first defensive tackle off the board at No. 38 overall, Barmore proved to be a Round 2 coup. That interior disruption he exhibited in Alabama’s 2020 national title run? Yeah, it translated seamlessly to the NFL, as Pro Football Focus charted Barmore with 48 QB pressures.”"

And let’s not forget about Stevenson, who rushed for over 600 yards in his rookie season looking very much like the explosive power back with breakaway speed and a stiff arm of steel.

As those three players got plenty of playing time, the Patriots have a trio of players from that rookie class who didn’t see the field in 2021.  Linebackers Ronnie Perkins, Cameron McGrone and safety Joshuah Bledsoe could make that draft class look even bigger in 2022.

Speaking of 2022, the Patriots will enter the NFL Draft with needs at some key positions.  While the players named above can help solve some of those needs, look for Belichick to dip back into that Alabama talent pool as this mock draft 1.0 has the color crimson written all over it.