The New England Patriots, much like the rest of the NFL, are beginning to turn their attention from free agency to the 2022 NFL Draft. The Draft, which takes place on April 28-30, is just a few weeks away, and teams are putting their final scouting reports together as the 28th nears.
The Patriots will head into the Draft after a fairly quiet free agent period. They focused on re-signing their own players, as well as picking up some players on cheap deals or low risk trades. A far cry from the 2021 spending spree we saw, yes, but with the team backed up against the salary cap, they did about as good as they could considering the circumstances.
With New England swinging a trade for DeVante Parker yesterday afternoon, they are probably done making acquisitions prior to the Draft now. Unless a corresponding move were to be made, the team would not have enough cap space to sign their draft picks, which obviously won’t happen. So with Parker now onboard, that seems to signal a change in the agenda for Bill Belichick and the Pats as the calender flips to April.
While the Patriots didn’t make a million moves like some of their competitors did, their outlook heading into the Draft is much different than it was a couple of weeks ago. So with some new players onboard, as well as some players returning that weren’t necessarily expected to, let’s reassess the New England Patriots top three positions of need as they head into the 2022 NFL Draft.
New England Patriots position of need No. 3: Wide Receiver
ADDITIONS: DeVante Parker, Ty Montgomery, Matthew Slater (re-signed)
DEPARTURES: Gunner Olszewski
Coming into the offseason, you could have made a case that this was the top area of need for the Patriots, and nobody would have argued with you. And while the additions of Parker and Ty Montgomery aren’t going to radically change the offense, this position is in a much better spot than it was a month ago, meaning it’s not quite as high on this list as it once was.
The main reason for things looking better here are primarily because a) there have really been no departures from this group and b) the addition of Parker. Whereas the Pats have lost some key players at other positions, wide receiver has seen limited turnover, with the inconsistent Gunner Olszewski being the only one heading out in free agency. Parker is also a dynamic pass catcher who gives Mac Jones and the offense another threat that can stretch out opposing defenses.
Still, this position needs some work. Parker is good, but he always seems to get injured, and he’s no sure bet to play a full 16 game slate next season. Behind him are the top three holdovers in Jakobi Meyers, Kendrick Bourne, and Nelson Agholor. Meyers and Bourne were a solid duo last season, but they aren’t really going to fluster opposing defenses on a weekly basis.
Agholor on the other hand, may be expendable now that Parker is on board. Trading Agholor would save nearly $10 million in cap space, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him dealt if Belichick can find a trade partner. And if you haven’t already started saying your goodbyes to N’Keal Harry, you should probably start, as he’s either going to get cut or traded before the season starts.
The wide receiver pool is deep throughout this draft class, meaning New England doesn’t necessarily have to use a top pick on a wideout if they don’t want to. First round prospects such as Jameson Williams and Chris Olave have constantly been linked to the Pats, and if they decide to use their first rounder on a wide receiver, it will probably be for one of those two guys. The problem is the Patriots have some other spots that need more help than wide receiver right now.
New England Patriots position of need No. 2: Linebacker
ADDITIONS: Mack Wilson, Ja’Whaun Bentley (re-signed)
DEPARTURES: Kyle Van Noy, Chase Winovich
New England needs to get younger and faster on defense, and it starts at the linebacker position. Veteran holdovers such as Dont’a Hightower, Kyle Van Noy, and Jamie Collins all appear set to depart in free agency or have been released earlier in the offseason. With a thin depth chart currently, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Belichick pick up multiple linebackers throughout the draft.
One of the biggest re-signings of the offseason was Ja’Whaun Bentley, who was brought back on a team-friendly deal for the next two years. Bentley was New England’s best linebacker last season and he was the team’s leading tackler. He’s young, fast, and a very instinctive player, especially against the run. He’s a building block for the team on defense at linebacker, and bringing him back was a huge move.
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The addition of Mack Wilson is really just Belichick taking a bit of a flier on an out of favor player in hopes he can fit in with New England. Wilson had a solid start to his career with the Cleveland Browns before finding himself on the bench, but he’s a very smart player who has proven he can always do what’s asked of him. He could fill in as an immediate starter, but depending on what the Pats do in the draft, he may become more of a situational player.
Heading into the offseason, I believed it would be in the Patriots best interests to draft a linebacker with their first round pick, and I still think that’s the case. The two consensus top linebackers in the draft, Nakobe Dean and Devin Lloyd, both may be on the board when they are up to pick at #21 in the first round, and either one of them would be a stellar selection.
Continuing to get younger on defense is key, and while this isn’t the team’s top need, drafting a key player to come fill a hole at the center of the defense is exactly what the Patriots need. It may not be done in the first round, but it will be a shock if Belichick opts to not address the linebacker position with at least one pick in the Draft.
New England Patriots position of need No. 1: Cornerback
ADDITIONS: Malcolm Butler, Terrance Mitchell
DEPARTURES: J.C. Jackson
The cornerback position had some holes coming into the offseason, but the gates got blown open with the departure of J.C. Jackson. Jackson leaving has left a gaping hole at corner that Belichick has addressed currently with the signings of Malcolm Butler and Terrance Mitchell. Neither guy is a lock to start next season, let alone make the roster, meaning the positon needs to be dealt with during the Draft.
Losing Jackson was the biggest loss for the Pats this offseason. They didn’t really have the cap space to extend an offer to him that he would consider, but their most talented defender left for nothing aside from a compensatory pick next year. Jalen Mills and Jonathan Jones are the two starting holdovers from last season, but neither guy is going to be able to go one-on-one with top wideouts.
Butler and Mitchell both have starting experience, but neither can really be counted on for much production at this point. Butler didn’t even play last season, as he retired during Training Camp with the Arizona Cardinals. Mitchell spent the past two seasons starting for the Houston Texans, but he was getting torched whenever he was on the field.
That makes the Draft the most logical place to fix this issue, and it’s basically a sure thing a cornerback prospect will be drafted at some point. The problem is that the top corners in the draft, such as Ahmad Gardner, Derek Stingley Jr., and Trent McDuffie, may all be off the board by the time New England is on the clock at pick #21. Belichick never picks a player too early, so while a trade up may be possible, it’s more likely he would wait until the second round to get his guy.
Replacing Jackson isn’t going to be done with just one player, and there’s a chance Belichick just settles for a couple of developmental prospects while riding out Butler and Mitchell for the 2022 season. But hitting on a couple of cornerback draft picks after missing on picks like Joejuan Williams over the past few years is crucial, and if the Patriots don’t have a good draft this year, they could be in serious trouble moving forward.