New England Patriots: 5 players the team should take with No. 21 overall pick

The New England Patriots are on the clock. Well, not yet, but they will be on Thursday night during the 2022 NFL Draft when the 21st pick comes around. Considering they will almost certainly make their decision in advance to the day of the draft, today and tomorrow are when the final preparations will be made.

Of course, the Patriots are one of the most unpredictable teams when it comes to the draft. Bill Belichick loves to zig when everyones else zags. He’s already made one pick swap, sending a fifth rounder to the Houston Texans for a sixth and seventh rounder, and we all know it’s not going to be the last trade Belichick makes during the three day draft.

While everyone is putting the finishing touches on their mock draft and team-by-team predictions, it’s clear that much of the hype heading into the draft is centered around the first round. It’s every teams best opportunity to add high level talent on cheap rookie deals. And while there’s a very good chance the Pats end up trading out of the first round, we are going to assume they will be picking at No. 21 in the first round until we hear otherwise.

Throughout the buildup to the draft, we have done a couple of different mock drafts, top players per position, and other general draft intel here at C&C. But the big question is who will be the team’s choice at pick No. 21? Let’s take a look at the top five players the Patriots should select with their first round choice, starting with a linebacker who has fallen down draft boards over the past few days.