WEEI on the mark with this 2023 New England Patriots NFL Mock draft
NFL mock drafts projecting who the New England Patriots will select in next month’s NFL draft are all over the place.
Like Punxsutawney Phil on Groundhog Day, these prognostications are exercises in futility. (Though Phil may actually have a better track record!). Whatever that case may be, it’s fun to peruse mocks.
Indeed, if they project the player you like for your team, they’re grand. This space has opined on possible choices for the home team.
One mock suggests an alternate strategy suggested which might deliver a result. That mock is from Boston-based sports talk radio station, WEEI.
Let’s take a look at their first two rounds to see what they suggest and see if you agree it’s a good take as well.
New England Patriots first two NFL draft pick strategy
WEEI has taken a counter-intuitive strategy in the first round. Most prognosticators feel the New England Patriots need to (if not will!) select one of three positions, cornerback, wide receiver, or one favored here most of the time, offensive tackle.
It’s hard to argue with that. They need to plug all of them. Though that doesn’t necessarily mean that the New England Patriots will.
Much of the time they go their own way. Is that necessarily bad? No, if they hit on the picks. Yet, whether they do or not, the other needs remain.
Back to WEEI, the station went outside the box positionally in their first-round pick for a favorite in this space, the very versatile edge/DE/DT option, Lukas Van Ness of Iowa. They orchestrated a trade-down in the first round and selected Van Ness who’s nicknamed, Hercules.
One could think of worse monikers for a football player than that ancient Greek mythological demigod/strongman. They proposed a trade-down of three spots with Pittsburgh to nab the hybrid player.
Here’s what they say about Van Ness,
"Van Ness combines Deatrich Wise Jr.’s inside-outside versatility along the defensive line with nitroglycerin levels of explosive power and the raw tools to become a monster off the edge. They call him “Hercules” for a reason.Shoring up the run defense and generating consistent pressure opposite Matthew Judon is quietly a need for the Patriots, and Van Ness can fill it — with interest."
Watch his highlights. It’s evident, he’s explosive.
New England Patriots select Van Ness and another great fit
A trade-down to pick up more selections to take Van Ness is a strategy worth considering. He’d been projected anywhere from pick number six to pick 30. After killing it at the NFL combine, higher is more likely.
Here’s what si.com says about his combine,
"He clocked 4.58 seconds in the 40-yard dash, tied for the ninth fastest time among D-Ends in Indy. For context, No. 1 overall pick Jadeveon Clowney ran a 4.53 as a DE in ’14.Van Ness, 21, also posted this year’s second-fastest times in the 3-Cone Drill (7.02) and the 20-yard Shuttle (4.32). Future hall-of-famer J.J. Watt had a 6.88 3-Cone and a 4.21 Shuttle in ’11."
Van Ness’ times in the three-cone and 20-yard shuttle are top-shelf and his 4.58-second 40-yard dash is well, surreal. Unfortunately for the Patriots, his stock will skyrocket and he may not even be available at pick Number 14. The best-laid plans … But let’s hope WEEI is right.
The station then followed with a trade-up to nab the team’s greatest need and selected another favorite here, a gargantuan bookend to Trent Brown, offensive right tackle Dawand Jones from Ohio State.
It may take a move back up into the first round to get Jones. He’d be worth the freight. These are the results.
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They’d have augmented an already solid defense with a terrific versatile fit. Then, they’d also have shored up a top-need, an offensive tackle to help keep a clean pocket around slow-footed Mac Jones.
No matter the rest of the drafts, the mock gets and the real draft would get an A+++ grade here. All that’s left is to execute the plan.