Patriots 2023 NFL Mock Draft 1.0: Needs and a little bit of greed

With the No. 14 overall pick, the New England Patriots select Broderick Jones

The top three rounds are the team’s premium picks in the draft. It’s important to hit on them or the draft will likely be a poor one. Having used profootballnetwork.com’s mock draft simulator.  let’s begin the draft by picking one through three and see what we landed.

Contrary to usual practice, as the board fell, the New England Patriots have used all of their own picks with no trades. That left 11 selections. The first and all-important pick goes to the team’s top need and they land a stud.

Jones is arguably the best left tackle in the draft. He’s unquestionably in the top two or three. Jones is 6’5″ tall, at 311 pounds, with 33 3/4″ arms, 10 5/8″ hands, and everything else you’d be looking for in a starting left tackle.

Nfl.com has this to say about the future star,

"Ultra-athletic tackle prospect with the size, length and potential to develop into a plus starter on the left side. Jones’ frame and technique both are in the developmental phase. His entry into block fits can be a little disjointed. He needs to improve his punch accuracy and timing to make the most of his length in pass protection. Jones is very talented at working into space and landing a block to help spring the running game. He has the nimble feet to mirror or recover against the rush. Jones isn’t a finished product, but the physical and athletic gifts allow for a projection as a good, long-time starter"

With Trent Brown in the last year of his contract, Jones will either step right in as the starting right tackle or be eased into either tackle spot. Injuries happen and once he’s inserted into the starting lineup he’s not going anywhere.