Patriots 2023 NFL Mock Draft 3.0: Bill Belichick strikes it rich
New England Patriots attend to more business on offense
The New England Patriots next three picks revert back to the offensive side of the ball, the side that needed more enhancements. First, they further enhance their wide receiver room and then add two more offensive linemen to reinforce that tattered unit.
The pick at No. 135 is Michael Wilson, a wide receiver from Stanford. Wilson is a big receiver at 6’2″ tall and weighing 213 pounds. Wilson isn’t blazingly fast with a 4.58 forty time but he was Stanford’s top receiver in 2022.
With this pick, the Patriots continue to add depth and competition to several units which either underperformed in 2022 or need enhancement in 2023. Wilson is a second and solid addition to the wide receiving room.
New England Patriots go center with the No. 187 pick
The Patriots next pick at pick No. 187 in the sixth round is another offensive lineman at a position of need. It’s offensive center/guard, Juice Scruggs from Penn State. Scruggs also appeared in a previous mock draft here.
Scruggs fills a definite need for a backup center/guard. Having let Ted Karras leave for the second time last offseason (twice an ill-advised move), the Patriots need a young center to prepare for any injury to top center David Andrews.
As a sixth-round pick, not a whole lot will be expected of Scruggs, but the Patriots may well get it anyway. Andrews himself wasn’t drafted and signed on as an undrafted free agent.
No reason Scruggs can’t be a solid backup for the team going forward at two positions. Securing a Ted Karras-like player here would be huge.
Patriots stay on the offensive line by selecting Jake Witt
Next up at Pick No. 192 is a second offensive tackle, Jake Witt from Northern Michigan. Witt is not a very well-known prospect but his forty-yard dash time turned heads.
Si.com comments about Witt,
"Standing 6-foot-7 with 34-inch arms and a broad jump of over 122 inches (according to Witt) at roughly 300 pounds, Witt has a unique skill set few can match. Zybec-electronic timed sub 4.8 in the 40 helps cement his ability with the rest of the offensive linemen in the 2023 NFL Draft class."
That 40-yard dash is fast, really fast. In addition, Witt has position flexibility having initially been a tight end. A huge tight end is a good thing in New England.
While Witt is likely anything but a finished product, with his athletic skills and versatility, he’s worth a flier in the sixth round at positions in which the team needs depth.
One never knows when a sixth-round pick may just surprise, does one?