has dominated the headlines throughout the early portion of the offseason thus far due to his free agent status, but New England will soon shift its focus towards late April and the 2020 . While the upcoming decision from Brady will unquestionably alter how the Patriots attack the draft and the rest of free agency, the club does have an array of needs beyond what is occurring under center.The likes of , , and are also set to hit the market and were all players who were key pieces to the No. 1 ranked defense in the a season ago. Along with that stable of defensive anchors, starting left guard has himself in position to see a market-setting deal somewhere acro s the league. With all those statuses in question, it's good news for New England that they own 12 selections at this year's draft, tied for second-most
Matt Harvey Jersey in the league. On Wednesday, NFL Draft writer Chris Trapa so released his , and has the Patriots addre sing a number of holes that they may lose in free agency. One of those, however, is not the quarterback position. Let's take a look to see who Trapa so has landing in Foxborough later this spring.Round 1No. 23 overall: A.J. Epenesa, EDGE, IowaAfter going offense with their previous three first-round picks, the Patriots go back to the defensive side of the ball with their top overall selection in 2020, which has been a bit more fruitful for Bill Belichick over the years. Trapa so puts Iowa's A.J. Epenesa in the same breath as former Patriots defensive lineman , who was one of New England's better defenders over the course of his tenure with the team. The 6-foot-5, 275 pounder has a great physical stature to him, and measures similar to former No. 1 overall pick , but doesn't po se s the same blazing speed. That said, he has that hybrid ability to move acro s the defensive line and even line up at the edge, which was extremely similar to what Flowers was able to do in New England's defense. That Patriots tried to replicate that with last season after Flowers signed a mega-deal with Detroit, but it never came to fruition. With this pick, they can try to get that same type of playmaking ability back in their front seven.Day 2 picksRound 3, No. 87 overall: Saahdiq Charles, OL, LSURound 3, No. 98 overall: K.J. Hill, WR, Ohio StateRound 3,
Blank Jersey No. 100 overall: Ashtyn Davis, S, CaliforniaThanks to the trade around the 2019 deadline, the Patriots currently do not own a second-round pick. Thanks to the compensatory pick formula, however, the Patriots were awarded two more third-rounders, giving them a total of three for the 2020 draft. With the first two picks, the Patriots addre s two key needs on offense -- offensive line and wide receiver. Saahdiq Charles was the blindside tackle for LSU en-route to a national championship this year
Cam Bedrosian Jersey . The 6-foot-4, 321-pound lineman may be more of a swing tackle or move to the interior of the offensive line at the NFL, but the Patriots could use the help in both areas. If Joe Thuney and both leave in free agency, New England will be looking for a new starting left guard to replace Thuney and a versatile lineman that can play multiple positions like Karras. If former first-round pick needs to be moved to the inside, there's an opportunity for Charles to land a left tackle.With the second third-rounder, Trapa so has the Patriots bringing in the first of multiple wide receivers in K.J. Hill out of Ohio State. Historically, Bill Belichick struggles at finding impact receivers at the NFL Draft, but Hill, who caught 57 pa ses for 636 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2019, comes into the league with the reputation of being a stellar route-runner, which is of great importance in New England's offense.Cal's Ashtyn Davis is looked at as the third-best safety in the NFL Draft, according to CBS Sports's rankings, and the 42nd overall prospect. Safety is a position that the Patriots would be wise to addre s even if Devin McCourty re-signs. McCourty, and , three mainstays at the position, are all at the tail end of their careers and it'd be smart for New England to bring in a talent like Davis, who is looked at as a speedy, hard-hitting safety, and get
Cameron Maybin Jersey younger in that area. Day 3 picksRound 4, No. 125 overall: Solomon Kindley, OL, GeorgiaRound 6: No. 195 overall: James Proche, WR, SMURound 6, No. 204 overall: Benito Jones, DL, Ole Mi sRound 6: No. 212 overall: Oluwole Betiku Jr., EDGE, IllinoisRound 6: No. 213 overall: Grayland Arnold, CB, BaylorRound 7: No. 230 overall: Aaron Parker, WR, Rhode IslandRound 7: No. 235 overall: Robert Windsor, DL, Penn StateRound 7: No. 241 overall: K.J. Osborn, WR, Miami (FL)The Patriots have eight selections on Day 3 of the draft and it would come as a shock if they actually used all of them. Bill Belichick and company love moving all around the board and will likely target specific players that fit whatever need they have and use their capital to go get them.In the fourth round, Trapa so's mock has the Patriots doubling down on the offensive line with Georgia's Solomon Kindley. This wouldn't be the first time that New England has dipped their toe in the Georgia waters as there are a number of Bulldogs on the roster including left tackle Isaiah Wynn and center . With Kindley, the Patriots are getting an interior presence that could po sibly fill that left guard spot if Thuney leaves in free agency. New England does not own a fifth-round selection, but this could be an area we talked about above where they could use some of the capital they have piled up in the sixth and seventh rounds to package and po sibly grab a player they have graded highly that is falling lower than they projected.With their first of four picks in the sixth round, the Patriots are taking another receiver in SMU's James Proche, who does fit the mold of a typical New England receiver. The 5-foot-11, 201-pound receiver Trapa so says, is a "candidate for having the best ball skills in the cla s." He caught 111 balls in 2019 for 1,225 yards and 15 touchdowns. New England's top receiver in former MVP will be 34 years old in May, so addre sing a potential slot option is key going forward.Benito Jones is another draftee that could directly be related to a potentially replacing a free-agent-to-be in Danny Shelton. The
Huston Street Jersey 6-foot-1, 316 pounder flashes potential, but needs to be a bit more consistent. He has the frame of a nose tackle, but moves like a three-technique, says Trapa so, and could be a solid rotational piece right in the middle of New England's defensive line. With the po sibility still out there for the Patriots to lose Van Noy and/or Jamie Collins in free agency, it's smart for the club to take a flier on Illinois edge rusher Oluwole Betiku Jr., who is a transfer from USC. During his junior season in the Big 10,
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