The New England Patriots are in a bit of a pickle when it comes to draft because they’re going to pick right where the top tier of talent is going to run out at most positions. In this mock draft, I have therefore elected to do it without trades and try to put together a worst-case scenario for the club.
Let’s start by looking at the first 14 picks before New England would be on the clock at No. 15:
1: JAX - Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson
2: NYJ - Zach Wilson, QB, BYU
3: SF - Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State
4: ATL - Trey Lance, QB, North Dakota State
5: CIN - Kyle Pitts, “TE”, Florida
6: MIA - Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon
7: DET - JaMarr Chase, WR, LSU
8: CAR - Mac Jones, QB, Alabama
9: DEN - Patrick Surtain II, CB, Alabama
10: DAL - Christian Darrisaw, OT, Virginia Tech
11: NYG - Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina
12: PHI - Devonta Smith, WR, Alabama
13: LAC - Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama
14: MIN - Rashawn Slater, OL, Northwestern
1st round, 15th overall: CB Caleb Farley, Virginia Tech
Other considered options: WR Rashod Bateman, DE Jaelen Phillips, LB Zaven Collins
At this point of the board, I felt that the best value came down to Teven Jenkins, Collins, and Farley.