Making Sense of Patriots’ Perplexing Third-Round

By Peter Rogers

It seems every year Bill Belichick has the New England Patriots ‘reaching’ for some obscure player (or often players) in the second or third-round, leaving draft experts and Patriots fans alike scratching their heads and wondering what the Hoodie genius is on this time. Sometimes it works out — Jamie Collins anyone? — and sometimes you wonder what was pumping through the air ducts of Foxborough to encourage trading up in the second-round for Chad Jackson.

This year was of course no exception with the Patriots selecting quarterback Jacoby Brissett and defensive lineman Vincent Valentine towards the end of the third-round. Just further proof that Belichick views mock drafts and draft boards (and probably fan’s hopes and dreams) as nothing more than kindling for the chaotic bonfire he loves to create.

To Belichick’s credit, he started the draft with an excellent pick, selecting cornerback Cyrus Jones out of Alabama at #60 overall. While Jones only stands at 5 foot 9, he’s a stout corner with excellent ball skills andis physical enough to play bigger receivers and make an impact in the run game. He also was the best punt returner in college football last year, returning four for touchdowns. This guy’s a born Patriot.

The Patriots also addressed offensive tackle, selecting the versatile Joe Thuney, who turns out to be some kind of genius and can solve a rubix cube in less than a minute. So, that’s cool.

Still, you can’t help but wonder why Belichick and the Patriots felt a need to use a third-round pick on a quarterback expected to go much later and a defensive tackle that ranked last among draft-eligible players in Pro Football Focus’ run-stop percentage.

If you ignore who the Patriots drafted and instead focus on the position they addressed, New England is actually in a pretty good spot heading into Saturday.

Belichick has addressed every position the Patriots needed with presumably the player they wanted. They drafted a slot corner, an athletic tackle, a quarterback — remember Jimmy Garoppolo was the only quarterback on the roster able to play the first four games of the NFL season (Faulk You Goodell) — and a versatile nose tackle. Fans and analysts may disagree with who the Patriots took and where, but you can’t deny Belichick has addressed the spots along his roster that one hundred percent needed help before entering the 2016 season.

Now Belichick can use his remaining hundred picks in the final rounds (I believe the actual number is 8) on the best player available. And there are plenty of good players still out there.

Defensive tackles Andrew Billings from Baylor (who I thought the Patriots were gonna snag at #97 overall), Sheldon Day from Notre Dame and Hassan Ridgeway from Texas would be huge gets and great value at any point Saturday. Wide receivers Pharoh Cooper from South Carolina and Rashard Higgins from Colorado State both would be great additions to a rather thin receiving group and could make an impact in New England.

And we of course can’t forget about the running backs. I have been on the running back bandwagon all offseason and while it pained me to see my dream Patriot Derrick Henry drafted by Tennessee, there are still tons of talented backs available in this draft. If the Patriots can land Louisiana Tech’s Kenneth Dixon, Indiana’s Jordan Howard or Utah’s Devontae Booker, that would be a huge boost to their backfield. And would make me a very happy Patriots fan, which I’m sure is ultimately Belichick’s goal.

Sure the Patriots reached for a few players in the third-round — and sent every Patriots fan to bed last night facepalming — but if that frees Belichick up to draft best player available for the remainder of this year’s draft, then it was all worth it.