The New England Patriots have unfortunately grown used to picking at the beginning of the NFL Draft. That will not be the case at the end of this month, as the Patriots’ front office will be waiting all night to make their selection at 31 overall.
For months, analysts like me have shipped the best available edge rusher to the Patriots in their mock drafts. However, head coach Mike Vrabel’s most recent comment on New England’s draft strategy insinuates that it might not be that simple.
“I don’t think you should ever draft for need,” Vrabel said. “That’s not a position that you ever want to be in.”
Though he did not outright say it, Vrabel’s quote implies that he and the Patriots could be more interested in finding the best football player on the board at 31, as opposed to taking the best edge rusher that falls to them.
This opens up the door to some of the highly touted tackle prospects, as well as the highly graded safeties.
New England is still in a sweet spot as far as edge rushers are concerned. Still, if a player like safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren or offensive tackle Max Iheanachor is on the board at the end of the first, perhaps the decision is not as cut and dry as previously thought.
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