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2015 NFL Draft grades: New England Patriots

By Patrick Schmidt

Feb 20, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Texas defensive lineman Malcom Brown speaks to the media at the 2015 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 20, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Texas defensive lineman Malcom Brown speaks to the media at the 2015 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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The New England Patriots owned the last pick in the first round for the fourth time under Bill Belichick after winning another Super Bowl, so how well did the Pats do in the NFL Draft?

New England had the last pick in the first round of the draft but managed to get a player who was projected to be taken in the top half of the first round as Bill Belichick and the Patriots front office maximized value once again with the pick of Malcom Brown.

The defensive tackle from the Texas Longhorns should be able to contribute right away in their defense as a nose tackle, defensive tackle or even as an end in certain formations. Just a tremendous pick that set the stage for Patriots who made the defensive line and front seven a priority this year.

Stanford safety Jordan Richards was a stunner and I didn’t think he’s be drafted before the fifth round but Belichick is smarter than all of us, so I’ll wait to condemn the pick until we see what he does this year. He comes from a great program where he was well coached by David Shaw, so we’ll see, but it was a reach.

The next two picks were Oklahoma defensive end Geneo Grissom and Arkansas defensive end Trey Flowers. I think they’ll both fit in nicely with what the Patriots do defensively and am especially high on Flowers who can get to the quarterback.

Their second and third picks in the fourth round went to shoring up the offensive line with Florida State guard Tre Jackson and Georgia Tech center Shaq Mason coming off the board. Jackson was a second round pick in my mind so this is tremendous value and could be a starter as a rookie.

Fifth-round pick Joe Cardona was another big surprise as they took the long snapper out of Navy with the No. 166 pick. Pretty bold move, but again, Belichick has four rings so he can be bold.

Matt Wells, AJ Derby, Darryl Roberts and Xzavier Dickson rounded out the picks for the Patriots and will be players to watch in the preseason to see if they stick on the 53-man roster of the team’s practice squad.

Grade: B

Next: Every NFL Team's Best Draft Pick of All-Time

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