2017 NFL Draft: New England Patriots final grade
By John Buhler
The New England Patriots didn’t care about the 2017 NFL Draft and still probably did better at it than your favorite team. Here is their NFL Draft grade.
You know what. When you win your fifth Super Bowl with Tom Brady as your quarterback, you’ve earned the right to take it easy in the 2017 NFL Draft. The New England Patriots largely punted this weekend’s draft, but still found a few decent picks in the middle rounds.
New England traded away its first-round pick to the New Orleans Saints for wide receiver Brandin Cooks. A premier vertical threat in Cooks is worth more to Brady than the No. 32 pick any way. Using the No. 64 pick to grab defensive end Kony Ealy is something Bill Belichick can write to Nantucket about fleecing the Carolina Panthers.
The Patriots didn’t pick until No. 83 in the third round and only made four picks in the 2017 NFL Draft. Did they do better than your favorite team? Probably, so here is the Patriots’ draft grade.
Third Round
Derek Rivers
Defensive End, Youngstown State Penguins
New England can never have too many pass rushers for Belichick and defensive coordinator Matt Patricia to mess around with. Best of all, this new Patriot is a Penguin. New England used its No. 83 overall pick to draft Youngstown State Penguins defensive end Derek Rivers.
Rivers had a day two grade throughout the draft process. He looked particularly solid in the 2017 Reese’s Senior Bowl against better competition. His energy and intrinsic toughness translated on the football field. Maybe Rivers is the guy that can fill the void that Chris Long didn’t want to do for another year in Foxborough?
Antonio Garcia
Offensive Tackle, Troy Trojans
The Patriots liked dudes that played in the Senior Bowl. One of the better offensive line players in the Senior Bowl practices was Troy Trojans offensive tackle Antonio Garcia. He looked like a technician in the one-on-ones, rarely losing a rep. When he did mess up, Garcia would take coaching very well as a part of Hue Jackson’s South Team.
New England’s offensive line fluctuates, but now that offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia came out of retirement, this unit should be going gangbusters for the foreseeable future. Garcia could play either tackle position for the Patriots by the end of the decade.