2019 NFL Draft: New England Patriots 7-round mock
By Conor Dorney
Bill Belichick has maintained a strong connection with former Arizona State head coach Todd Graham and one of the most intriguing prospects to come out of the Sun Devil program this year is Rennell Wren.
At 6-foot-5, 294 pounds, Wren is one of the most freakishly athletic interior defensive line prospects in the draft, but inconsistency on tape leaves a lot to be desired. There’s no doubt that he can dominate at times, but whether he can do that consistently will be something most draft rooms will have to answer.
Wren never quite was able to unlock his full potential with the Sun Devils but is exactly the type of player who could thrive in the Patriots system. The team has as good of an intel pipeline as any with the Belichick-to-Graham connection and New England could use that to pounce on a high-ceiling player like Wren in the second round.
The Patriots have scouted Duke pretty heavily over the course of the draft process and while there’s certainly a possibility that it could be for quarterback Daniel Jones, there are plenty of other prospects on the Blue Devils’ roster to entice the Pats.
Joe Giles-Harris has been one of the ACC’s best defenders in recent years, posting 80+ tackles in each of the past three seasons. While he isn’t likely to test off the charts athletically like LSU’s Devin White, Giles-Harris brings some of the best technique and instincts to the table out of the entire class of linebackers.
Even with the outstanding play of Dont’a Hightower and Kyle Van Noy in 2018, both instrumental in the Pats’ Super Bowl win, adding a player like Giles-Harris to mold for the future would be a wise investment.