The Patriots will have a total of five draft picks in Round 2 and 3 on the second day of the 2020 NFL draft, making their decisions all the more crucial.
This is the 10th time the Patriots traded down in the first round on draft day under Bill Belichick. The Patriots have traded down 28 times since 2010 (66 percent of the time).
First Round Recap:
New England traded their 23rd overall pick in the first round in exchange for a second-and third-round pick. The trade with the Los Angeles Chargers consisted of the 23rd pick for the 37th and 71st overall picks. As they historically do, Bill Belichick and the Patriots flipped one draft pick for multiple. Don’t be surprised if the same happens today to obtain more draft stock.
Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio on video call:
— Jordan Moore (@iJordanMoore) April 24, 2020
– Patriots were ready to pick at 23
– Expects Pats to pick quite a few players tomorrow in rounds 2 & 3
– Says draft went “fairly smooth”
– Says “virtual Bill is similar to draft room Bill”
Some good news for the Patriots did come during the draft as superstar Center David Andrews announced on Instagram that he would be returning to the roster and is ready to compete during the upcoming 2020 season.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_V3wcPpNtE/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading
Notorious for stockpiling picks, that’s exactly what the Patriots will do on the second day of the draft. But it should be noted that the infamous trades have paid off for New England as they now have 13 picks in the totality of the 2020 draft.
Who to Target?
With such a deep draft and so much talent still on the board, here’s how the Patriots can fill their needs on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball during the second and third rounds.
Offensively:
- Jalen Hurts, Quarterback, Oklahoma
- Jake Fromm, Quarterback, Georgia
- James Morgan, Quarterback, Florida International
- Cole Kmet, Tight End, Notre Dame
- Harrison Bryant, Tight End, Florida Atlantic
- Adam Trautman, Tight End, Dayton
- Tee Higgins, Wide Reciever, Clemson
- Michael Pittman Jr., Wide Reciever, Southern California
- Chase Claypool, Wide Reciever, Notre Dame
- Van Jefferson, Wide Receiver, Florida
- K.J. Hill, Wide Receiver, Ohio State
- K.J. Hamler, Wide Reciever, Penn State.
- Josh Jones, Offensive Tackle, Houston
- Ezra Cleveland, Offensive Tackle, Boise State
- Lucas Niang, Offensive Tackle, TCU
Defensively:
- A.J. Epenesa, Edge, Iowa
Yetur Gross-Matos, Edge, Penn State
- Terrell Lewis, Edge, Alabama
- Jonathan Grenard, Edge, Florida
- Marlon Davidson, Defensive Lineman, Auburn
- Raekwon Davis, Defensive Lineman, Alabama
- Xavier McKinney, Safety, Alabama
- Grant Delpit, Safety, LSU
- Kyle Dugger, Safety, Lenior-Rhyne
- Malik Harrison, Linebacker, Ohio State
- Logan Wilson, Linebacker, Wyoming
- Zach Baun, Linebacker, Wisconsin
The Patriots own pick No. 37 in Round 2 and pick Nos. 71, 87, 98, and 100 in Round 3. New England has eight more picks (four fourth-rounders) on Day 3. Expect more trades.
Day 2 of the draft begins on ESPN at 7 p.m. EST.
