With the NFL Draft being a month away there is a lot of speculation regarding what the New England Patriots will do with the fourth overall selection. One of the biggest questions this Patriots hierarchy will need to answer is whether they draft based on the best player available or draft by position of need.
Most Patriots fans will agree that the two biggest needs are left tackle and wide receiver. The issue is, the best left tackle prospect, to most, is Will Campbell but his arm length is a concern. The best wide receiver prospect is either Tetairoa McMillan or the Heisman winner Travis Hunter.
So what do the Patriots do when they’re on the clock?
If one of Abdul Carter or Hunter is available, I think the Patriots sprint to the table and take whoever is left. In a weaker-than-normal draft regarding top blue chip prospects, Hunter and Carter are the two best prospects. If it’s Carter who somehow falls, although the Patriots spent a lot of money on their defense this offseason, the team needs talent.
Defensive end is not a high need for New England, but Carter to some, is the best prospect in this draft. The Patriots at the moment are not a good football team. They need to get the best players in the building even if it’s not a position of need.
If both Hunter and Carter are off the board by pick four then Mike Vrabel, Eliot Wolf, and Ryan Cowden will have a big decision to make whether they select an undersized left tackle to protect Drake Maye’s blindspot, or do they take a wide receiver like McMillan.
There’s still a lot of time between now and the draft so things could change. For example, if the Patriots sign Stefon Diggs then Maye will have his number one wideout.
“It’s hard to find,” Vrabel said of acquiring a top-tier-pass-catcher. “You usually have to draft them. Then sometimes, based on circumstances (they’re) available for trade. I think we’ll explore every opportunity that we can to add great players that we feel like are the right fit and we feel like that can help us.”
New England has only won eight games in the last two seasons which says it all. Although they are under a new regime and still trying to find its identity, the most important thing this team can have is talent.
To take the best player available doesn’t necessarily mean to avoid needs, but in the first three rounds where the premium picks are taken, that’s where New England should look to take the best players off of their board.
The Patriots need a strong draft this year to kickstart this new era under Vrabel, they nailed the offseason, but now they need to supplement it with a solid draft.
April 24 can’t come soon enough.
