The Draft

    The 2013 NFL draft has come and gone. This year, the Patriots traded their first round pick for a second, third, fourth, and seventh. The trade brought the Patriots from 5 picks, to 8. I thought the trade was an excellent decision by the Pats for a few reasons:

1.       Rookie Unpredictability- Robert Kraft noted that it is very challenging for a player to come to the Patriots as a rookie and start. With only five picks, there is a slim window to get potential starters. Even if they drafted a player in the first round, there is always a chance that that player does not produce at the level expected of them.

Jamie Collins with Robert Kraft

2.       Depth Needs- the Pats need more depth. Getting more depth especially players on the offensive side of the ball.  With a lot of banged up players (Gronk and Hernandez), and Danny Amendola’s history of being injury prone, it is important that the Pats get as much depth as they can in the draft. 5 picks would not have been enough to strengthen positions of need and increase depth. 

3.       Draft Depth- One of the target positions coming into the draft was wide receiver. The receiver depth in the draft was pretty deep. While they could have drafted Cordarrelle Patterson, he isn’t the kind of receiver they need. He is more of an inside the numbers run after catch kind of guy. He has also struggled with the deep ball. What the Patriots needed was an outside the numbers deep threat, and they could get a guy like that without a first round pick.

After a solid trade, the Patriots used their picks to draft: Jamie Collins (LB), Aaron Dobson (WR), Logan Ryan (CB), Duron Harmon (S), Josh Boyce (WR), Michael Buchanan (DE), and Steve Beauharnais (LB).

Aaron Dobson at Marshall University