Patriots Stick, Select Malcom Brown With First-Round Pick
What’s a more Patriots move than trading out of the first round? How about making everyone think they’ll trade out of the first round, then turning around and making a selection?
After a Boston Globe report indicated that Patriots head coach Bill Belichick would be trading the 32nd overall pick of the draft, the Patriots selected Texas defensive tackle Malcom Brown at the end of the first round.
Yep. The hoodie hoodwinked us all once again.
“At this point in the draft, the trades are really player-driven,’’ Belichick said after making the pick. “If somebody wants a player, it depends on how much they want him. We’ve studied the trade values through the years at different points — how many spots to different points in the draft and so forth — and compared that to what our drafting charts would indicate. But in the end, it’s the same as any transaction: how motivated is the buyer, how motivated is the seller.’’
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The Patriots, apparently, were more motivated to take Brown than to trade the pick. It would also seem that the Patriots got great value for their pick, given the fact that Brown was told he could be drafted as high as No. 7 overall to the Chicago Bears.
It was a classic Patriots move in more ways than one. The 6-foot-2, 320-pound defensive tackle has the ability to play multiple spots on the defensive line in either a 3-4 or a 4-3 front — versatility that is typical of a Patriots first-round pick.
“You know, I liked [playing all the positions on the defensive line],’’ Brown said. “I can play every position, I was pretty good at every position. Whereever [Belichick] wants me to play, that’s where I’m going to be and I’m going to give it my all. … I’ll play nose technique, 3-technique, defensive end. It doesn’t matter.’’
The selection of Brown marks the second straight year in which the Patriots have drafted a defensive tackle in the first round, and the fourth straight first-round pick on a front-seven defender.
Brown isn’t just another defensive lineman, though. He was a 2014 finalist for the Bronco Nagurski Trophy for the most outstanding defensive player, as well as for the Outland Trophy for the top interior defensive lineman. He was also voted a first-team All-American and first-team All-Big 12.
Brown is considered a solid two-gap defensive tackle for his ability to hold the point of attack, but he also has penetration ability to get into the backfield. He notched 13 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks, leading the team in both categories and becoming the first Texas defender to do so since 1984.
The Patriots bid farewell to Vince Wilfork earlier this offseason, and they wasted no time in hunting down his potential replacement and nabbing him in the first round.
But when asked if he had a message for Patriots fans, Brown revealed that his goals may be a bit higher than simply being Wilfork’s replacement. “You’re about to get the best player you’ve ever drafted,’’ he said. “Just be ready for when I touch the field.’’
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