Here are the best (and worst) Patriots draft grades
A majority of experts praised Bill Belichick's draft. A few did not.
Following the Patriots’ 2018 draft, it’s clear that virtually every prediction was wrong. Few (if any) mock drafts had New England taking Isaiah Wynn and Sony Michel in the first round.
And after all of the hype that the 2018 NFL draft would be the one where the Patriots found an heir to Tom Brady, Bill Belichick elected to only select a quarterback in the last round.
Still, having made nine selections in total, it was a productive draft for the defending AFC champions. Here’s a look at the best and worst Patriots draft grades from 2018.
The best
Andy Benoit, Sports Illustrated: A+
The grade…has nothing to do with the trades and everything to do with a once-again Super Bowl ready franchise having the wisdom to build around its legendary MVP QB rather than taking guesses at how to one day replace him.
There’s not many sub-6-foot-3 tackles in the NFL. But Wynn’s length and athleticism allowed him to excel at the position with the Bulldogs, and there’s no reason to think he can’t be a solid player there in the NFL. He also plays with a nasty streak. Just another four-year, high-character player for Bill Belichick. His college teammate, running back Michel, will join him in Foxboro. Michel has the versatility to be a star in the Patriots’ system, working as a receiver and slashing through defenses as a runner. On Day 2, the Patriots made only one pick, but moved down a couple of times to get fourth-round picks and Chicago’s 2019 second-round pick. They also swapped third- and fifth-round picks for 49ers right tackle Trenton Brown. They did select Dawson, a slot corner and trouble-maker for receivers, trading away a fourth-round pick to Tampa Bay to select him. He’ll contribute right away. New England traded out of the fourth round to pick up a 2019 third-round pick. Bentley and Sam were picks the Patriots needed to make to aid the second level of their defense. Berrios was the perfect New England pick on Day 3. He’s a quick slot receiver who will fight for passes from Tom Brady. Picking Etling in the seventh round based on his physical traits made sense, though his college resume was not spectacular.
Wynn is as technically sound a lineman as there is in this draft. He gave up just five pressures on 330 pass-blocking snaps at left tackle in 2017, per Pro Football Focus. It will be interesting to see where he plays in the NFL, though: Most see a lack of length (he’s 6-foot-3 with just 33 ⅜ -inch arms) forcing a move to the inside, but because of his quick feet and innate understanding of angles, it wouldn’t too surprising if he ends up at either tackle spot for New England, which is an obvious need. In either case, he’s a good player and a solid value at this spot.
The worst
Tyler Sullivan, 247 Sports: B-/C+
Overall a B grade does seem a bit generous from our standpoint. Again, this will take some time to figure out if this draft is actually a success for New England or not, but for us a B-/C+ is roughly where the Pats placed over the weekend.
One of the main questions about this draft is what they are getting Georgia lineman Isaiah Wynn. If he is truly looked at as a potential starting left tackle in this league, then things start to lean over towards Prisco’s grade. If he’s a guard, then the selections seems rather puzzling. For starters that would mean they still have a big question of who will replace Nate Solder at left tackle and it would seems like they’d have a logjam at the guard spot with Joe Thuney and Shaq Mason returning as starters from 2017.
Philip Heillman, Daytona Beach News Journal: C
The Patriots came into the draft loaded with resources and in clear need of game-changing talent on a defense that was shredded in the Super Bowl. Didn’t happen. Tackle/guard Isaiah Wynn is a versatile piece on the offensive line, but there isn’t much sizzle to slot cornerback Duke Dawson or linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley. Ask new Jaguars receiver DJ Chark if Danny Etling has any chance to be an NFL starter. (No.)
The Patriots kept making trades, pushing some of the picks to next year. That’s generally smart. The picks they did make weren’t slam dunks. Assuming Isaiah Wynn can play left tackle (he doesn’t have ideal height and many thought he’d be an NFL guard), that should be a good pick. The first-round selection of running back Sony Michel, ignoring some defensive needs there, was curious. The Patriots might be the best team in the league at identifying cheap running back talent and it seemed strange they’d invest a first-round pick in one. Cornerback Duke Dawson isn’t considered a can’t-miss NFL starter, but the Patriots needed cornerback depth. And the Patriots previously traded picks for veterans like Danny Shelton and offensive tackle Trent Brown, which helps. Bill Belichick’s moves could pay off down the line, but it’s hard to get excited now.
