NFL.com mock draft has Patriots selecting elite LB prospect
Utah's Devin Lloyd might not last until the Patriots' No. 21 overall pick. But if he does, NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah suggests he's too good for Bill Belichick to pass up.
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With the No. 21 overall pick, there aren’t that many paths for the Patriots to select a truly blue-chip prospect in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Though some mock drafts suggest New England might have a chance to take a star receiver like Ohio State’s Chris Olave or Alabama’s Jameson Williams, those scenarios require the luck of having those players fall to them in the draft (even for Williams, who was the best receiver in college football before tearing his ACL).
Interestingly, NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah suggests the Patriots could benefit from just that kind of luck in his most recent mock draft ahead of the NFL Combine next week. His pick: Utah linebacker Devin Lloyd, who has a claim as the best college player at his position this year.
“Lloyd is long and athletic,” Jeremiah wrote. “He’ll be a tremendous asset in the Patriots’ pass defense.”
That’s what we like to call “understatement.” In fact, Lloyd might just be the most complete linebacking prospect in the draft, showing forth every tool in his arsenal during a standout 2021 season with Utah.
“This is your modern middle linebacker,” his Pro Football Focus scouting report reads, comparing him to San Francisco All-Pro Fred Warner. “He’s the guy who you will never have to take off the field on passing downs and can execute whatever role you want him to between the tackles.”
If you want a New England comp, think a younger Jamie Collins: a player with elite athleticism and ball skills with the ability to make plays wherever you line him up.
Though Utah primarily used Lloyd as an off-ball linebacker, the team also used his size and strength on the edge at times as a stand-up outside linebacker or even as a hand-in-the-ground defensive end with surprising pass-rushing moves to get to the quarterback.
Also, while he doesn’t necessarily have elite quickness, his long-striding speed is more than enough to chase ball-carriers sideline to sideline and deliver a heavy blow when he arrives.
On paper, it seems crazy to think such a player could fall all the way to the Patriots’ No. 21 overall pick. Then again, some projections indicate Lloyd currently might be within striking distance for Bill Belichick, Matt Groh, and New England’s war room. NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks also likes the fit for Lloyd in Foxborough, sighting his “Swiss Army Knife” skillset.
A massive NFL Combine performance from Lloyd, of course, could nix any possibility he drops that low in the draft. But if Lloyd does somehow end up in a Patriots uniform, Belichick will have found a defensive cornerstone on which to build for years to come.
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