NFL.com mock draft tabs cornerback for Patriots at No. 21 overall
"The potential loss of pending free agent J.C. Jackson could prompt the Patriots to select a scheme-friendly cover corner with outstanding skills."
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INDIANAPOLIS – As the Patriots apparently seem set on playing hardball with star defender J.C. Jackson, the cornerback position has become one of intense focus for New England heading into the NFL Combine and 2022 draft.
Insiders at the NFL Combine have tentatively confirmed Jackson’s account that the team has yet to make an offer, either in the form of a franchise tag or long-term extension, to keep the undrafted free agent-turned-All-Pro cornerback in Foxborough at this time.
That’s why NFL.com analyst Bucky Brooks has the Patriots selecting a solid, versatile defensive back in Clemson’s Andrew Booth Jr. with the No. 21 overall pick in Brooks’s latest mock draft.
“The potential loss of pending free agent J.C. Jackson could prompt the Patriots to select a scheme-friendly cover corner with outstanding skills,” said Brooks, a former NFL defensive back himself.
Booth has also been linked to the Patriots in a previous mock draft by ESPN’s Jordan Reid, who cited Booth’s instincts as both a run and pass defender and his ability to potentially start right away in the NFL.
That latter part could end up being important regardless of whether Jackson returns to the team or not.
Though New England showed it could get by with veteran cornerback Jalen Mills on the outside opposite Jackson, injuries to the cornerback room later in the season caught up to the secondary. In the Patriots’ wild-card loss, the defense even had to rely on practice-squad corner De’Vante Bausby after Mills and Shaun Wade were out due to COVID-19. Having starting-quality depth at the position can’t hurt and could provide even more flexibility in the secondary if Jackson returns.
If the All-Pro corner walks in free agency or via a tag-and-trade, however, adding another possible starter at outside corner is an absolute need. Booth’s ability to stay glued to receivers and make plays on the football in both man and zone coverages, as well as his physical tackling, could fit the bill easily.
Booth will work out with the rest of the defensive backs at the NFL Combine on Sunday.
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