3 possible trades for the Patriots, according to an ESPN analyst
ESPN's Bill Barnwell showed how New England might trade up and trade down in this year's draft.
In his mock draft published Wednesday, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell identified three possible trades the Patriots could make in the first round of this year’s NFL Draft.
Deciding to buck convention, Barnwell focused solely on trades each team might make in his version of a mock draft, rather than which players would be selected at each spot.
Using just the 31 picks in the first round, he had a trade for each team, but some, like the Patriots, were involved in multiple swaps throughout his mock.
In recent weeks, New England has been linked to wide receivers, cornerbacks, offensive tackles, and even a quarterback at their No. 14 slot, but very few mock drafts have them trading away their selection.
Barnwell’s piece has the Patriots trading up once and down twice. Bill Belichick doesn’t often trade up in the draft, but when he has — like when he did for Rob Gronkowski — it’s worked out well.
Here’s a look at the moves Barnwell thought up for the Patriots, and why.
Trading Up
In their only trade to move up in the draft order, Barnwell has the Patriots swapping places with the Titans while also tossing in a late-round selection. The exchange would give New England the No. 11 pick as well as No. 147, while Tennessee gets No. 14 and No. 76.
Barnwell sees this move as a way for the Patriots to get their receiver one pick in front of the Texans, who are desperate for help at the position. He also said that Belichick may opt to go offensive tackle here a few spots ahead of the Jets, who will also be looking to upgrade there.
Trading Down
When it comes to moving back in the draft, Barnwell found two spots where New England could slide down into the 20s.
The first he chose was a trade with the Chargers to move back to the No. 21 slot. The Patriots would send the No. 14 pick and No. 135 in exchange for the first rounder and the No. 54 selection.
At this spot, Barnwell thinks that some of the top receiver talent will still be available for New England, like Boston College’s Zay Flowers or Tennessee’s Jalin Hyatt.
The other option for the Patriots, according to Barnwell, would be to move all the way back to No. 29, swapping first rounders with the Saints while adding the No. 40 pick.
Barnwell identified this trade because of how often New Orleans decides to trade up and how often New England moves down. He said if the Patriots don’t have an offensive tackle they love at the spot, they can just slide back and take a corner or receiver later on.
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