Before we even get into who the Patriots pick, we need to understand how we got here. I personally have been looking forward to this particular draft for 2 years now. Belichick preaches value at all cost, in the draft, in free agency and everything else, but his philosophy is never more evident than on draft weekend. It’s infuriating to fans when he constantly trades out of his higher picks but in the end, value ultimately equates to better players at a better cost for a longer period of time. This is the equation Belichick is working with. It’s all about accumulating smaller assets and turning them into bigger assets at a more opportune time. They can afford to do that because they are such a good team, and they are such a good team because they can afford to do that. It's the Belichick catch-22. The same people who get frustrated every time Belichick trades away a first round pick don’t seem to get frustrated when the Patriots win another division title, year after year. Does he miss in the draft sometimes? Absolutely, everyone does, but he misses in a smart way. He never misses in a way that will cripple the franchise for years to come, or misses in a way where the Patriots will be paying some asshole for 5 years to do nothing (Vernon Gholston springs to mind but the list is long for other, less intelligent teams).Two years ago, the Patriots were presented with a dilemma. Actually they foresaw a dilemma in the future and decided to deal with it in a proactive manner. They couldn’t keep both Richard Seymour and Vince Wilfork, it wasn’t financially feasible to tie up that kind of salaries in their defensive line. To Belichick, it made more sense to make the deal with Oakland and suffer the consequences for a years and then use that draft pick to select the next Richard Seymour with a high first round draft pick. The Richard Seymour who will be 10 years younger and locked up under a rookie contract for 6 years. I thought it was brilliant. Did the Pats suffer in the short term? Absolutely. But look at how the Patriots are now set up. They had one of the best drafts in franchise history last year, I’d argue the best they ever had in terms of sheer number of quality players selected. Devin McCourty, Brandon Spikes, Jermaine Cunningham, Rob Gronkowski, and Aaron Hernandez all contributed in big ways to a 14-2 team last year, and I didn’t even mention rocket-legged Zoltan Mesko. That’s crazy, and what’s crazier is that there’s no bigger leap for NFL players than from year 1 to year 2. These guys will only get better, and the Patriots have so much ammo in the draft this year that if they do half as well as last year they will be stocked and completely rejuvenated for Brady’s last 5 years in the league.
Back to the Seymour trade. I am of the mind that there is no way pick #17 won’t be on the defensive side of the ball. When the Pats, under Belichick, select high in the draft, their philosophy is to come away with a disruptive, blue chip defensive force. In 2001 they took Richard Seymour #6 overall even though all the experts were crying for them to take David Terrell and give Bledsoe a receiver that would stretch the field. In 2008 they traded up for Jerod Mayo, who was under the radar but became the defensive rookie of the year and just quietly led the NFL in tackles this year. Well guess what, it’s one of those years again, and the Patriots will come away with a dominant defensive force in the first round one way or another that will alter games. This year, I’ve believed all along it’s going to be Ryan Kerrigan from Purdue.
(INSERT OFFENSIVE NAME) #17 OVERALL MOCK DRAFT PICK:
RYAN KERRIGAN - DE, PURDUE
Kerrigan has been a beast his entire career at Purdue, and he’s the exact type of player the Patriots love. He was always known as a great character guy who gives 110% every time he steps on the field. The Patriots tend to target guys who were captains of the college teams, (Darius Butler, McCourty, Brandon Spikes, Mesko, etc.) and Kerrigan is widely regarded as one of the best captains in the history of Purdue football. However, as the draft process has unfolded he has shed the label of “hard-working, over-achiever” and become widely regarded as one of the best d-line prospects in the entire draft. At the combine in Indianapolis, he turned everyone’s head with a 4.67 40, which was the second fastest time for any defensive lineman.
The thing that really separates this kid though is that he represents something the Patriots have lacked the last few years - a playmaker on the defensive side of the ball. He has a Big Ten record for most forced fumbles in a career (14) and is second all-time at Purdue with 33.5 sacks. He also has 57 tackles for loss in his college career, a very impressive number. He also has the size that the Patriots covet in the Outside Linebacker/Defensive End position, measuring in 6’ 4’’ with weirdly long arms, a la Willie McGinist. Kerrigan is the perfect Patriot and would address a huge area of need. Now all that being said Belichick is probably going to draft some safety from Russia or something.
Entire Mock Draft:
- Carolina Panthers - Marcell Dareus
- Denver Broncos - Patrick Peterson
- Buffalo Bills - Cam Newton
- Cincinnati Bengals - A.J. Green
- Arizona Cardinals - Blaine Gabbert
- Cleveland Browns - Julio Jones
- San Francisco 49ers - Von Miller
- Tennessee Titans - Nick Fairley
- Dallas Cowboys - Prince Amukamara
- Washington Redskins - Jake Locker
- Houston Texans - Robert Quinn
- Minnesota Vikings - J.J Watt
- Detroit Lions - Tyron Smith
- St. Louis Rams - Aldon Smith
- Miami Dolphins - Mike Pouncey
- Jacksonville Jaguars - Cameron Jordan
- New England Patriots - Ryan Kerrigan
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