{"id":11031,"date":"2024-11-21T17:36:16","date_gmt":"2024-11-21T17:36:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=11031"},"modified":"2024-11-21T17:36:16","modified_gmt":"2024-11-21T17:36:16","slug":"surprise-pick-in-new-espn-mock-draft-gives-patriots-legitimate-strength","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=11031","title":{"rendered":"Surprise pick in new ESPN mock draft gives Patriots \u2018legitimate\u2019 strength"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<nav aria-label=\"articleLabel\">\n<ol id=\"articleLabel__list\"><\/ol>\n<\/nav>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div aria-live=\"polite\">\n<article id=\"arc-LZ6KO5SHVNCQLDBUSN3FA3HGGM\" data-type=\"article\">\n<div>\n<figure>\n<div>\n<div><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.masslive.com\/resizer\/v2\/MWZPROUMFZFEXIKYZELLDJKLD4.jpg?auth=0582232c912d07b828abafde126f045dea4859dc560740453cf10fd216e5e319&amp;width=500&amp;quality=90 500w\" media=\"(max-width: 500px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.masslive.com\/resizer\/v2\/MWZPROUMFZFEXIKYZELLDJKLD4.jpg?auth=0582232c912d07b828abafde126f045dea4859dc560740453cf10fd216e5e319&amp;width=800&amp;quality=90 800w\" media=\"(max-width: 800px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.masslive.com\/resizer\/v2\/MWZPROUMFZFEXIKYZELLDJKLD4.jpg?auth=0582232c912d07b828abafde126f045dea4859dc560740453cf10fd216e5e319&amp;width=1280&amp;quality=90 1280w\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.masslive.com\/resizer\/v2\/MWZPROUMFZFEXIKYZELLDJKLD4.jpg?auth=0582232c912d07b828abafde126f045dea4859dc560740453cf10fd216e5e319&amp;width=500&amp;quality=90\" sizes=\"auto, 50vw\" alt=\"Surprise pick in new ESPN mock draft gives Patriots \u2018legitimate\u2019 strength\" width=\"300\" height=\"600\" \/><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption>Michigan defensive back Will Johnson walks off the field after an NCAA college football game against Southern California in Ann Arbor, Mich., Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo\/Paul Sancya)AP<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p id=\"RIRA2J2QG5HBJLY43EWYICPX2Q\">What if the New England Patriots go defense in the top 10 of the 2025 NFL Draft?<\/p>\n<p id=\"CDQB2EFORFCKLF632FJJRUWWNM\">That\u2019s the possibility explored by ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller in his latest mock draft projection Thursday. While the Patriots have glaring needs at wide receiver and offensive tackle, Miller had them taking a cornerback &#8212; Michigan\u2019s Will Johnson.<\/p>\n<p id=\"3APFYIPJ2JDSLBYXE34J3RPBKQ\">Here\u2019s Miller\u2019s analysis of his projection of New England landing Johnson with the No. 6 pick:<\/p>\n<p id=\"Q5UYMNH4UVFFLO6MH6RO3RLGHQ\"><i>\u201cLeft tackle is an important need for the Patriots, but the offensive tackle class isn\u2019t strong beyond Kelvin Banks Jr. So instead of reaching, the Patriots could fill another need at corner with Johnson, my top-rated prospect in the class. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Johnson fits the mold of Pat Surtain II, showing excellent ball skills and the physicality to hang with NFL wide receivers. He has been limited by injuries this season but has two interceptions, both of which were returned for touchdowns. Pairing Johnson with 2023 first-rounder Christian Gonzalez would give the Patriots a legitimate spot of strength on defense, and having two top corners on rookie contracts would give New England flexibility to build around them.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<p id=\"W2OOJUZL6NHO7MTZXKQ3DZW2TA\">As Miller mentions, the top tackle in this 2024 NFL Draft class is Texas\u2019 Kelvin Banks, who he has going to the Jaguars at No. 3. Meanwhile, Miller has a pair of top receiving talent coming off the board at No. 2 (CB\/WR Travis Hunter at No. 2 and Luther Burden III at No. 5).<\/p>\n<p id=\"UEMRHAY4LZBLNPYJGQCOVCCPNA\">Plenty can change between now and the draft in April, including New England\u2019s draft position. But as things stand, the Patriots might not have a crack at this year\u2019s top offensive tackle. That\u2019s an issue, since there\u2019s an apparent gap between Banks and the next tackle on the board.<\/p>\n<p id=\"M2K62DCE75HMNKGP7OR6BGMAIM\">After Banks, the next offensive lineman taken is fellow Texas tackle Cameron Williams at No. 16. Meanwhile, LSU\u2019s Will Campbell (who was previously considered the top OL this year) is projected to go at No. 17, with Miller speculation that Campbell could bump inside to guard.<\/p>\n<p id=\"SXDFMLA37ZGCDKB6O3WWLNXGYM\">Wide receiver could still be a possibility for the Patriots. This is a strong class for the position. Miller had Arizona\u2019s Tetairoa McMillan going to the Panthers at No. 8<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and\/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What if the New England Patriots go defense in the top 10 of the 2024 NFL Draft?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":11032,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11031","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Surprise pick in new ESPN mock draft gives Patriots \u2018legitimate\u2019 strength - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=11031\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Surprise pick in new ESPN mock draft gives Patriots \u2018legitimate\u2019 strength - 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