Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots had a very successful draft. After spending a ton of money in free agency and nailing the draft the Patriots are ready to compete again. They added tight ends Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry, giving weapons to Cam Newton or Mac Jones, and signed linebackers Matthew Judon and Kyle Van Noy to bolster their defense this season.
After these key offseason moves the Patriots should make a big jump this season. They had as close to a perfect offseason as you can get. With the great free agency to the stellar draft, the Patriots are ready to go this season.
With that being said, here are the three best moves they made during the 2021 NFL Draft.
3. Drafting Christian Barmore in the second round
New England traded up in the second round to select Barmore with the 38th pick in the draft. The defensive tackle should be a great player for them. His size and explosiveness give him the potential to be a future star in the league. He has the ability to be a run stopper while also providing a pass rush. His versatility on the line gives them an even better defense. Paired with the signings they made Barmore could be a core piece of this New England defense for years to come.
2. Drafting Ronnie Perkins in the third round
In the third round, the Patriots added a very effective edge rusher. Perkins looks to be a steal at this point of the draft. With the struggles at getting pressure last season, New England definitely improved that position.
The @Patriots select edge rusher Ronnie Perkins (@7avageszn) with the 96th pick!
📺: 2021 #NFLDraft on NFLN/ESPN/ABC pic.twitter.com/BOrAT6s1qj
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) May 1, 2021
They already had Chase Winovich and Josh Uche but have now added Judon, Van Noy, Barmore, and Perkins. Perkins was a three-year starter in college and was a very productive player. He is great at getting sacks and tackles for loss. He had 24 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks in his last 19 games. He should be able to make an impact at the next level for the Patriots.
1. Getting Mac Jones in the first round
What a perfect way to start off the draft. It was no secret that the Patriots were in the quarterback market even after re-signing Cam Newton in the offseason. While many predicted New England to trade up to draft the quarterback of the future, Mac Jones fell to them at pick 15. It was a perfect scenario for Belichick and the Patriots to have as they now have their quarterback for the future. Jones had a phenomenal season as he finished top three in Heisman voting and won the National Championship at Alabama.
Here’s a little taste of what the Patriots are getting in Mac Jones 👀👀 https://t.co/mldamYiKoB
— Pats Buzz (@PatsBuzz) April 30, 2021
His precise accuracy will make it easy for him to translate to the NFL level. Although he is not a mobile quarterback like Cam Newton, Belichick is used to building around guys like that. After having Tom Brady for 20 seasons, having another pocket quarterback will not be an issue. While he may not be the next Tom Brady, he has the potential to be a franchise quarterback. Jones won't have to start right away but will likely play at some point this season.
With a great free agency and draft from New England, they are set up for a great season after missing out on the playoffs last year.
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