Patriots Trade Up To Raiders’ No. 91, Draft TE Devin Asiasi
The Patriots swung a deal to move up to the Raiders’ No. 91 overall pick, bringing them back into the third round.
Patriots acquire:
- No. 91
- No. 159
Raiders acquire:
- No. 100
- No. 139
- No. 172
With the 91st pick, the Patriots selected tight end Devin Asiasi, their first offensive player of draft weekend. Asiasi offers speed and good blocking technique, but scouts say he needs to spend some time pumping iron in order to adjust to the pro game.
The UCLA product figures to play a key role for the Pats in 2020, but you can expect them to explore veteran options between now and the start of the season. Trey Burton, Jordan Reed, and Charles Clay are among the free agent tight ends still left on the market.
Ravens Trade No. 60 To Patriots
The Ravens dropped out of the No. 60 spot in the draft, dealing the pick to the Patriots. New England’s quarterback situation remains unchanged, with Michigan outside linebacker Josh Uche being the Pats’ pick.
New England traded up from No. 71 and gave Baltimore one of its four third-round picks (No. 98) to do so. The Ravens sent the Pats a fourth-rounder (No. 129) in the deal as well. The Patriots now have three third-rounders; the Ravens are up to four.
Uche functioned primarily as a pass rusher for the Wolverines, totaling 14.5 sacks over the past two seasons. He will follow former Michigan teammate Chase Winovich — a 2019 third-rounder — to Foxborough.
The Patriots lost both hybrid pass-rushing cogs Jamie Collins and Kyle Van Noy this offseason and will have a younger edge corps in 2020. Winovich is certain to be a big part of that crew; his former teammate in Ann Arbor may become an important piece soon as well.
Patriots Draft Kyle Dugger At No. 37
The Patriots went outside the box with their first pick of the 2020 draft, taking safety Kyle Dugger from tiny school Lenoir-Rhyne with the 37th overall pick.
Dugger was expected to go in the second-round so it wasn’t shocking, but he’s still a more under the radar prospect as a result of playing D2 ball. Dugger shined during Senior Bowl week, and began rocketing up draft boards as a result. He received all kinds of accolades during his college career, and was a second-team All-American in 2019 despite being limited to only seven games because of a hand injury.
At 24 he’s older than your typical draft prospect, and definitely comes with a lot of risk. Bill Belichick obviously thought it was a plunge worth taking, and it sounds like he’s got high upside. Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller listed Keanu Neal and Mark Barron as pro comps in a recent write-up.
Patriots Trading 23rd Pick To Chargers
We’ve got another trade folks. The Patriots are shipping the 23rd pick to the Chargers, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets. Los Angeles will send back picks 37 and 71, Field Yates of ESPN.com reports in a tweet.
The Chargers used the added first-rounder to take Oklahoma linebacker Kenneth Murray. Los Angeles has one of the most talented defenses in the league on paper, with a top-tier defensive line and secondary. The one weak-spot was at linebacker, so Murray will help solidify an already promising defense.
The Patriots were previously without a second-round pick and weren’t scheduled to pick again until 87, so this move makes some sense for them. Unless they surprisingly trade back into the first later tonight, the Patriots won’t be taking Tom Brady’s successor in the first-round. The Chargers already made a splash by taking Justin Herbert sixth overall, and GM Tom Telesco is staying aggressive.
There had been some talk that New England could take Utah State passer Jordan Love at 23, but that turned out to be unfounded. There were reasons to believe Bill Belichick was leaning toward adding a signal-caller in the middle rounds, and that looks to be the case.
Gronk: I Told Tom Brady I Wanted To Play Months Ago
Earlier this week, Rob Gronkowski came out of retirement and pushed the Patriots to trade him to the Buccaneers. Publicly, the tight end hid his intentions, but he says Tom Brady has known about his plans for a while now. 
[RELATED: Brady Didn’t Demand Gronk]
“We rarely talked about what his decision was gonna be, where I’m at,” Gronkowski said of their winter talks (via ESPN.com’s Jenna Laine). “But we did talk about [it] for one second. I told him that — we talked just real quick — like, ‘Hey, I’m kinda getting that fire underneath me again.’
“I said, ‘I’m definitely interested in your decision that you make.’ I didn’t put any pressure on him. I said, ‘If there’s a right opportunity out there, and you go somewhere and that opportunity is right – even if you go back to the Patriots and I feel like the opportunity is right – there’s a possible chance that I would definitely love to reconnect.'”
Brady, per Gronk, was “all fired up and juiced up” about the potential reunion. Now, they’ll look to pick up where they left off – the duo connected for 78 touchdowns across nine years together in New England. There should be plenty more to come, with better weather to boot.
Of course, this won’t be welcome news to fans in New England who were clamoring for Gronk last season. While the veteran’s 2018 campaign (47 receptions, 682 yards, three touchdowns) weren’t up to his normal standards, they still proved to be better than the numbers put up by New England’s tight ends in 2019. The Patriots got 36 receptions and two touchdowns from the trio of Ben Watson, Matt LaCosse, and Ryan Izzo last year.
Patriots To Sign Marqise Lee
The Patriots are signing wide receiver Marqise Lee, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). He’ll ink a one-year deal as he moves on to a new team in the AFC after spending the first six years of his career with the Jaguars, who released him several days ago.
New England, of course, lacked its usual offensive firepower in 2019, with veteran wideout Julian Edelman representing the team’s only reliable weapon for former QB Tom Brady. The Pats rode to the playoffs on the strength of their defense and special teams, and regardless of who is under center in 2020, they need to surround their signal-callers with more options.
The team will be returning Mohamed Sanu in 2020, but given that they gave up a second-round pick in this year’s draft to acquire Sanu, the Pats will be unable to take advantage of an unusually deep crop of collegiate receivers until the third round (assuming they don’t take a WR with the No. 23 overall selection). Sanu suffered a high ankle sprain during a punt return in his third game with New England, and he was not the same after that injury. He recently underwent surgery on the ankle, as it did not heal on its own as hoped.
Lee has battled his own injury woes over the past couple of seasons. A knee injury sidelined him for all of the 2018 season, and he battled ankle and shoulder maladies in 2019. But he totaled 1,551 receiving yards between 2016-17, leading all Jags targets in that span, and if healthy, he represents a quality vertical weapon who would nicely complement Edelman, Sanu, and second-year player N’Keal Harry.
No contract details are available at this time, but it is almost certainly a modest deal for the USC product, who hopes to reignite his career in Foxborough.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Draft Rumors: Hurts, Giants, Jags, Tua
With the draft in less than 24 hours, several names have started to surface as potential first-round upsets. It would not surprise some around the league to see TCU wide receiver Jalen Reagor and Notre Dame tight end Cole Kmet end up as first-round picks, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com notes. The Eagles have surfaced as a Reagor candidate; the TCU product clocked two sub-4.3-second 40-yard dashes recently. The tight end class is not viewed to be nearly as strong, but an AFC coach said Kmet’s landing spot will likely be in the back end of the first round or start of the second.
Notre Dame pass rusher Julian Okwara and Ohio State cornerback Damon Arnette profile as players who could sneak into Round 1, per Pelissero. One exec compared Romeo Okwara‘s younger brother to an Anthony Barr type who could rush passers and drop into coverage. Julian Okwara registered 12 sacks over the past two seasons. Arnette would join Jeffrey Okudah as a first-rounder in this instance and follow a host of recent Buckeye corners by being a Thursday-night draftee. Arnette started 38 games in his Ohio State career.
Here is the latest from the draft world:
- While Jalen Hurts is not expected to creep into the first round, Pelissero notes some NFL personnel believe he will go higher than most predict (Twitter link). So will Minnesota safety Antoine Winfield Jr., Pelissero adds. ESPN’s Mel Kiper has Hurts going off the board at No. 49 overall to the Steelers; Scouts Inc. grades the dual-threat quarterback as its No. 94 overall prospect. The Packers, Chargers and Raiders are among the teams believed to be interested. Winfield (29th per Scouts Inc.) is a second-generation NFLer, the son of former Vikings Pro Bowl corner Antoine Winfield. The younger Winfield intercepted seven passes last year and is also seen as a player who, like his father, could move into the slot.
- Ex-Hurts teammate Tua Tagovailoa is “very well-regarded” in New England, per Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston. However, Curran also believes the scenario NBC Sports’ Peter King suggested of the Patriots moving up to No. 13 (the 49ers’ slot) to draft a falling Tagovailoa doesn’t make much sense for the team, due to the Pats’ various other needs. Tagovailoa may now be back in play for the Dolphins at No. 5 anyway.
- Buzz has surfaced about the Giants having a trade partner. While it is not certain the Jaguars are that team, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports tweets several GMs have pointed to the Giants moving down from No. 4 and the Jags climbing up from No. 8. The Giants are believed to be serious about wanting to move down. Although the Jaguars are believed to be planning to give Gardner Minshew a legitimate opportunity, JLC speculates a move up would be for a quarterback.
- This draft could well see five tackles taken in the first round. With Hall of Fame executive Gil Brandt listing Ezra Cleveland as a player who will go higher than expected, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo adds that the Boise State tackle is a “mortal lock” to be chosen in Round 1 (Twitter link). The Browns were believed to be eyeing Cleveland, which would be a fun fit. If they pass on a tackle at No. 10, the Browns may need to consider making an early move back into Round 1 for the rising player.
Dolphins Rumors: Herbert, Tagovailoa, Thuney
With ~24 hours to go until the NFL Draft, the Dolphins have succeeded in their mission to confuse everyone in the football world. Here’s the latest on what the Dolphins might be thinking at No. 5, plus more from South Beach:
- If the Dolphins choose anyone other than quarterback Tua Tagovailoa with the No. 5 pick, it’ll come as a surprise to ESPN’s Jeff Darlington based on what he’s been hearing (Twitter link). This, of course, comes after weeks of reports that the Dolphins have shifted their attention to Oregon’s Justin Herbert, who perhaps offers a higher floor and lower ceiling at QB. They’ve also spoken with the Lions about No. 3 with interest in trading up for an offensive tackle.
- Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald recently speculated that the Dolphins could explore a trade for Patriots offensive lineman Joe Thuney. Later on, a Dolphins source confirmed to Salguero that they are indeed fans. It could be a situation to keep an eye on – the Patriots have lots of holes to fill, the Dolphins could use the help up front, and they’ve got the draft capital to get a deal done. Thuney is set to play on the franchise tag this year, which means that the ‘Fins – or any other club with interest – would have to consider the cost of a long-term deal.
- As we noted earlier today, Salguero also hears that the Dolphins passed Tagovailoa on his physical in February.
Patriots Trade Rob Gronkowski To Bucs
Rob Gronkowski is ready to make his NFL return and he’ll do it with Tom Brady as his quarterback. The Patriots have agreed to trade Gronk and a seventh-round pick to the Buccaneers in exchange for a fourth-round pick. The trade is still pending a physical, but all of the pieces are in place for Gronkowski to suit up in TB, with TB.
Gronkowski, soon to be 31, told the Patriots that he wanted to return to football – just not with them (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). Rumors have swirled about the superstar tight end taking his talents to Tampa for months. Now, it’s happening. Gronk will pick back up where he left off with one season and $10MM left on his deal. Gronk has a $9MM base salary due in 2020, with the other $1MM available through workout and roster bonuses.
Gronk has passed his physical and the deal is now official, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Greg Auman of The Athletic tweets that the fourth-rounder Tampa is giving up is the No. 139 overall selection, which is a compensatory pick. The Bucs still have their own fourth-rounder, No. 117 overall.
Although Gronk spent his prime tied to a contract he expressed frequent dissatisfaction with, he plans to honor it in Tampa, agent Drew Rosenhaus notes (via Rapoport, on Twitter). This deal goes all the way back to 2012, when the Patriots agreed to a six-year, $54MM deal with a player who would become an all-time great. For the time being, Gronkowski will remain tethered to that contract.
The future Hall of Famer said this week he was not “totally done” with football. He’s made a slew of “never say never”-type comments ever since his retirement, but this turned out to have legs.
Brady lobbied hard to have Gronkowski on the Bucs, per Rapoport, who adds Gronk has also been adding weight in preparation for an NFL return, Rapoport notes (on Twitter). The return-and-trade transaction is an unusual one, but it’s not without precedent. Back in 2017, the Raiders and Seahawks agreed on a trade involving Marshawn Lynch, allowing the running back to return to the NFL with his hometown team after a one-year hiatus.
As Gronk made notable inroads in the WWE, the Patriots sorely missed their top weapon. Brady struggled for much of last season, and the Patriots did not come close to filling the void the four-time All-Pro created when he retired over a year ago. It’s a fascinating deal, because the Patriots obviously need Gronkowski more than a Bucs team that rosters O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate does.
Gronkowski has dealt with numerous injuries throughout his career, with back trouble limiting him late in his Patriots tenure. But the Bucs are now set to pair Pro Bowlers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin with the most dominant tight end of this generation. Even if Gronk has ceded that belt to either Travis Kelce or George Kittle, he still stands to be a difference-making presence for a Bucs team that has now added the highest- and second-highest-profile members of the second leg of the Patriot dynasty.
A Gronk-Howard-Brate setup would seem untenable, with Brate also signed for $6.8MM per year. One year remains on Howard’s rookie deal, though he can be controlled through 2021 via the fifth-year option. Another trade should be expected, one that would stand to help the Bucs add a draft pick to make up for the one they’re losing by acquiring Gronkowski. Even before this, there were rumblings of Howard being available.
The Patriots still do not feature much at tight end, but they have engaged in Gronk trade talks previously. They were close to dealing him to the Lions two years ago, but Gronkowski nixed it by indicating he’d retire instead of going to Detroit. With Brady now a Buccaneer, Gronk OK’d a deal to the NFC this time around.
The Bucs said no to a Brady-Antonio Brown partnership, but they have green-lit a Brady-Gronk reunion. Either way, this figures to generate immense publicity for a team that has not made the playoffs since 2007. Conversely, with no surefire Brady successor in place and Gronk now on another team, the Patriots feature major questions for the first time in decades.
Long Almost Signed With Falcons
- Had Chris Long not signed with the Patriots in 2016, the Falcons would have been his choice, the recently retired defensive end said during an appearance on FS1’s First Things First (via NBC Sports Boston). Chris Long visited the Falcons during an offseason that saw other teams pursue him as well. However, Long’s father, Hall of Famer Howie Long, advised him to choose the Patriots because of their winning pedigree. The Patriots ended up beating the Falcons in overtime in Super Bowl LI. Chris had spent his first eight seasons with the Rams and never been to the playoffs. With the Patriots in 2016 and Eagles in 2017, Long ended up winning two Super Bowls.