Pats Could Use 2019 Draft Haul To Land QB
- There are plenty of mixed feelings on the Patriots‘ 2018 draft class, but as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com observes, the team has a bevy of early picks in the 2019 draft (six selections in the first three rounds). While some have wondered why New England did not draft a signal-caller who could be the heir apparent to Tom Brady, Reiss says the Pats were very aggressive in scouting this year’s crop of QBs but ultimately felt the starting-caliber options did not fall far enough to pursue and did not want to overdraft a backup-type. Reiss, though, believes New England could use their 2019 draft haul to land its QB of the future.
Eagles Acquire No. 233 Pick From Patriots
The Super Bowl LII opponents made an 11th-hour deal. Never averse to trade down, the Patriots moved out of the No. 233 position by trading the pick to the Eagles.
New England will receive Philadelphia’s No. 250 selection as well as a 2019 seventh-round pick, Jeff McLane of Philly.com tweets.
The Eagles selected offensive lineman Jordan Mailata, an Australia native and rugby player, with what is now their final 2018 draft choice. Philadelphia made five picks in this year’s draft — beginning at the No. 49 spot — and the last two were tackles. Four of the defending Super Bowl champions’ five selections came on Day 3.
Patriots Deal No. 198 Choice To Chiefs
The Chiefs just made a pick at No. 196 but have moved up to the No. 198 position, thanks to a trade with the Patriots.
Kansas City continued to add to its front seven, selecting Tennessee defensive tackle Kahlil McKenzie. This is the fourth front-seven pick the Chiefs have made thus far this weekend. Kahlil McKenzie is the son of Raiders GM (and fellow former Tennessee and NFL defender) Reggie McKenzie.
Two Chiefs seventh-rounders — Nos. 233 and 243 — will go the Patriots as a result of this trade. McKenzie will join Derrick Nnadi as interior defenders bound for western Missouri.
All six of Kansas City’s 2018 picks have gone to address the defense, which makes sense considering the established starters all over their offense and DVOA having measured the AFC West champions’ defense as the No. 30 unit last season.
Lions Acquire No. 114 From Patriots
The Patriots are wheeling and dealing. ESPN’s Mike Reiss reports (via Twitter) that New England is sending pick No. 114 to the Lions. The Patriots acquired that selection earlier today in a deal with the Browns. Detroit will be sending a 2019 third-rounder to New England, according to Reiss (on Twitter).
The Lions have used the pick on defensive lineman Da’Shawn Hand. The Albama product compiled 27 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, and three sacks during his senior season. He’ll provide head coach (and former Pats defensive coordinator) Matt Patricia some depth on the defensive line.
The Patriots have been might busy this weekend, as they’ve already pulled off six trades. Reiss believes that these moves are an indication that Bill Belichick is planning on sticking around for the foreseeable future (Twitter link).
Browns Acquire No. 105 From Patriots
The Browns and Patriots have completed a trade. Kyle Kelly of The Browns Wire tweets that Cleveland has acquired the No. 105 pick. ESPN’s Field Yates reports (via Twitter) that the Patriots will receive No. 114 and No. 178.
The Browns have used the pick on Florida wideout Antonio Callaway. The receiver had a number of transgressions leading up to the draft, including a diluted drug sample, a sexual assault allegation, a misdemeanor marijuana citation, and involvement in a credit-card scam.
Still, the prospect was plenty productive during his collegiate career. He missed the entire 2017 campaign due to suspension, but he hauled in 54 receptions for 721 yards and three scores during the 2016 campaign.
Patriots Move Up, Get Bucs’ No. 56 Pick
Before the draft’s Day 2 hit the two-hour mark, the Patriots have a three-trade night. Per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link), New England is moving back up — to the No. 56 spot — and Tampa Bay will receive compensation.
The Bucs will receive an additional fourth-round pick (No. 117) for moving down and sliding into the Pats’ No. 63 spot, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. The Patriots, who moved back twice via two other trades with NFC teams tonight, are taking Florida cornerback Duke Dawson.
Playing in a Gators secondary that in 2016 housed Teez Tabor, Quincy Wilson and Marcus Maye, Dawson played a bigger role as a senior in 2017 and intercepted a career-high four passes. This marks the seventh cornerback taken thus far.
Dawson marks the second corner the Pats have added this offseason, following Jason McCourty to New England. He’ll join a corner corps that lost Malcolm Butler via free agency.
Patriots Trade No. 51 Choice To Bears
After standing pat with both of their first-round picks, the Patriots are up to their usual tricks on Day 2 of this draft.
The Pats are sending their No. 51 overall pick to the Bears, Jeff Howe of The Athletic tweets, and they’ll acquire a 2019 second-round choice to do so. Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets the Pats will receive the ’19 Round 2 choice and a Chicago fourth-rounder (No. 105) in this year’s draft.
The Bears will use the higher draft slot to select Memphis wide receiver Anthony Miller, who dominated American Athletic Conference competition the past two seasons. Miller posted back-to-back 1,400-plus-yard seasons and totaled 32 receiving TDs in that span.
New England has now traded down twice in the second round, sending both picks to NFC North teams. The Lions moved up to select Kerryon Johnson earlier in this second round.
Miller will join a nearly completely revamped Bears wideout corps, following Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel and Bennie Fowler to the Windy City.
Patriots Deal No. 43 Pick To Lions
Former coworkers Bill Belichick and Bob Quinn have made a deal. The Lions have moved into the No. 43 spot, and the Patriots will slide down in the second round, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).
New England will acquire picks 51 and 117, per ESPN.com’s Field Yates (Twitter link). The Pats entered the draft without a fourth-round pick; they now own one.
With the pick, the Lions drafted running back Kerryon Johnson. The Lions have struggled on the ground for a while now, and they’re bringing the Auburn-developed back to attempt to re-route their ground attack.
Johnson will join a backfield corps that includes Ameer Abdullah and LeGarrette Blount. He represents the franchise’s biggest investment at this position since Abdullah came to Detroit via 2015 second-round selection.
49ers Trade OT Trent Brown To Patriots
The Patriots have acquired offensive tackle Trent Brown from the Niners. The deal will see Brown and the No. 143 overall pick head to New England in exchange for the No. 95 overall selection, according to Adam Schefter and Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link). 
Brown passed his physical and that was more than a formality in this case. The 49ers reportedly had concerns about Brown’s shoulder after offseason surgery (and his conditioning), so the Patriots had to confirm that he was good to go before making things official.
Brown graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 21 ranked tackle in the NFL last season. He also scored as one of the ten best pass blocking tackles in the league, but the Niners were looking for a tackle who performs better against the run.
The Patriots acquire Brown as he enters his contract year, which could give him some extra motivation to perform. The 49ers were unwilling to extend Brown’s deal, which helped bring about the trade (and the drafting of his replacement).
Brown projects to pair with top Pats draft pick Isaiah Wynn at tackle, though LaAdrian Waddle and Matt Tobin are also in the fold.
Patriots Notes: Brown, Evans, Ragnow
Some news on a potential Patriots trade target + more out of New England:
- The Patriots will have to do their medical homework on tackle Trent Brown before pulling off a trade for him with the 49ers. Brown was terribly out of shape at minicamp and San Francisco has reservations about him coming off of shoulder surgery, Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com (on Twitter) hears. The Niners’ concerns over Brown prompted them to select Mike McGlinchey with the No. 9 pick.
- The Patriots had interest in linebacker Rashaan Evans at the No. 23 pick and the Steelers were looking to trade up to get the Alabama product, Cameron Wolfe of ESPN.com tweets. Ultimately, the Titans gave up a fourth-round pick to move up three spots and leapfrog two AFC rivals. Tennessee also received a sixth-round pick in that swap.
- The Patriots also had Frank Ragnow as a top target at No. 23 overall and tried to move up to get him, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press hears. The Bengals also had the Arkansas center as a top target, but the Lions pounced on the opportunity to take him at No. 20 overall.