Greetings,
Many people requested a breakdown of the Patriots draft picks so I went and got help from an old friend. Meet Jack Shapiro ~Crowd Cheers~
Here are some quick facts about Jack. He is bad at Madden (I destroyed him with Hail Marys), he is good at all sports {JACK IS AN ELITE QUARTERBACK}, and closely follows the whole NFL. Even though he likes the Ravens, being in New England he is surrounded by Patriots fans. He reads The Boston Globe almost every day~ (which is filled with Patriots news).
This year the Patriots are like a crumbling castle: once a dynasty but slowly crumbling and falling. In comparison the Rams are like a person that’s knocking on the door but can’t get in the house. These two teams faced off in the 2019 Super Bowl with the Patriots coming out on top. This year I think the Rams will have a better season than the Patriots.
Here is the Ram Report take on New England's 2020 Draft Class:
Day One Grade (Round 1): B-
The Patriots had the No. 23 pick in Round 1, and then traded the selection to the Los Angeles Chargers for No. 27 (second round) and No. 71 (third round) overall. The Patriots used a strategy in this draft to trade away their two mediocre picks for another team's good pick and bad pick. In my opinion, this was a bad choice because they had a chance for a really good defensive back or linebacker but instead they took a solid defensive back and a solid linebacker.
~Jack
Day Two Grade (Rounds 2-3): C/C-
Kyle Dugger (2nd Round) is a 6/1" 220-pound Strong Safety/Punt Returner from Lenoir-Rhyne College. He's very athletic and fast. He posted a 4.49 40 yard dash, a vertical jump of 42" and a broad jump of 11'2" at the NFL Combine. Dugger is an interesting pick in the second round considering he's a Division 2 prospect (The NCAA ranks divisions based on school size and talent, most prospects are in Division 1). Because of this many people DO NOT like this pick because he is unproven against very good talent..
I question this pick even though he's an elite player in division 2, he just has to prove he can play against very good talent.
~Jack
Josh Uche (2nd round) is a 6'1" 241-pound outside linebacker from the University of Michigan. While he was injured for the combine he had an awesome senior year. He was named defensive player of the year at Michigan. Uche had two tackles, a 13-yard sack, forced a fumble and broke up a pass against Middle Tennessee State last year. The Patriots might have lost a lot of their big playmakers but they are not done, most of their draft picks have had awesome senior years.
Uche also was a two-time All-Big Ten honoree so he shouldn't have a problem adapting to their defense. The pick has upside as Uche is a solid player in a much needed position.
~Blitz War
Anfernee Jennings (3rd round) is a 6’ 2” 256-pound Outside Linebacker from the University of Alabama. He chose not to do many things at the combine but did put up good senior numbers. With these stats, he was named an All-SEC First Team selection by both coaches and the Associated Press, and was Top 5 for the Butkus Award, presented annually to the nation’s top linebacker.
With his position versatility and good run-stopping, he could turn into a solid player for the Patriots who lost a lot of their better defensive players this year. He and Josh Uche are both guys that could make a difference in a much needed position for the Patriots.
~Jack
Devin Asiasi (3rd round) is a 6’3” 257-pound Tight End out of the University of California Los Angeles, he is very athletic and has a great vertical jump of 30.5 inches, he came up with a 4.73 40 yard dash in the NFL Combine. In 2019 Asiasi recorded career-highs across the board with 44 catches, 641 receiving yards. Although he might not be the best tight end Draft, in his senior year he was a beast at UCLA.
When he was with Dorian Thompson-Robinson at UCLA the duo was great. Thompson-Robinson was a very good match with Asiasi and the two were clutch together considering they were both very good individual players. Now it's all up to Asiasi to adapt to the Patriots team and Quarterback Jarrett Stidham, who’s starting for the first time this year. This is a good pick as it gives the Patriots a solid tight end to fill a much-needed position.
~Blitz War
Dalton Keene (3rd round) is a 6’ 4” 251-pound Tight End from Virginia Tech. The Patriots have a lot of tight ends who are all trying to replace Gronk, with all of those tight ends they are trying to find a solution for their situation. He is another guy that could contribute to the team. This is an interesting pick because they took Asiasi the pick before and Keene is the 4th tight end on the depth chart.
~Jack
Day Three Grade (Rounds 4-7): B-/B
- Justin Rouhwasser, K, Marshall-5th round, No. 159 overall
- Michael Onwenu, G, Michigan- 6th round, No. 182 overall
- Justin Herron, OT, Wake Forest- 6th round, No. 195 overall
- Cash Maluia, LB, Wyoming- 6th round, No. 204 overall
- Dustin Woodard, C, Memphis- 7th round, No. 230 overall
These five players were picked late in the draft. Rohrwasser is important because he will be the starting kicker this year. Onwenu, Herron, Woodard, Maluia are all players to add depth to the roster.
Overall Draft Grade: C+/C-
Best Pick: Devin Asiasi. Last year in the wake of the loss of Gronk the Patriots could not find a solution at Tight End. Asiasi is an underrated player who could do a lot more good than bad for the Patriots this year.
Worst Pick: Kyle Dugger. Kyle Dugger is a bad pick in my opinion considering the Patriots are rebuilding after the loss of Tom Brady and needed to use the first pick on a great PROVEN player. Not an unproven good Division 2 player.
~Blitz War and Jack
