With the Senior Bowl practices wrapped up for the week, the New England Patriots have had a closer look at a bunch of NFL Draft prospects. While head coach Bill Belichick wasn’t present in Mobile, Alabama, members of the Patriots scouting departments were there taking in practice and interviewing prospects.
Among those prospects that were interviewed was Alabama quarterback Mac Jones, who could be in play at pick #15. This Senior Bowl mock draft will only include players that were present at the Senior Bowl, and will be based on the assumption that New England isn’t able to address the starting quarterback spot through trade or free agency.
Pick #15 – Mac Jones, QB, Alabama
Pick #46 – Hunter Long, TE, Boston College
Pick #96 (projected comp pick) – Marvin Wilson, IDL, Florida State
Pick #116 – Shi Smith, WR, South Carolina
Pick #134 (projected comp pick) – Aaron Robinson, CB, Central Florida
Pick #140 (projected comp pick) – Spencer Brown, OT, Northern Iowa
Pick #155 – Charles Snowden, LB/EDGE, Virginia
Pick #185 – Paddy Fisher, LB, Northwestern
Pick #188 – Trevon Grimes, WR, Florida
Pick #236 – Chris Evans, RB, Michigan
New England has multiple holes on the roster that they’ll need to address during the NFL Draft. Mac Jones is the top of the “second tier” of quarterback prospects, and the only one likely to be considered for teams drafting in the middle of the first round. He had an impressive week of practice, showing off his patented accuracy during team and 7-on-7 periods.
If New England is able to secure Jones at pick 15, they’ll need to surround him with young weapons. Shi Smith is a pure slot receiver with explosiveness and consistent separation, while Trevon Grimes is a steady and technical boundary receiver. In this scenario, they would pair with Boston College tight end Hunter Long as a formidable and versatile set of weapons for Mac Jones to develop alongside.
On top of that, the current Patriot wide receiver and tight end rooms desperately need the talent infusion for whoever is behind center in 2021 and beyond.
The rest of this haul hits every level of the defense, including prospects such as Marvin Wilson and Charles Snowden who can provide pass rushing from the interior and edge, respectively. Snowden has an impressive physical profile at 6’6 and 232 pounds with a wingspan of 6’10.
Northwestern’s Paddy Fisher would immediately be one of the better run-stopping linebackers on the Patriots roster, which was an area that the defense struggled last season. Central Florida cornerback Aaron Robinson is a pesky press cornerback who could act as insurance as Stephone Gilmore enters the final year of his contract.
Offensively, Spencer Brown (who stands 6’8 ½ and 314 pounds) could be a starting offensive tackle with the right development, and Michigan running back Chris Evans has promising pass-catching traits for a projected late-round draft pick.
