Patriots Plan: Belichick Targeting Position or Player?

In a consensus of NFL Draft mocks, the New England Patriots will select ...

A week from now we'll be dissecting the New England Patriots' first-round draft pick. But as of today we know ... nothing?

Buried and dazed by the avalanche of mock drafts and Top 30-visits and trends and whispers and supposed "interest", at this point we could probably realistically plug in as many as 15 names to New England's 14th overall selection. Sifting through all the information - and hopefully filtering the disinformation - let's try to come up with some consensus possibilities, if not picks.

Safe to project that the Patriots will draft from certain positions, if not a particular player. Unless we're all totally lost in the weeds, their first-round pick will be a cornerback, offensive lineman or receiver.

To that end, the most popular pick across all mock drafts is Illinois corner Devon Witherspoon.

Yes, New England re-signed Jonathan Jones, Jalen Mills and Myles Bryant this offseason, and has promising 2022 draftees Marcus and Jack Jones in the secondary. But in an AFC East sporting the likes of Stefon Diggs (Bills), Garrett Wilson (Jets) and Tyreek Hill/Jaylen Waddle (Dolphins), can you really have too many cover corners?

What he may lack in size at 6-foot, 181 pounds, Witherspoon makes up for in speed, agility and ball skills. Last season he intercepted three passes and allowed only a staggeringly low 131 receiving yards.

If Witherspoon is unavailable, Penn State's Joey Porter Jr. is a viable choice.

If the Pats don't go cornerback, what about offensive tackle?

Georgia's Broderick Jones is the best educated guess. With Isaiah Wynn finally gone, the Pats need a young, ferocious, 10-year blocker to protect quarterback Mac Jones. Plan B if he's gone: Ohio State's Paris Johnson.

The Pats essentially traded Jakobi Myers for JuJu Smith-Schuster in free agency, but they are still woefully lacking playmaking weapons. Maybe 2022 draft pick Tyquan Thornton takes a big leap under new offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien, but no fan would be disappointed if they took a receiver at No. 14.

If that's the plan, Boston College's Zay Flowers is the pick.

He possesses the speed to get deep but also the toughness to make tough catches in traffic. He's a local kid, and he's bee on the Pats' radar for more than a year. If he's unavailable, North Carolina's Josh Downs is a logical option.

We expect the Patriots' pick to come from these six players. But, of course, two words of caution when trying to predict Bill Belichick on draft night:

Cole. Strange.

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