New England Patriots: Derek Rivers presents first round value
The New England Patriots are no strangers to good value in the draft. Derek Rivers was another example of first round value for them…
The New England Patriots didn’t have a first round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. Nor did they have a second round pick. Then, when they finally came on the clock in the third round, they traded down.
It’s vintage ‘Patriots’ in the draft, as New England was content to sit tight with the investments they made in wide receiver Brandin Cooks and defensive end Kony Ealy. But even after waiting until late Friday night to make their first selection, the Patriots found a way to get a phenomenal value.
With their top selection, the 83rd overall pick in the draft, the Patriots selected Youngstown State defensive end and FCS All-American Derek Rivers, one of the top ‘sleeper’ prospects in this year’s class. Even coming from a small school, though, Rivers dominated the Scouting Combine and showed off an incredible motor off the edge.
With the ability to play both the run and pass as a defensive end or stand-up linebacker, the Patriots have found another edge defender that provides great versatility to one of the league’s most underrated defenses.
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Despite the Patriots’ success last year, the talent on the defensive front was underwhelming. Chris Long was fine as a rotational player last year, and Trey Flowers has continued to emerge as a player that can play both inside and outside. However, the Patriots traded some of their best talent off the edge in players like Chandler Jones and even Jamie Collins.
When the Patriots made those kinds of moves, it seemed like they were making wholesale changes up front defensively and that has proven to be true. This offseason, they have now added Kony Ealy (whom they are hoping returns to his 2015 Super Bowl form), Lawrence Guy, who will play more on the interior, and Rivers, who is an athletic rusher off the edge.
It’s always fun to hate on the Patriots, but it’s hard to hate on the way they build their team. They always seem to find great athletes with great value and there were many who had Derek Rivers as a first round pick in this year’s draft.
It was slightly shocking to see him fall to the middle of round three, and the Patriots ending his fall should have come as a surprise to absolutely no one.