Inside the Patriots Draft Room: Finding the Final Pieces to Reclaim the Lombardi Trophy
Defensive Tackles
Questions remain up front on the defensive side of the ball, most notably at defensive end, but also in the middle of the defensive line. The team elected not to re-sign Ricky Jean-Francois and had all but cut ties with Alan Branch during the 2017 season. To fill those holes on the roster, the Patriots traded a third-round pick in the 2019 draft to the Cleveland Browns for Danny Shelton and a fifth-round pick this year. Shelton may not have lived up to his potential in Cleveland, but he did start 45 games over the past three seasons for a team that was never even close to playoff contention. A change of scenery could be exactly what he needs in order to maximize his potential.
Shelton should see plenty of playing time alongside Malcom Brown when the Patriots go to their short-yardage packages, but there’s still a lack of depth at the position. Lawrence Guy and Vincent Valentine are holdovers from last year, but neither player has been very consistent in New England. Using a third, or even second day pick at the position certainly isn’t out of the question. Fortunately for the Patriots, 28 prospects scored positively from this year’s defensive tackle class, giving the team plenty of options throughout the draft. Leading the pack is local product Folorunso Fatukasi, who is expected to be selected in the middle rounds.
Highly-valued skills:
height, weight, arm length, vertical jump (135 graded)
1. Folorunso Fatukasi (Connecticut) 86.6%
2. Bilal Nichols (Delaware) 73.3%
3. Nathan Shepherd (Fort Hayes State) 66.6%
4. Jullian Taylor (Temple) 60%
5. Trenton Thompson (Georgia) 40%
5. Vita Vea (Washington) 40%
7. B.J. Hill (North Carolina State) 33.3%
7. Du’Vonta Lampkin (Oklahoma) 33.3%
7. Harrison Phillips (Stanford) 33.3%
7. Henry Mondeaux (Oregon) 33.3%
7. Kendal Vickers (Tennessee) 33.3%
7. Kingsley Opara (Maryland) 33.3%
7. Sebastian Joseph (Rutgers) 33.3%
7. Taven Bryan (Florida) 33.3%
7. Tomasi Laulile (BYU) 33.3%
7. Tyler Lancaster (Northwestern) 33.3%
17. Matt Dickerson (UCLA) 26.6%
18. Bruce Hector (South Florida) 20%
18. James Looney (California) 20%
18. Justin Jones (North Carolina State) 20%
18. Kellen Soulek (South Dakota State) 20%
18. Mike Ramsay (Duke) 20%
18. Nick Thurman (Houston) 20%
18. P.J. Hall (Sam Houston State) 20%
18. Andrew Brown (Virginia) 20%
Next: Andrew Brown, DL, Virginia: 2018 NFL Draft Scouting Report
26. Jamar King (Alabama) 6.6%
26. Kendrick Norton (Miami, FL) 6.6%
26. Maurice Hurst (Michigan) 6.6%
26. Nifae Lealao, Jr. (Vanderbilt) 6.6%
Fell below the minimum threshold in one category, but still finished with a positive score:
None