Inside the Patriots Draft Room: Finding the Final Pieces to Reclaim the Lombardi Trophy

Defensive Ends

After losing Rob Ninkovich to retirement and rookie Derek Rivers to a torn ACL in practice prior to the start of the regular season, the Patriots already sub-par pass rush became more of an issue. The Arkansas duo of Trey Flowers and Deatrich Wise exceeded expectations and the team signed free agent Adrian Clayborn this offseason, but there’s still room for improvement.

Only eight out of 102 graded defensive ends scored above average. The top two prospects in that group, Bradley Chubb and Harold Landry, aren’t expected to last until the Patriots first pick at number 23. If either is still on the board, Bill Belichick won’t hesitate to bring that player to New England. If both players are off the board, Sam Hubbard and Josh Sweat will be in play. Sweat’s injury history (surgically-repaired left knee) is a concern, but the need to add pass rushers makes the Florida State star a risk worth taking.

Next: Derek Rivers Out: How the Patriots Replace Their Top Pick

Highly-valued skills:

height, arm length, hand size, 40-yard dash, vertical jump, broad jump, three-cone, short shuttle (102 graded)

1. Josh Sweat (Florida State) 78.9% *also scored above average as OLB

2. Tyquan Lewis (Ohio State) 57.8%

3. Bradley Chubb (North Carolina State) 36.8%

4. Harold Landry (Boston College) 26.3% *also scored above average as OLB

5. Trevon Young (Louisville) 5.2%

Fell below the minimum threshold in one category, but still finished with a positive score:

1. Adetarami Aruna (Tulane) 26.3%

2. Zach Barnes (Texas Tech) 10.5%

2. Sam Hubbard (Ohio State) 10.5%