New England Patriots 7-round 2020 NFL mock draft: Now what?

Patriots linebackers Kyle Van Noy, Jamie Collins and Elandon Roberts will all hit the open market as free agents this offseason. While I am sure that the Pats will make these players a priority in free agency, all three of them coming back seems unlikely. Regardless, New England could certainly use an injection of youth at the position and Malik Harrison stands out as a strong fit.

Harrison is a quick and aggressive linebacker prospect who shines as a run defender. He shoots the gaps extremely well, sheds blocks at a high level and closes on the ball carrier extremely quickly. Harrison is also an extremely reliable tackler in space and shows impressive overall competitive toughness.

Right now, Harrison lacks ideal coverage skills, but he has the talent to grow into a solid player in that department as well. Harrison could come in and make an immediate impact as a run stuffer and special-teams asset for the New England Patriots.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire is an impressive natural playmaker with the ball in his hands. He is an extremely instinctive runner who works through traffic well, shows a knack for bouncing off of tacklers and has great contact balance. CEH also has good short-area quickness and consistently finishes with power.

He is a strong running back prospect who is great on the ground, but Edwards-Helaire’s ability to make plays as a receiver out of the backfield is what is particularly intriguing for the Patriots. With CEH on the field, opposing defenses would not be able to key on the running back position and know what is coming as they did in 2019.

Running back is far from a major position of need for the New England Patriots, but sometimes you just need to draft talented players. New England simply needs to find guys who can make plays on offense and LSU running back Edwards-Helaire certainly fits the bill.