New England Patriots: Positions of need for the 2021 NFL Draft
By Ian Higgins
2021 NFL Draft need: Kicker
2020 Starter: Nick Folk
2019 was the beginning of an issue in New England that plagues so many organizations, kicking woes. Stephen Gostkowski had already begun to decline ever since his extra-point miss at the beginning of the 2015 AFC championship game against the Denver Broncos (which eventually forced a two-point conversion which cost the game).
Once Gostkowski was no longer in the picture due to injury, Belichick picked through the depths of released veteran kickers, and eventually settled on former New York Jets kicker Nick Folk.
These woes carried on under Folk through 2019, encouraging Belichick to use one of his coveted middle-round selections on Justin Rohrwasser in the fifth round. Little was known by the general public about the Marshall besides a 53-yard game-winner in the rain over Western Kentucky. This individual performance alongside impressive accuracy in his senior season was enough for Belichick to veer away from the veteran-pool.
Rohrwasser never panned out though, and Folk as well as any veteran-kicker will have a limited ceiling. If Belichick is willing to go back to the collegiate well, Florida kicker Evan McPherson currently places at the top of his position in the 2021 NFL Draft class thanks to an outstanding resume.
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McPherson has missed one PAT and converted on 89.5% of field goals in the past two seasons. More recently, McPherson converted from 27, 33, and 55 yards in Florida’s victory over Ole Miss. With this said, don’t rule out another placekicker on the Patriots draft haul this year.