New England Patriots stock up with talent in 7-round 2021 NFL mock draft

The New England Patriots find some fresh new talent in this seven-round 2021 NFL mock draft.

The New England Patriots suffered an ugly 24-3 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday Night Football, hurting their already limited playoff hopes in a big way. On the Sunday Night Football broadcast, NBC’s Steve Kornacki placed the Patriots’ postseason chances at only 6%. Simply put, the New England Patriots are extremely likely to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2008.

This Patriots’ roster has a lot of holes that simply must be addressed this offseason and finding young assets who can help them in the long term in the 2021 NFL Draft would be ideal. How can the Patriots improve through the draft this offseason? Let’s take a look, with a complete seven-round 2021 NFL mock draft for the team.

Note: This mock draft was completed using The Draft Network’s Mock Draft Machine.

Round 1, 15th Overall

If the New England Patriots are in a position to land a franchise quarterback in the 2021 NFL Draft, they need to jump on that opportunity. Cam Newton is simply not getting the job and their ceiling is limited until they figure their quarterback situation.

However, there simply was not a worthy quarterback remaining on the board when the Pats when on the clock at No. 15 overall in this mock draft. Instead of reaching for a quarterback, they address their obvious need for an offensive playmaker, adding Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith to the mix.

Smith has been absolutely incredible for Alabama this season, piling up 83 receptions for 1,327 yards and 15 touchdowns through 10 games. Smith has easily been the best wide receiver in college football this season and needs to be considered a serious Heisman Trophy candidate.

Smith is a smooth and explosive athlete who shakes defenders with ease with his route-running ability. He has a knack for getting open against both man and zone coverage and has soft and reliable hands.

The Alabama product is also an explosive deep target who kicks it into high gear in an instant and tracks the deep ball in the air extremely well. Once the ball is in his hands, Smith is at his most dangerous, showing incredible natural elusiveness that makes him nearly impossible to take down in space with a single defender.

Simply put, DeVonta Smith is an elite wide receiver prospect who undoubtedly has massive upside at the next level. The Patriots need to find impact playmakers in the passing game in the worst way and Smith would be an absolutely perfect fit.