New England Patriots trade up for talented QB in 7-round NFL mock draft
Round 3, 96th overall
Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. IDL. 3. player. 817. LSU. Tyler Shelvin
The New England Patriots struggled to replace run-stuffing defensive tackle Danny Shelton this past season and will now have interior players Lawrence Guy, Adam Butler and Deatrich Wise Jr. hitting free agency this offseason. Replacing players like Shelton and Guy is not going to be easy, but Tyler Shelvin out of LSU feels like a strong fit on the inside.
Shelvin is a massive interior defensive line prospect (listed at 6-foot-3, 346 pounds by LSU) who is a constant disruptive force in the middle of the field. Shelvin is a tremendous run defender who displays incredible raw strength, good instincts against the run and fantastic block-shed ability. He is never going to dominate as a penetrating player on the inside but Shelvin eats up blocks extremely well and that is what the Patriots love out of their interior defensive linemen.
Round 4, 120th overall
OT. East Carolina. D'Ante Smith. 4. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. player. 932
While the unexpected rise of sixth-round rookie Michael Onwenu did save them a bit, the New England Patriots struggled through with less than ideal offensive line depth this past season. Onwenu was absolutely fantastic at both tackle and guard for the team, filling in wherever the Patriots needed him. No matter how this offseason goes up front, the Patriots should be looking for opportunities to add quality offensive line depth throughout the 2021 NFL Draft.
In the fourth round of this mock draft, D’Ante Smith stands out as a strong value pick who would undoubtedly help their offensive line situation going forward. Smith is an extremely experience left tackle prospect who displays impressive athleticism for an offensive lineman. He fires off of the ball quickly and is at his best when he is out in space.
Smith has exciting upside as a pass protector and does a nice job of taking care of business at the second level in the run game. Smith shined against high-level competition in the Senior Bowl and should be looked at as a high-upside left tackle prospect in this game.