New England Patriots mock draft: Following up a huge free agency

The New England Patriots didn’t like the lingering taste of finishing in third place, did they?

The Buffalo Bills looked like one of the best up-and-coming teams in the NFL last season while the Miami Dolphins’ rebuilding timeline seemed to be accelerated substantially.

The New England Patriots, in their first year of the post-Tom Brady era, not only finished in third place in their division but they also watched Brady hoist the Lombardi Trophy without them.

Not to mention, Gronk was there. Ouch.

The sting of all that went down for the New England Patriots in 2020 prompted a spending spree in 2021 free agency unlike any before it for this franchise.

Bill Belichick got so many new players to coach in 2021, you have to wonder how it’s all going to come together. Cam Newton returns as the quarterback, but he will have a much better supporting cast in 2021 with a number of key players that opted out in 2020 coming back along with a borderline expansion roster of key free agent acquisitions:

• TE Jonnu Smith
• TE Hunter Henry
• EDGE Matt Judon
• WR Nelson Agholor
• LB Kyle Van Noy
• DL Davon Godchaux
• DL Henry Anderson
• DB Jalen Mills

The New England Patriots also traded for a familiar face in right tackle Trent Brown, who will help solidify the offensive line.

Cam Newton has to be thrilled, but the work is not yet done for the Pats. They currently have 10 draft picks to play with and while they could be aggressive in moving up for Cam Newton’s long-term replacement (Justin Fields or Trey Lance) they could also stay put and continue loading up this roster around him.

Here is a seven-round mock draft scenario for the New England Patriots after a big free agency period.

New England Patriots 2021 mock draft

If not QB, where do the New England Patriots go in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft?

That’s a bit tough to say because at pick number 15 overall, they are slightly in no-man’s land.

The demand for quarterbacks and pass catchers ahead of the Patriots’ pick does not bode well for their specific team needs, but there should be a very good defensive talent on the board when the Patriots are on the clock.

One player that has gone underrated throughout the process is Northwestern cornerback Greg Newsome, who matches just about every top cornerback when it comes to production and athletic metrics.

Although many fans may scoff at this pick because Newsome hasn’t gotten the fanfare of Patrick Surtain II or even Caleb Farley or Jaycee Horn, he’s probably every bit as good of a prospect with as high (or higher) of a ceiling.

New England has a history of doing great work developing cornerbacks and Newsome has CB1 written all over him.