New England Patriots take a chance on Caleb Farley in 7-round mock draft

Round Five

With the return of defensive leader Dont’a Hightower, the New England Patriots will see their linebacking group return to full strength with the addition of Raekwon McMillan and another year under the belt of Ja’Whaun Bentley. With a number of additional linebackers on the roster more suited to rushing off of the edge, adding an additional piece of depth in the 2021 NFL Draft would be wise to avoid a similar situation to last season in which safeties are forced into the box.

Posting an impressive 29 bench reps alongside his 4.57 40-yard dash at 238 pounds during his pro day, Barnes is undoubtedly an impressive athlete who can make an impact in coverage against mismatch targets. Having earned his way into the Boilermakers defense with special teams contributions, a similar path to playing time could be Barnes’ opportunity in New England.

Round Six

Currently possessing a collection of talent including Matthew Judon, Kyle Van Noy, Chase Winovich, Josh Uche, and Anfernee Jennings, the New England Patriots are not short of serviceable & developing edge talent. Despite this, the modern NFL demands the ability to rotate defensive pass-rushers throughout the course of a game making edge depth a valuable commodity.

Measuring in at 6-foot-3, 253 pounds, Cooper is a solidly built strongside outside linebacker who translates an impressive first step into an effective bullrush. Once into the chest of the defender, Cooper uses a combination of jabs and swipes to create space and blow past his blocker.

Possibly most valuable as a run defender in the Ohio State defense, Cooper is the type of sturdy outside linebacker with the athleticism to potentially cover in space (4.69 40) that the Patriots have come to adore. Slotted into the group of young pass-rushers keen to make an impact as depth behind Judon & Van Noy, Cooper could become yet another integral cog in the Patriots defensive machine.

Following suit with a common theme throughout his 2021 NFL mock draft, the New England Patriots use their second sixth-round selection on another swiss-army defender. Effective from multiple alignments in the Pittsburgh secondary, Hamlin was the more coverage-oriented of the Panther’s safety pairing.

Whether from centerfield or matched with a slot receiver, Hamlin uses quick-flipping hips and 4.59 speed to read & react to quarterbacks with excellent instincts. Most impressive when breaking down from zone coverage, Hamlin reacts quickly to the quarterback and wraps up receivers on impact despite only weighing in at 194 pounds.

With the versatility to be placed across the defensive backfield, Hamlin is a classic Patriots secondary prospect that can find his niche within the New England defensive system. Likely finding his way onto the roster with special teams contributions, Hamlin has a chance to become the young pairing to 2019 top selection Kyle Dugger.

Round Seven

After selecting Ole Miss speedster Elijah Moore, the New England Patriots double-down on undersized receivers in this mock draft. Despite their near-identical stature Philyor only managed a 4.57 40-yard dash at his pro day. Rather than breaking defenses vertically, Philyor has proven his value as a high-volume slot receiver.

Highlighted by an 18-catch performance against Ole Miss in the Outback Bowl, Philyor constantly keeps defenses active with rhythmic receptions around the line of scrimmage. What allows him to be so productive though is his natural feel for the defense both with and without the ball in hand.

When looking to split the seam, Philyor stems his route to find gaps in coverage. After the catch, Whop uses this same instinctual understanding to maximize his run-after-catch production. With this kind of feel for the position, could Whop replace a recently retired Patriot?