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2023 NFL Draft: Making sense of Patriots' Day 2 strategy, and Day 3 targets

Phil Perry
·6 min read
3

Perry: Making sense of Patriots' defense-heavy draft, and Day 3 targets originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Let's try to wrap our brains around what we saw the Patriots do on Friday.

Standing Pat

First, there was no trade up the board. By trading down and landing Christian Gonzalez, one of the consensus top players in the draft -- at a premium position and a position of need in Foxboro -- they also picked up an extra fourth-round pick from Pittsburgh. That gave them chips, director of player personnel Matt Groh said, to maneuver on Day 2 if they so desired.

They didn't, apparently. Or they did, and they couldn't get a deal done.

Curran: Shades of Vince Wilfork in Patriots taking Gonzalez at 17?

It's worth pointing out since the Falcons made a very reasonable move up in the second round -- from No. 44 to No. 38 -- in order to take one of the top tackles remaining: Matthew Bergeron. The Syracuse product felt like an easy fit for the Patriots culture. He would've given them an option at a position of need. But perhaps Bill Belichick felt differently.

A similar move up the board could've yielded them one of the top boundary receivers in the entire draft class: Jonathan Mingo. The Ole Miss playmaker went one pick after Bergeron. And so, just like that, two of the top players at positions of need -- positions that were relatively thin in this year's draft -- in New England were taken.

BPA Day

Next observation? If the Patriots couldn't (or didn't deem it necessary to) land a tackle or wideout at No. 46 overall, the next best thing might've been to find an ultimate scheme fit at a premium position in the second round. Best. Player. Available.

That is Georgia Tech edge defender Keion White, identified as a Patriots fit after former Patriots edge defender Rob Ninkovich described to Next Pats what his old team needs to see from draftees at that spot.

White -- who ran a 4.71-second 40 at 6-foot-5, 285 pounds -- checks all kinds of boxes for Belichick.

Patriots Draft Grade: 2nd Rd pick Keion White

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"Really smart," said one AFC defensive line coach. "Can do what (Deatrich) Wise does. Line up on the edge and inside, too. This guy is tough. Good motor. Big. Fast. Good production... Could kick inside and play next to (Christian) Barmore when (Josh) Uche comes on the field."

Through their first two selections, despite missing out on good players at positions of need earlier in the second, the Patriots had added two highly-regarded pieces on the defensive side of the ball.

According to NFL Media's Daniel Jeremiah, both Gonzalez (No. 10) and White (No. 28) were top-30 players. Per analytics site Sports Info Solutions, Gonzalez (No. 8) and White (No. 29) were rated similarly. It's my understanding the Patriots liked White enough that he was in the mix for them as a first-round choice.

Marte on the way

Then came Round 3. Still no trade up, the Patriots let their four fourth-rounders marinate untouched all night. Surprising. Maybe even more surprising was the player taken with the No. 76 overall selection: Sacramento State safety Marte Mapu.

Mapu played on a defense that was coordinated by Patriots defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington at the Senior Bowl, injured his pec, and was unable to do any athletic testing prior to the draft.

But he's a favorite for some evaluators who like versatility and explosiveness that can be deployed in a variety of roles defensively.

"New England took my guy," one NFC linebackers coach said. "Big upside. Played nickel and safety. Really smart. Has a lot of position [flexibility]. Big hitter. Really tough."

Next Pats: Patriots NFL Draft Day 2: Loving the picks but hating the strategy | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube

Given Belichick's affinity for players who fit the mantra of "the more you can do," the Mapu pick isn't a surprising one. But it does seem to hit a position the Patriots already have stocked.

Kyle Dugger, Adrian Phillips and Jabrill Peppers all remain on the roster and seem to fit the type of role that would be concocted for Mapu. He's not a Devin McCourty replacement, in all likelihood, though he did perform a variety of on-field tasks as a collegian.

What about the offense? Pass-catchers like tight ends Tucker Kraft of South Dakota State and Darnell Washington of Georgia and receivers like Josh Downs of North Carolina and Tyler Scott of Cincinnati and were on the board when Belichick made the Mapu pick. But instead of trying to force a need -- in a year when the tackle and receiver classes are thin -- Belichick sat tight and got Mapu. Good player. Good fit.

But I could understand having some qualms with Belichick securing a player who may be a fourth box safety for 2023. In the third round. Even a less-heralded offensive tackle like Carter Warren from Pitt -- who is flying under the radar but some coaches love his skill set -- may have satiated those wondering why the offense hasn't been a greater focus this week.

Belichick noted after Day 2 that it just so happened that his team went with three defensive players with its first three picks, adding that the bulk of his team's signings in free agency were on the offensive side. He's not wrong, of course. But by bypassing most of the offensive talent in the class, it'll be up to perhaps the biggest offseason acquisition of the offseason -- Bill O'Brien -- to be the tide that lifts all boats.

Let's get to our best available for the Patriots on Day 3, providing links to our Prototypical Patriots series along the way so you can find out more about each of the names mentioned here...

Wide receiver

  • Tyler Scott, Cincinnati

  • Charlie Jones, Purdue

  • AT Perry, Wake Forest

  • Justin Shorter, Florida

  • Andrei Iosivas, Princeton

  • Bryce Ford-Wheaton, West Virginia

  • Matt Landers, Arkansas

  • Cody Chrest, Sam Houston State

  • David Durden, West Florida

  • Thayer Thomas, NC State

Offensive line

2023 NFL Draft Highlights: OL Dawand Jones - Ohio State

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  • OT Dawand Jones, Ohio State

  • OT Nick Saldiveri, Old Dominion

  • OT Carter Warren, Pitt

  • OT Blake Freeland, BYU

  • IOL Jon Gaines, UCLA

  • IOL Chandler Zavala, NC State

  • IOL Sidy Sow, E. Michigan

Tight end

  • Zack Kuntz, Old Dominion

  • Payne Durham, Purdue

  • Blake Whiteheart, Wake Forest

Running back

  • Roschon Johnson, Texas

  • Eric Gray, Oklahoma

  • Israel Abanikanda, Pitt

  • Kenny McIntosh, Georgia

  • Chris Rodriguez, Kentucky

Edge defender

  • Ali Gaye, LSU

Safety

  • Daniel Scott, Cal

  • Jason Taylor, Oklahoma State

  • Brandon Hill, Pitt

  • Gervarrious Owens, Houston

  • Jordan Howden, Minnesota

Linebacker

  • Noah Sewell, Oregon

  • Ventrell Miller, Florida

  • Isaiah Moore, NC State

Cornerback

  • Darius Rush, South Carolina

  • Cory Trice, Purdue

  • Cameron Mitchell, Northwestern

  • Terell Smith, Minnesota

  • Starling Thomas V, UAB