The Patriots have four of their ten picks in the laster rounds of this years draft. A place where New England has struck gold on special teams and upside players who can become starters. Here are some potential candidates for the third and final day of the NFL draft.
DE Jonathan Cooper, Ohio State
Cooper had a very promising Senior Bowl week, having the 2nd most QB pressures in the game. Another interesting stat on Cooper was that he was the highest graded defender vs ranked opponents (90.1).
Cooper also had the highest pass rush grade of the Big 10 conference (2020) joining the names of TJ Watt, Chase Young, and Nick Bosa. The two-time captain is a name to keep an eye on.
WR Simi Fehoko, Stanford
When you watch Davis Mill’s tape, it essentially becomes a Simi Fehoko highlight reel. Fehoko’s measurements stand out the most: running 4.44-second 40, 4.26-second shuttle and 6.78-second three-cone at 6’4″ 222 LB’s will greatly interest Bill Belichick.
An outside threat who has the speed and quickness to play in the slot is worth the late round gamble. There are not a lot of receivers with the physical traits that Fehoko possesses. It is more extreme comparison, but Chase Claypool drew similar conversations about him in 2020.
DE Chris Rumph II, Duke
Rumph’s stock has dramatically dropped due to his 2020 performance. In 2019, he looked to be one of the better edge rushers in all of CFB. For instance, he ranked 1st in pass rush win rate% and pressure rate, while being the 4th highest graded pass rusher in 2019. He was the second highest graded defender behind Chase Young in 2019.
His pass rush performance, win rate, and pressure rate all went down significantly in 2020 however. Bill Belichick did mention how he values the 2019 tape over 2020 tape, perhaps or guys like Chris Rumph.
K Jose Borregales Miami
Miami was one of the few pro days that Bill Belichick went to in person. Many link players like Jaelan Phillips and Greg Rousseau to Miami’s best prospects, but Borregales may be the best kicker in this years class. The highest graded kicker in 2020, Borregales has quite the resumé.
He hit all of his extra points, went 20/22 on Field Goals, (100% within 30 and 40 yards and beyond 50. He even hit a 57 yarder. Kicker is a big question mark for New England in the future.
RB Jaret Patterson, Buffalo
Patterson has had one of the quietest college careers with eye-popping production. He has had at least 1,000 yards and 14 TDs in all three years at Buffalo.Patterson has also only lost two fumbles despite averaging over 200 attempts a season.
Patterson has the most yards after contact since 2019 at 5’9″. The best stat of Patterson may be the fact that he averaged 6.9 yards per carry vs 8+ defenders in the box last season (highest in college football).
Other Mentions:
WR Josh Palmer, Tennessee
WR Dazz Newsome, North Carolina
LB Derrick Barnes, Purdue
LB Monty Rice, Georgia
DL Cameron Sample, Tulane
Rankings:
- WR Simi Fehoko
- DE Jonathan Cooper
- RB Jaret Patterson
- K Jose Borregales
- LB Derrick Barnes