Occasionally we see draft do-overs when enough time has passed to know which picks were good and which were bad. The sleepers go first, the busts go later, etc.
These are silly posts, because it often takes into consideration the team's current situation, and not where they were at the time of the draft.
So let's take it one more step and do a draft do-over for the draft that just happened and change the picks before anyone plays a game.
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The rules:
- I'll only take players who were on the board when the Patriots selected.
- I'll do every pick the Patriots ended up using, not the ones they had entering the draft. For example, the first pick is No. 37, not No. 23.
- If I pass on a guy, I'm not allowed to imagine they fell to the Patriots' next pick and take them then.
Here we go...
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No. 37 — Cole Kmet, TE, Notre Dame (S Kyle Dugger)
Y'all were some crybabies about the Dugger pick. I liked it. I think he'll be really good and this will be the modern day version of the Jamie Collins pick.
That said, neither Dugger nor any defensive back in the second round (#trackrecord) would have been my pick. Instead, it would have been Kmet. Instead of taking the top tight end in the class, the Pats rolled the dice in the third round with a pair of middle-of-the-pack prospects.
I'm not saying Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene will be bad, but I am saying only one of the nine tight ends Bill Belichick has drafted for the Patriots after the second round has been good so far, and we don't talk about him anymore. I would have set my sights higher at that position.
No. 60 — Josh Uche, OLB, Michigan (LB Josh Uche)
This pick would be different if the Jets didn't take Baylor receiver Denzel Mims with the pick before, but I'm cool with the Uche selection.
It was a little surprising they passed on Wisconsin outside linebacker Zack Baun, but I get why the Patriots would prefer Uche. He seems like a super athletic pass-rusher who's just (just?) lacking coaching and experience. The Patriots' situation at linebacker suggests he'll be getting that.
No. 87 — Devin Duvernay, WR, Texas (LB Anfernee Jennings)
Not my favorite receiver, but he's a speedy slot guy. The Ravens were afraid the Patriots were going to take him one pick before Baltimore did at No. 92. Here's John Harbaugh reacting to the Pats taking Devin Asiasi instead.
No. 91 — Adam Trautman, TE, Dayton (TE Devin Asiasi)
Sure, I just noted how poorly the Patriots have done with tight ends outside of the first two rounds, but this was a lot of people's No. 2 tight end in this draft. Hell, Walter Football, a long running draft outlet, had Trautman as the best tight end in the class. Coming away with the top two tight ends would have been a get for the Pats.
No. 101 — Davion Taylor, OLB, Colorado (TE Dalton Keene)
Speed and athleticism were the name of the game with some of the Pats' picks, but not the Anfernee Jennings pick. Taylor, meanwhile, is an physical specimen.
NFL.com's scouting report for Taylor: "At best, he develops into a playmaking starter after two or three years. At worst, he should be a plus special teams talent fairly quickly." Isn't that Belichick's dream?
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No. 159 — Tyler Johnson, WR, Minnesota (K Justin Rohrwasser)
Even if you were angry that people sought clarification on the tattoo (which was a very reasonable ask), Rohrwasser was a very questionable pick for the fifth round. He was projected to go undrafted (Walter Football did not have him ranked in their top five kickers) and had a red flag on top of that. This pick is one of the instances that should remind us that the whole Belichick value thing is overstated. If they liked the player, why not take him in the seventh?
Now, as for Johnson, NFL.com says the 6-foot-1, 206-pounder has "rare ball skills and instincts as a ball-winner." Pro Football Focus called his selection by the Bucs two picks after this one of the biggest steals of the draft.
No. 182 — Jake Luton, QB, Oregon State (G Michael Onwenu)
He's a giant quarterback and it's the sixth round. Why the hell not?
No. 195 — Justin Herron, G, Wake Forest (G Justin Herron)
Keep this pick. I obviously have not even close to a clue as to whether he can play, but I like getting an interior lineman.
No. 204 — Rodrigo Blankenship, K, Georgia (LB Cassh Maluia)
The Patriots like Georgia so much. So why didn't they like the top-rated kicker in the class? Was it the glasses? Do they not like their kickers to have a personality? Here's what they could have done: take Blankenship here, and then...
No. 230 — Justin Rohrwasser, K, Marshall (C Dustin Woodard)
So I broke my own rule, but whatever. This guy would have been here. More importantly, two kickers in the same draft class BABAY!!!!! The Pats care about special teams so much, why not get two of the best you can find to duke it out in camp?
That would bring the Patriots' 2020 draft class to:
No. 37: Cole Kmet, TE, Notre Dame
No. 60: Josh Uche, OLB, Michigan
No. 87: Devin Duvernay, WR, Texas
No. 91: Adam Trautman, TE, Dayton
No. 101: Davion Taylor, OLB, Colorado
No. 159: Tyler Johnson, WR, Minnesota
No. 182: Jake Luton, QB, Oregon State
No. 195: Justin Herron, G, Wake Forest
No. 204: Rodrigo Blankenship, K, Georgia
No. 230: Justin Rohrwasser, K, Marshall
