The New England Patriots entered the 2018 NFL Draft with five picks in the first three rounds, but ended up only making three picks in the first two days. In total, they came away with nine new members of the team after seven trades, all made on Days 2 & 3. Despite many expecting them to package picks to make a move up in the first round, the Patriots stayed put and drafted a pair of former Georgia teammates in offensive lineman Isaiah Wynn at No. 23 and running back Sony Michel at No. 31. The team waited until round seven to draft a quarterback despite being linked to basically every single top option available leading up to the draft.
Key win: Isaiah Wynn. The Patriots came into the draft with questions on their offensive line after the departure of starter Nate Solder and depth tackle Cameron Fleming in free agency and 2017 rookie pick Antonio Garcia an unknown after missing all of last season. Most had pegged Wynn as an interior player due to his size and length, but in 2017 he started every game at left tackle and surrendered just five pressures all year. Wynn was the 16th ranked prospect on the PFF Big Board and performed as well as any tackle in the draft.
For even more information on who the Patriots drafted and possibly some undrafted free agent players who could make the team, grab a copy of our 2018 NFL Draft Guide with expanded profiles, scouting reports, PFF signature stats and extensive details on over 300 players you cannot find anywhere else.
Round 1 (23) Isaiah Wynn, OT, Georgia, 88.1 overall grade
Wynn was PFF's No. 2 ranked guard in the draft class. However, he played 900 snaps at left tackle in 2017 and almost 1,300 snaps at left tackle in his Georgia career. In regards to where Wynn fits in on the offensive line for the Patriots, Director of Player Personnel Nick Caserio has said the five best players will play, and whether the versatile Wynn lines up at guard or tackle, he should be one of those five.
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