Patriots Day Two Draft Grades
After a controversial day one, the Patriots had a pretty successful second day in this year’s draft. It’s clear that the Patriots’ front office is taking this draft very seriously, as this could guide New England’s future. Let’s take a look at the Patriots’ draft moves on day two. After each breakdown, there will be a grade.
Trade-Up
Patriots Receive: 50th pick
Chiefs Receive: 158th and 54th picks
The Patriots and Chiefs make yet another draft-day trade on Day two, but this time New England moves up. This makes it evident that Belichick wanted some trade-up ammunition in the second and third rounds when he traded back from 21 to 29 on Thursday night.
Plus, the fact that they only traded up four picks means that there was someone that would not be on the board at 54, but was when the Chiefs were picking at 50. This brings us to our next draft day move…
Grade: A-
Round 2, Pick 50 – Tyquan Thornton, Wide Receiver, Baylor
With the 50th pick, the Patriots took Tyquan Thornton, the wide receiver from Baylor. The trade-up for him proved to be necessary, as wide receivers were selected with three of the next four picks. Thornton is an intriguing prospect, as he ran an unofficial 4.21 40 time, which would beat John Ross’ 4.22 current record. He also has an impressive 36.5″ vertical.
It’s safe to say that New England picked an incredible athlete in Tyquan Thornton, which is exciting for an offense that has lacked speed recently.
Tyquan Thornton had a pretty good year last season, with 946 yards on 61 receptions and nine touchdowns. Although he probably won’t have even close to that much production in his rookie season, Thornton could still be useful as a deep threat in the Patriots’ offense.
His speed could be huge for Mac Jones’ deep ball development, which would add some much-needed dimension to the Patriots’ offense. However, at 6’3″ and 180 lbs, there is a size concern. But an off-season in the weight room can fix that. Plus, his speed makes up for most size issues anyway. This is an important selection for the Patriots’ offense, as Tyquan Thornton could be their next franchise wideout. Grade: A
Round 3, Pick 85 – Marcus Jones, Cornerback, Houston
With the 85th pick, the Patriots took Marcus Jones, the cornerback from Houston. After losing Stephon Gilmore and J.C. Jackson in less than a year, the New England cornerback room took a big hit. Hopefully, Marcus Jones will grow into a starting role very soon, since the Patriots need help at the position as soon as possible.
The Houston defensive back had a very good season in 2021 when he recorded 36 solo tackles, 13 deflected passes, five interceptions, and one forced fumble.
At 5’8″ and 174 lbs, Marcus is on the smaller side of most NFL cornerbacks. But with the veteran presence of Malcolm Butler in the locker room, Marcus Jones’ development could be speedy. He will most likely play as a slot cornerback with the Patriots due to his size, but will still likely be an important contributor to the New England defense.
It’s rare that Belichick misses on a cornerback pick, and it seems like this one will be successful.
Grade: B+
Trade-down
Patriots Receive: 137th and 2023 third-round pick
Panthers Receive: 94th pick
This appears to be a very smart trade by New England. Make the Panthers – who obviously wanted a specific player – overpay on a trade-up. To put it in perspective, the Broncos sent their 96th pick to the Colts for 179 and a 2023 third-rounder.
It’s safe to say that the Colts will be a much better team than the Panthers next season, so our third-round pick next year could be pretty valuable. It’s always good to think about future drafts, and our draft capital for next year just got stronger. Grade: A+
Conclusion
Overall, the Patriots had a great second day of the draft. They added a deep threat for their developing quarterback and brought in some help to their struggling secondary. Plus, the Patriots have plenty of day three selections, which could improve with the inevitable trade of N’Keal Harry. New England also received a future pick to help with next year’s draft. Kudos to the Patriots’ front office on a successful day two!
Overall Grade: A-
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