Patriots NFL Draft Day 3 Live Blog: Pats Address Their Two Biggest Areas Of Need In Draft
BOSTON (CBS) — Follow along for all the Patriots-related information from Day 3 of the 2017 NFL Draft. Click here for highlights from Day 2.
5:24 p.m.: The Patriots are done drafting, picking a pair of defensive ends and a pair of tackles, addressing their two big areas of need on the depth chart.
Given they used draft picks to acquire wide receiver Brandin Cooks, defensive end Kony Ealy, tight ends Dwayne Allen and James O'Shaughnessy and running back Mike Gillislee earlier this offseason, it's hard to complain about the lack of rookies added to the roster.
We'll have much more on New England's few selections, and trades, from this weekend throughout the evening.
5:04 p.m.: With the 211th pick, the Patriots drafted UCLA tackle Conor McDermott. He's a giant at 6-foot-8 and 307 pounds, and it sounds like he can play on either side of the offensive line.
Here's his pre-draft scouting report from CBS Sports:
McDermott took over at left tackle later in the year, ultimately starting seven games at the blindside position. His game took off in 2015, with McDermott earning Second Team All-Pac-12 accolades from conference coaches, an honor he matched in 2016, earning an invitation to the prestigious Senior Bowl.
Unfortunately, McDermott struggled against speed and power, alike, in Mobile, "heightening" concerns that the big man may be a big project as an NFL tackle.
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In terms of his NFL projection, McDermott's best chance for duplicating his success at UCLA will likely be on the right side. Given that he possesses a relatively flat back side and thin legs, there is some question as to whether he will ever possess the functional lower body power to hold up to NFL bull rushers.
So the Patriots grab another offensive lineman, and it appears their day is over. They gave the 216th and 239th pick to Dallas in order to move up and draft McDermott, so they must have really liked him. We'll have to see if they try to get back into this draft, but for right now, they are done picking.
That means they made just four selections in the 2017 draft, the fewest picks Bill Belichick has made during his time with the Patriots.
5:01 p.m: The Patriots' next pick will come a little sooner than expected, as they've traded up from No. 216 to No. 211. Stay tuned.
3:43 p.m.: At this time, there are still 12 players remaining on the Felger & Mazz Big Board that have gone undrafted. The Patriots still have two remaining selections. The Packers are on the clock at pick No. 182.
3:23 p.m.: Deatrich Wise Jr. met with reporters shortly after being drafted by the Patriots in the fourth round, speaking at length about his "older brother-type" relationship with former Arkansas Razorbacks, now-Patriots teammate Trey Flowers. Here's the full transcript.
2:26 p.m.: Here's the instant reaction from 98.5 The Sports Hub's Marc Bertrand and The MMQB's Greg Bedard as the Patriots drafted Deatrich Wise Jr.:
2:00 p.m. As Day 3, Hour 3 of the NFL Draft kicks off, the fourth round is coming to a close and the Patriots hold only two more selections: No. 216 (Round 6) and No. 239 (Round 7). The Patriots acquired the 216th pick from the Chiefs as part of a trade for tight end James O'Shaughnessy.
The Patriots' 2017 draft class is on track to be the smallest in franchise history, with five total projected selections. The 2002 draft class, in which the Patriots drafted six players, is the current record-holder.
1:54 p.m.: The official Arkansas Razorbacks Twitter account tweeted at the Patriots with a video showing highlights of the Pats' fourth-round pick, defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr. Kid looks like he can get to the quarterback.
1:25 p.m.: The Patriots selected Arkansas defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr. with the 131st overall pick.
Here are Wise's strengths, according to his Draft Profile from NFL.com:
"Uncommon arm length (35 inches) with enormous hands. Terrific power in his punch and is able to jolt tackles with it. Uses brute force to set a strong edge. Can rag-doll blockers with stack-and-jerk upper body power. Effective use of arm length to keep blockers out of his frame. Heavy tackler engulfing ball carrier with full weight of his frame. Uses long strides to gain ground up the field as pass rusher. Powers through contact when he's at the edge. Legitimate bull-rush potential when pad level is good. Has frame that will accept more mass. Quick getting hands into passing lane when rush stalls. Deflected six passes over last two seasons. His "try-hard" is never in doubt. Has experience as a five-technique in Arkansas' defensive front."
12:30 p.m.: New Patriots tackle Antonio Garcia described his own playing style as "physical, athletic, just nasty."
11:41 a.m.: The Kansas City Chiefs announced on Twitter that they have traded tight end James O'Shaughnessy and the 216th pick in the draft to the Patriots in exchange for the 183rd pick.
11:40 a.m.: The Patriots reportedly exercised the 2018 fifth-year option on the contract of wide receiver Brandin Cooks, according to ESPN's Field Yates.
11:30 a.m.: As ESPN's Adam Schefter tweeted on Friday night, the Patriots have now either traded or forfeited all of their original draft picks from the 2017 NFL Draft. They start Day 3 of the 2017 NFL Draft with three selections from rounds 4-7, at No. 131, 183, and 239.
Listen live to 98.5 The Sports Hub as Marc Bertrand and Greg Bedard discuss Day 3 of the NFL Draft as it happens!
