As disappointing as the Patriots’ second straight 4-13 finish was last season, they went into the offseason feeling like rookie Drake Maye had established himself as a quarterback to build around.
New England spent the three-day NFL draft shoring up the infrastructure around him in a big way.
The Patriots started by using the fourth-overall pick to add some much-needed heft on their offensive line, selecting 6-foot-6, 320-pound former LSU tackle Will Campbell in an effort to improve a front five that ranked near the bottom of the NFL last season in pass-block win rate (51%) and was 31st in run-block win rate (67%).
Campbell played 37 of his 38 college games at left tackle, where he logged 2,451 snaps. He also allowed just two sacks over the past two seasons, and now he turns his attention toward protecting Maye’s blind side.
Some analysts have questioned some of Campbell’s physical attributes, such as having shorter arms than most NFL tackles. But new Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said it isn’t a concern.
"I think that’s one of the only ways that you can survive as a player in this league at the line of scrimmage. The play demeanor, the finish, the effort. ... We valued that, and we’re going to continue to value that, the ability to finish and to grind through when it gets tough is something that we’re going to be excited about. We’re going to give him every opportunity to develop and push him as fast as he’ll let us go,” he said.
Helping keep Maye upright is certainly what Campbell believes he’s being tasked to do.
“I’m going to fight and die to protect him with everything I’ve got,” an emotional Campbell said in an interview shortly after his selection.
The comment got the attention of Maye, who wrote, “Love this guy already” shortly afterward on social media.
New England didn’t stop there on the protection front, using a third-round pick to snag former Georgia center Jared Wilson, another big presence at 6-foot-3 and and 310 pounds.
The Patriots have a good recent track record with Georgia centers, coming off nine mostly durable years with former Bulldog David Andrews starting at the position.
Stacking weapons
Though the Patriots didn’t need a running back with Rhamondre Stevenson currently under contract on his rookie extension, using a second-round pick on former Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson does give Maye another versatile weapon to use in offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels’ system.
“Sometimes it’s just how the board works out,” executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf said. “We’re not necessarily drafting for need, but we’re drafting with our current roster in mind. ... Maybe the running back position wasn’t a top need, but it was certainly somewhere — we wanted to add speed to the roster."
Receiver also was a big need, even with the addition of Stefon Diggs in free agency. The Patriots added some depth in the third round via receiver Kyle Williams out of Washington State.
What about defense?
Vrabel, who won three Super Bowl rings in New England playing linebacker under Bill Belichick, didn’t neglect adding to the defensive side of the ball.
With a stated goal of building a unit that plays a more aggressive and attacking style that Vrabel favors, the Patriots spent Day 3 of the draft hunting for players that fit that mold.
They added safety Craig Woodson (California) and defensive tackle Joshua Farmer of Florida State in the fourth round, then took edge rusher Bradyn Swinson (LSU) in the fifth.
Kicking it
For the second time in three years, the Patriots used a pick on a kicker, this time making Miami’s Andres Borregales the first kicker chosen this year.
Borregales is coming off a senior season with the Hurricanes in which he made 18-of-19 field goal attempts and all 62 of his extra points. It puts him in position to win the starting job for the Patriots next season.
New England has an opening after not retaining Joey Slye in free agency. The only other kicker on the roster is John Parker Romo, who made his NFL debut in Minnesota this past season.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
By Kyle Hightower, The Associated Press
