In a major head scratcher of a move, the New England Patriots have released 2014 1st round pick Dominique Easley, per CSNNE's Tom Curran. Easley finished his first two seasons on the injured reserve, in addition to suffering two torn ACLs in college, and apparently the Patriots were done with waiting.
This is a major surprise for a couple reasons.
First, Easley was regarded as a top 10 prospect if he hadn't suffered his second torn ACL in college, so the Patriots were hoping that he would be back at full strength by his sophomore season in the NFL. New England isn't giving him a third season, which is crazy for a first rounder.
Second, Easley was looking extremely good in his sophomore season, leading the league in pass rushing productivity from the defensive tackle role, per Pro Football Focus. He suffered a quad injury late in the year, but wasn't considered to need surgery to return.
Third, Easley was versatile and even helped out at defensive end during the team's run at Super Bowl XLIX.
More to come on why the Patriots cut ties so early on a promising prospect. The fact that the Patriots weren't able to trade him with three years left of control (two more years and a 5th option year) says a lot about Easley's perceived value around the league.
Easley joins Johnny Manziel as the only two first rounders from the 2014 draft to be released from their original team. The Patriots take on a $3.6 million cap hit in 2016, which adds to this extremely questionable decision with cap space at such a premium. There has to be something else below the surface.
Defensive tackle is now a need for the Patriots in the draft.