ESPN Mel Kiper's 2nd mock draft of the season makes a lot of sense. I have no real problems with it. The best part, in my opinion, is how much value will probably still be on the board at the end of the 2nd round when the New England Patriots will be making their first selection.
Kiper sent offensive tackle Ronnie Staley to the Dolphins, pass rusher Kevin Dodd to the Bills, and linebacker Reggie Ragland to the Jets. Those are all smart decisions from a team-building perspective.
He sent center Ryan Kelly to the Colts, offensive tackle Taylor Decker to the Broncos, cornerback Kendall Fuller to the Steelers, and wide receiver Josh Doctson to the Bengals. These will all do a great job of strengthening the Patriots rivals.
But when I look at the first round, I notice that there is still plenty of value on the board. Doctson and Ole Miss' Laquon Treadwell are the only receivers off the board, and I really think there will be a ton of quality receivers of the Emmanuel Sanders and Golden Tate variety out of this draft.
I also see that the big four offensive tackles are off the board, but that was expected. The fact that the rest are still available means that draftable prospect could be on the board when the Patriots pick at the end of the 2nd, and New England could still find a valuable receiver in the third round.
Most of the tight ends, safeties, and linebackers are still on the board. The Patriots could definitely pick up the best player on their draft board at the end of the second round and that would likely fill a major need.
It would be concerning if the first round provided a run at either wide receiver or offensive tackle, but very few mocks have this happening. New England could be in as good of a position as could be expected at the end of the 2nd round.