ESPN's Todd McShay has released his third mock draft and it's a doozy. While the New England Patriots don't have a first round pick, we can see which players remain on the draft board to see if there are any trends in players that are available, or any runs at other positions that could be of interest.
The first round consists of four cornerbacks, a safety, three linebackers, two quarterbacks, five offensive tackles, a running back, and two wide receivers. It also including a ridiculous seven defensive tackles and six edge defenders.
Good thing the Patriots have invested heavily in defensive tackles and pass rushers over the past few years- the good ones will be long gone by the bottom of the second round. On the other hand, the five blue chip
The offensive skill players that are off the board are running back Ezekiel Elliott and wide receivers Laquon Treadwell and Josh Docston. Every other player is fair game.
Running backs Derrick Henry and Kenneth Dixon are both still available, as is tight end Hunter Henry.
One common aspect in every mock draft is the idea of only two receivers going in the first round, with Treadwell the only consistent lock. There's a general rotation of Doctson, Corey Coleman, Will Fuller, Leonte Carroo, Michael Thomas, and Braxton Miller as the 2nd wide receiver in the first round, and this is a good sign.
This means that there is a ton of depth at the wide receiver position, even if the best player is weaker than most years. The difference between a Doctson and a Carroo and a Sterling Shepard isn't enough to generate any consistency among prognosticators, so a borderline 1st round talent could very well be available at the end of the second round for the Patriots.