ESPN’s Todd McShay has released his latest three-round mock draft where he plays the part of general manager for each team. He’s not selecting where he thinks players will go, but what he would do if he happened to be in the shoes of each franchise.
The New England Patriots don’t have a first or second round pick, so it’s great for McShay to add that third round. Here are the players he has going to the Patriots:
Round 3 (72): Tim Williams, OLB, Alabama
Round 3 (96): Raekwon McMillan, ILB, Ohio State
Williams comes with plenty of off-field character baggage -- he admitted to failing multiple drug tests -- but he'd be worth the risk for New England at pick No. 72, given his first-step quickness off the edge. McMillan improved in coverage throughout his career, but there are still questions as to whether he can be a three-down linebacker in the NFL. He does a nice job of sifting through traffic, and he has great straight-line speed (4.61 40), which shows up against the run.
Williams was regarded as a top 10 prospect in this draft, but is expected to slide into the second or third round due to his off-the-field struggles. Williams was arrested early in the 2016 college football season for carrying a pistol without a permit at 2 in the morning.
“Williams told the officer the gun store gave him a temporary paper permit, but he didn't have it in his possession,” according to AL.com. “The Alabama linebacker shared a receipt from the gun store that he was under the impression would qualify as a permit, but the arresting officer told Williams that he had to have a valid pistol permit in order to ‘conceal carry.’”
Police officers also smelled marijuana, but a friend in the car claimed it was his.
On the field, the 6’3, 244 pound Williams is an explosive and fast athlete that is just behind only Myles Garrett and Derek Barnett in talent and production. He would be familiar with the Patriots defensive schemes coming out of Alabama under head coach Nick Saban, who served as Bill Belichick’s defensive coordinator in Cleveland.
McMillan is another NFL-ready prospect that comes from head coach Urban Meyer’s factory of players. Belichick often dipped into the Meyer well when the latter was at the University of Florida.
The 6’2, 240 pound McMillan runs a 4.61s 40 yard dash and an impressive 7.15s three cone time. There are concerns that McMillan is just a two-down linebacker in the NFL, but he flashed athleticism that suggests greater upside in coverage and could be an ideal pair with LB Dont’a Hightower in the Patriots 4-2-5 defense.
What do you think about this mock draft?