5 reasons why the Patriots drafted Vanderbilt CB JoeJuan Williams

The Patriots traded their picks at 56 and 101, to go up to 45 and take JoeJuan Williams, a cornerback from Vanderbilt. Here’s a look at why they did it.

1. He was the best player on their board

The Patriots were reportedly thinking about taking Williams at 32, so it made all the sense in the world for them to come up and get him in the first half of the second round.

2. His ceiling is Richard Sherman

Is he going to be Richard Sherman? Probably not. But that’s his ceiling. He, like Sherman, was a wide receiver in college before switching to cornerback. He’s a big bodied corner at 6’4 who can get physical with bigger receivers and tight ends — and with the way the league is trending, you can’t have enough of those guys.

3. The Patriots needed to shed some picks

The Patriots had 11 more picks when the draft started today. They have no place to put all those guys, so they needed to get rid of some of them. Look for them to possibly make another move up, or trade for a veteran or a pick next year.

4. The depth isn’t fantastic in this draft

When you look at the players that would be available at 101, it doesn’t exactly excite you. Clearly, there will be a few stars that get drafted later, or don’t even get drafted at all, but the overall depth isn’t great, so trading up doesn’t hurt as much this year.

5. Because Bill can’t help himself

Belichick has made a trade in every draft since 2001, and he wasn’t planning on letting another night go by without making a trade. Yet another Patriots streak remains intact.