:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/66707052/usa_today_9629272.0.jpg)
The New England Patriots were quite busy on Friday night. After not making a selection on the first round of this year’s NFL draft, the team picked up a total of five players during rounds two and three. With three of those pickups coming after a trade up the board, and New England not once moving down, the Patriots’ previously league-leading draft capital — the team held 13 selections heading into Friday — saw some turnover.
After all the wheeling and dealing, Bill Belichick and company are left with the following six selections to work with today:
Round 4: --
Round 5: 5-159
Round 6: 6-195, 6-204, 6-212, 6-213
Round 7: 7-230
As can be seen, New England is currently not scheduled to be on the clock on Saturday until midway through the fifth round. Given the accumulation of picks in Round Six, however, it would not be a surprise if the Patriots opted to bundle some of their draft choices together to move up and fill the gap between their final pick on Friday — tight end Dalton Keene, taken 101st overall — and the 159th selection in Round Five.
New England, of course, could also opt to trade away future draft choice to create more flexibility: previously a no-go on draft day under Bill Belichick, the Patriots did move a 2021 sixth-round choice to the New York Jets on Friday to position themselves to pick Keene near the end of Round Three. That said, even though there is now precedent for such a move it should not be expected to happen on a regular basis — New England has too much capital in the late rounds as it is.
For additional information about this capital, let’s refer to the trusted draft value chart created by colleague Rich Hill:
Round 5: 5-59 (9.69)
Round 6: 6-195 (4.35), 6-204 (3.56), 6-212 (2.98), 6-213 (2.91)
Round 7: 7-230 (2.00)
As can be seen, New England’s picks are worth a combined 25.49 value points. For context, this value is roughly the equivalent of the 116th overall selection in the fourth round. While the Patriots are unlikely to invest all their Day Three picks in one trade — something the New Orleans Saints did on Friday when they moved up to pick tight end Adam Trautman in a spot previously owned by the Minnesota Vikings — it does show that the team has some flexibility even with four of its six picks coming in the second-to-last round.