Patriots acquire 2021 fifth-round pick Shaun Wade from Ravens in exchange for two late round picks

Update 8/26/2021: Patriots acquire 2021 fifth-round pick Shaun Wade from Ravens for a pair of late round picks

The compensation updates are in, and the Patriots will exchange a couple of late round draft picks for their newly acquired defensive back.

According to Jeff Zrebiec of the Athletic, The Patriots will send both a 2022 seventh-round pick and a 2023 fifth-round pick to Baltimore for Shaun Wade.

Baltimore acquired Wade with a fifth-round pick in April’s draft.

Original Story 8/26/2021: Patriots reportedly close to acquiring 2021 fifth-round pick Shaun Wade from Ravens

With only one week remaining before they cut their roster down to 53 men, the New England Patriots are reportedly looking to improve the depth in their secondary by acquiring a rookie defensive back.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Patriots are close to trading for Ravens rookie defensive back Shaun Wade.

Wade, 22, was the 160th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft out of Ohio State. Once viewed as a potential first round pick, Wade’s value dropped during the 2020 college football season as he struggled moving from the slot to outside cornerback for the Buckeyes. Following the season it was revealed that Wade had been playing with turf toe, an injury that required offseason surgery. Despite his struggles, Wade still walked away with the Tatum-Woodson Defensive Back of the Year award, given to the Big Ten’s best defensive back.

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound corner played well for Baltimore this preseason, intercepting a pass in their first preseason game against the New Orleans Saints. Drafted into a crowded defensive backfield in Baltimore, Wade was said to be the odd man out of a group that boasts a couple of All-Pro’s in Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters.

New England’s cornerback room currently looks a bit thin as former Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore has yet to practice and former undrafted free agent Myles Bryant has missed time with an injury.

Wade will likely need to make a good first impression as he has less than a week to earn a spot on the Patriots initial 53-man roster.