NFL Draft 2022: How the Patriots’ remaining capital stacks up against the rest of the league

The New England Patriots had a busy first day of the 2022 NFL Draft. Not only did they make one of the most surprising selections of the night by going for offensive lineman Cole Strange at No. 29 overall, they also acquired that pick in a trade-down with the Kansas City Chiefs.

In total, New England picked up three selections in return for the 21st overall draft choice: the 29th used on Cole Strange, as well as one additional pick each in the third and fourth rounds. With those added to the equation, the Patriots currently own the following capital headed into the second day of the draft:

• Round 2: No. 54
• Round 3: No. 85
• Round 3: No. 94 (via Kansas City)
• Round 4: No. 121 (via Kansas City)
• Round 4: No. 127
• Round 5: No. 158 (via Miami)
• Round 6: No. 183 (via Houston)
• Round 6: No. 200
• Round 6: No. 210 (via Los Angeles)
• Round 7: No. 245 (via Houston from Dallas)

At the moment, only one team — the Houston Texans — has more picks available over the final six rounds than the Patriots. However, volume and value are not the same when it comes to draft picks.

Enter the value chart system which assigns a number to each available draft choice based on its overall worth as an asset. Here at Pats Pulpit, we usually work with the one created by our very own Rich Hill. When looking at the Patriots’ remaining picks through this lens, we can see that those 10 selections are worth a combined 206.1 points — 11th most in the league.

The Rich Hill chart is not the only one out there, though. The following graphic created by René Bugner and also featuring several other charts, shows where the Patriots rank in a league-wide comparison:

René Bugner

As can be seen, the combined value of the Patriots’ remaining draft selections ranges between the fifth (Fitzgerald/Spielberger) and 13th (Johnson) spot in the league. No matter which value chart you prefer to use, the Patriots are in a relatively flexible situation heading into the second and third rounds.

After all, they have multiple picks to redistribute through trade and also have already addressed one of their biggest needs by picking Cole Strange on Thursday. As a result, you should not be surprised to see Bill Belichick and his team again be active on the trade market in order to maximize the picks that they have at their disposal.

The goal, after all, remains the same: to add talent to a roster that is rather deep at some positions but still has some obvious holes — especially at cornerback and linebacker — that need to be addressed. The capital in hand, regardless of its eventual ranking, should be sufficient to help the Patriots address them.