NFL Draft Experts Nearly Unanimous: Pats Will Go Defensive In First Round
BOSTON (CBS) -- If Bill Belichick's proven anything in his 12 drafts with the Patriots, it's that it's not worth spending any time trying to predict what he'll do. That's because for one, he more often than not trades away his high picks in order to stockpile selections in the later rounds, and two, when he does pick players, they're very rarely players anyone expected.
So all mock drafts heading into Thursday's first round should be taken with those two factors in mind. However, as the clock ticks down toward the No. 1 pick on Thursday night, it's worth noting that almost all NFL draft "experts" -- self-proclaimed or otherwise -- agree that if the Patriots do use their Nos. 27 and 31 picks to select players, they will use them on defense.
We looked at national mock drafts as well as a national perspective, and of the 11 we looked at, only one expert had the Patriots taking an offensive player. Twenty of the other selections were defensive players, while one guessed the Patriots would trade away the 27th pick.
Below is a look at the picks made in mock drafts. There's no doubt the picks make sense from a need perspective, but the question remains -- will Belichick do what makes the most sense, or will he once again go where nobody expected him to? We'll find out for sure on Thursday night, but for now, this is what we have.
27. Shea McClellin, OLB, Boise State
31. Derek Wolfe, DL, Cincinnati27. Nick Perry, DE, USC
31. Jerel Worthy, DT, Michigan StatePeter King, Sports Illustrated
27. Trade to Browns
31. Nick Perry, DE/OLB, USCGreg Cosell, NFL Films, via NFL.com
27. Shea McClellin, OLB, Boise St.
31. Michael Brockers, DT, LSU27. Peter Konz, C, Wisconsin
31. Shea McClellin, DE, Boise State27. Chandler Jones, DE, Syracuse
31. Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford27. Dont'a Hightower, ILB, Alabama
31. Kendall Reyes, DT, Connecticut27. Chandler Jones, DE, Syracuse
31. Janoris Jenkins, CB, North Alabama27. Michael Brockers, DT, LSU
31. Andre Branch, DE, Clemson27. Courtney Upshaw, LB, Alabama
31. Kendall Reyes, DT, Connecticut27. Michael Brockers, DT, LSU
31. Whitney Mercilius, DE, Illinois
Some of the trends are noted below.
- Shea McClellin appeared in three of the mock drafts. Listed as a defensive end in some places and an outside linebacker in others, McClellin recorded seven sacks last season for the 12-1 Broncos.
- Michael Brockers appeared three times. At 6-foot-6, 306 pounds, Brockers recorded 54 tackles and two sacks last season, as well as 10 tackles for a loss.
- Albert Breer was the only person to guess the Patriots would be drafting an offensive player -- Wisconsin center Peter Konz. The Patriots did re-sign Dan Koppen, but Belichick's shown in the past that he'll draft a young player for a position that will need to be filled eventually (Sebastian Vollmer, Nate Solder).
- Local guy Jeff Howe's pick of Janoris Jenkins does sound like something Belichick would do. He comes from a smaller school at North Alabama, and he'd come with character issues. It's the type of guy Belichick's never been afraid to draft.
