Entire Patriots Draft Class 2017

With the smallest draft class in franchise history, the New England Patriots went conservative and selected key components who have long term starting abilities. Along with the draftees, the undrafted free agents are where New England excels in, finding prospects that not only give other players more incentive to work harder for fighting roster spots, but they overall have a very good shot at cracking the 53 man roster (10-man practice squad as well) when Week 1 of the regular season approaches.

Let’s meet the 2017 Patriots draft class:

Round 3 (83rd pick) Derek Rivers DE Youngstown State- New England took the chance on the Youngstown State defensive end prospect and plucked Rivers as the 83rd pick of the 2017 NFL Draft. At 6’4 and a lean 248 pounds as a protocol edge rusher, Rivers is fast on his feet and explosive out of the gate. At the NFL Combine, Rivers ran a 4.61 40 yd dash, 30 reps of 225 pounds at the bench press, and jumped 35 inches at the vertical jump. A four year player that continually got better with time, Rivers was a FCS prodigy in which took New England’s interest to snag the elusive play maker. In his senior year alone, Rivers racked up 14 sacks, 58 tackles, 19.5 were for a loss and the NFL scouts were intrigued.

Lined up with Rob Ninkovich and Trey Flowers at the edge spot, Rivers is positioned to get early start time, if he earns the time throughout minicamp and training camp. I love this pick, as Derek Rivers was a very consistent edge rusher and throwing him in sub packages will be very efficient for Rivers, who was a top performer in the 40, to keep up with faster receivers.

Round 3 (85th pick) Antonio Garcia OT Troy- Two picks after taking the explosive Youngstown State edge rusher, the Patriots stick with small school prospects and select a 6’6 302 offensive lineman in Antonio Garcia. Garcia, who has a basketball background, has the lean frame in which scouts have criticized due to not being able to keep up to NFL standards. The athleticism Garcia possesses is incredible for a human his size, as at Troy, Garcia mauled the competition and looks to translate his skill set to the next level up in Foxboro, Massachusetts. Jumping a 31″ vertical at the combine, Garcia was a top performer along with grinding out 24 reps of 225 pounds. Garcia can be played at both left and right tackle, but we will see what happens in the Patriots system, as he is not expected to start immediately.

Round 5 (131st pick) Deatrich Wise Jr. DE Arkansas- A player that has a “wiry” frame, but is cut at the same time. At 6’5 and 275 pounds, Wise Jr is a protocol type defensive end that has the potential to be a very important edge rusher for this club. Scouts rave about his 35″+ wingspan, something guys 6’5 don’t necessarily have, but sticks out. To me, Wise is someone that can be deadly during PAT’s and field goal attempts. Having that Chandler Jones type of role when at the line of scrimmage and attempting to block kicks (whatever the NFL determines as a legal block attempt) is what Wise possesses with the arm length and explosiveness off the line. Nonetheless the intangible of Wise are really intriguing and being paired with Trey Flowers, Geneo Grissom and Derek Rivers, fellow draftee, can spill havoc for opposing clubs.

Round 7 (211th pick)- Conor McDermott OT UCLA- A former hooper that decided the gridiron was his path, McDermott stuck to it, and is now a New England Patriot. At 6’8 and 307 pounds, the UCLA Bruin product is of great size, but not a finished prospect. For a guy his size and the intangibles he possesses, McDermott and Garcia can be the future of the offensive line. Solder has battled injuries nonstop, and with McDermott and Solder being roughly the same measurables, it is very possible Conor McDermott can be the next left tackle protecting the blindside for the quarterback in the coming years (Brady, Garoppolo, Brissett).

Undrafted free agents: Here is the updated list of undraftees that have signed with New England (updates to be given if more join) 

Josh Augusta DT Missouri 6’4 300 pounds

Harvey Langi LB BYU 6’2 251 pounds

Jason Thompson FS Utah 6’1 210 pounds

Jacob Hollister TE Wyoming 6’4 239 pounds

Corey Vereen DE Tennessee 6’1 255 pounds

Kenny Moore S Voldosta State (located in Georgia for those who have no idea where this college is) 6’1 185 pounds

Cody Hollister WR Arkansas (brother of Jacob Hollister, who we signed as well) 6’4 208 pounds

Jason King OG Purdue 6’3 305 pounds

David Jones FS Richmond 6’3 210 pounds

Adam Butler DT Vanderbilt 6’4 293 pounds

Austin Carr WR Northwestern 6’1 200 pounds

Cole Croston OT Iowa 6’5 270 pounds

Max Rich OT Harvard 6’7 311 pounds

Damarius Travis S Minnesota 6’1 206 pounds

LeSHUN Daniels Jr RB Iowa 6′ 225 pounds

D.J. Killings CB Central Florida 6′ 185 pounds

Dwayne Thomas CB LSU 6′ 186 pounds

D.J. Dean CB Arkansas 5’11 200 pounds