The New England Patriots currently own 12 picks in the 2020 NFL Draft, including the No. 23 pick in the first round. They don’t have a second-round pick because they traded it to the Atlanta Falcons for wideout Mohamed Sanu, but they have three third round picks – No. 87 and two compensatory picks. The Patriots are expected to use the picks to fill their needs at tight end and wide receiver, but draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. surprised everyone when he had New England selecting Washington quarterback Jacob Eason in the first round. However, Kiper made a clarification in an interview with ESPN, according to Ryan Hannable of WEEI Radio.
Kiper explained that teams usually trade between the 23rd-32nd picks to get a quarterback. “We’ve seen that. I think that is a possibility. That pick could be dealt. Somebody could be trading into the late first to get Eason,” he said.
Belichick loves making draft day trades
Kiper’s prediction could happen because Patriots head coach Bill Belichick loves making draft day trades. In last year’s draft, Belichick made seven trades. There were reports that the Patriots could trade first round pick for wide receiver Stefon Diggs of the Minnesota Vikings. Diggs is reportedly unhappy with the Vikings and has removed all of his previous team-related posts from his social media accounts. According to Fox Sports football analyst and host Colin Cowherd, the Patriots should send their first-round pick to the Vikings for Diggs to address their offensive woes and convince veteran quarterback Tom Brady to stay in New England.
Cowherd said a first-round pick could be hard to resist for the Vikings since they need to select a quarterback for the future.
Patriots should pursue Diggs
ESPN football analyst Desmond Howard echoed Cowherd’s take, saying Diggs could work out well in New England. “You put him on New England’s roster right now, he’s their No.
1 guy. He’s fast, he has quick twitch, reliable hands,” Howard told ESPN’s “Get Up”, per a report by Adam London of New England Sports Network (NESN). According to Howard, Diggs is an exceptional talent hungry to take his game to another level. In 15 games last season, Diggs caught 63 passes for 1,130 yards and six touchdowns for the Vikings.
The Patriots expressed interest in trading for Diggs before last season’s trade deadline, but the Vikings refused to part ways with their top receiver. If the Vikings refuse to trade Diggs again, the Patriots could train their sights on Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. Beckham was a disappointment in his first season with the Browns. Beckham recorded just 74 catches for 1,035 yards and four touchdowns as the Browns failed to make the playoffs.
