The New England Patriots are just nine days away from adding another big-name piece to the franchise.
New England has the No. 4 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft and will make its first selection on April 24th from Green Bay, Wisconsin.
The Patriots have been linked to prospects like Travis Hunter, Abdul Carter, Mason Graham, and Armand Membou mainly to this point. Another name that was floated at different times was Will Campbell.
The best-case scenario at this point would be two quarterbacks going in the first three picks so that either Hunter or Carter falls to No. 4. Either would be a fantastic pickup. But, things are never that easy. We'll see what happens.
Pro Football Focus' Dalton Wasserman made a list of "surprise" options for each team in the upcoming NFL Draft and for the Patriots mentioned Boise State superstar Ashton Jeanty.
"No. 4. New England Patriots: RB Ashton Jeanty," Wasserman said. "Lost in the conversation around New England’s needs at left tackle and wide receiver is their underwhelming backfield. Patriots running backs ranked 19th in rushing grade and 28th in yards per carry last season. Even with an improving offensive line, that’s a concern. Ashton Jeanty broke 284 tackles across three college seasons and brings a dynamic presence that could help balance the offense as the team builds around Drake Maye."
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This would be a surprise seeing as the team has Rhamondre Stevenson, but Jeanty is a generational talent who could be hard to pass up. This isn't a report by any means that Jeanty is coming to New England, but merely a suggestion of why a move could make sense.
Jeanty is the top running back in this draft class, will significantly more likely than not be available when the Patriots are on the clock, and would give New England a pretty scary trio of Drake Maye, Jeanty, and Stefon Diggs. If both Carter and Hunter are gone, an offensive lineman likely is a more practical use of the first-round pick, but it's also not every day you could get a guy like Jeanty.
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