New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick speaks at a press conference. File photo by John Angelillo/UPI |
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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Despite holding two of the seemingly more enticing trade chips heading into the draft in the form of budding backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and Pro Bowl cornerback Malcolm Butler, the New England Patriots stood pat and essentially sat out what was an otherwise active-packed first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday night.
The Patriots had previously shipped their first-round selection, No. 32 overall, as part of a March trade with the Saints for speedy young wide receiver Brandin Cooks. Meanwhile, the Browns reportedly once again inquired about dealing for Garoppolo who impressed in a pair of starts to open last season.
Set to finally pick at No. 72 overall in the third round - New England used its second-round pick in a deal with the Panthers for defensive end Kony Ealy - head coach Bill Belichick made fans wait even longer by dealing down with the Titans.
But, the defending Super Bowl champions finally actually turned in a pick card at No. 83 overall, laying claim to Youngstown State defensive end/outside linebacker Derek Rivers. The 6-foot-4, 248-pounder fits the mold of a New England edge player with a 4.6 40. Rivers had 36 sacks over the last three years.
A pass rusher was considered New England's biggest need in the draft, with Rivers joining a defensive end group that includes aging, fading veteran Rob Ninkovich, third-year rising star Trey Flowers, Ealy and little else.
Two spots after making their first pick of the weekend with Rivers, the Patriots actually traded back up to No. 85 to take Troy tackle Antonio Garcia. The 6-foot-6, 302-pounder is a lean, athletic left tackle who plays with a mean streak. Like Rivers, he'll be making a big jump in competition at the NFL level and will have to adjust after spending much of his college career in a two-point stance, but offers insurance for New England with veteran left tackle Nate Solder heading into the final year of his contract in 2017.
But the late, somewhat developmental third-round picks certainly won't make or break the 2017 season in New England.
"Obviously, we've been watching a lot of picks go by, but I feel like overall our opportunity in this draft started a couple of months ago," Belichick said when he addressed the media at the end of the third round. "The four players that we acquired already are also part of the draft process. Hopefully we've been able to improve our team, become more competitive. That's the ultimate goal."
That's not to say Belichick doesn't have high hopes for his two newest players, with the Patriots set to add three more young players in the final four rounds of the draft.
"Today we were able to move around a little bit. We ended up taking two players, one on each side of the ball," Belichick noted. "We took Antonio Garcia here in the last pick, a tackle from Troy. He was here last week. (We) had a good visit with him. We'll see how that goes, but I think he'll be competitive. He's done a good job for them down there.
"Derek Rivers - who we took a couple of picks before that - a defensive end. (He) played competitively in the all-star games and in a good program there with coach (Bo) Pelini who we know very well. Bo does a great job with his players and his team. Derek's been in a good system, has been well-coached. Even though he's from a smaller school we'll see what he can do for himself here, as well, when all is said and done."
Both players said they were "super excited" to join the Super Bowl champions and emphasize that they were willing to do whatever their new coaches asked of them. Now, they'll fall in line with one of the most talented teams in football.
Beyond talking about his picks, Belichick concluded the second night of the draft in his usual defensive mode with the media. Garoppolo and Butler remained in New England and the coach had little to say about it.
"I'm happy to talk about the guys we picked. I'm not going to get into any of that," Belichick concluded regarding the trade possibilities and rumors. "We're going to go forward with the team that we have. We've added two players today. We'll add some more tomorrow. However many it is, however it goes, and we'll go out there and compete and put the best team we can on the field."
After an aggressive offseason and a relatively quiet draft, that team is not only the defending champion but clearly one of if not the most talented squad heading into yet another Super Bowl-hopeful season in New England.
