The New England Patriots have five picks in the 2022 NFL draft after making a handful of trades over the course of the last few seasons.
New England traded away their fifth-rounder to acquire right tackle Trent Brown. The Patriots swapped sixth-round picks with the Los Angeles Rams in a trade that sent Sony Michel in exchange for L.A.’s 2023 fourth-rounder. And the Patriots also traded for Ryan Izzo with their seventh-round pick.
That leaves New England with all of their own picks through the first four rounds — but none of their own picks in rounds five through seven. Their only pick during that span is one they acquired from the Rams in a trade for Sony Michel. Here’s a look at what they have — and where they’re projected to pick with the compensatory pick formula.
Round 1: 21st overall
Round 2: 54th
Round 3: 85th
Round 4: 125th
Round 6: 199th
Round 6: 209th (via Rams. Sony Michel trade.)
New England’s draft selection looks a little light this year, with Bill Belichick generally liking to have the ability to move around in a draft year. The easiest way to acquire more picks is to trade back at the most valuable spot in the draft: the first round.
Unless the Patriots think they have a can’t-miss prospect — which isn’t generally how they view the draft anyway — New England might just entertain a move back down the board to help stock up on young talent. That has been a crucial turning point for the team, with the 2020 and 2021 draft classes contributing in much more meaningful ways than the 2019 and 2018 draft classes. It should be an interesting year.
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