The New England Patriots may upgrade the offense in a big way during 2021 offseason, if Draft Wire’s 2021 NFL mock draft proves correct. Draft Wire’s Luke Easterling thinks the Patriots will pick Alabama receiver DeVonta Smith at 17th overall in the upcoming draft.
With New England’s record sitting at 2-2, they are projected to pick in the middle of the first round. And that’s how they land one of the draft class’ elite receivers. LSU’s Ja’Marr Chase and Alabama’s Jaylen Waddle were the two wideouts already off the board. That left New England with a Nick Saban product and one of the most productive wideouts in college football in 2019.
Here’s what Draft Wire wrote about it:
“Whether it’s Cam Newton or somebody else, whoever ends up throwing passes for the Patriots next season will need more playmakers. This scenario would be ideal, giving New England plenty of talented ones to choose from. Since they already have a big, physical target in N’Keal Harry, the Pats opt for an explosive, big-play threat in Smith.”
Smith and Harry would be a lethal combination, especially if Julian Edelman begins to look more like he did in Week 2 and less like he did in Week 4. New England has had a talent shortage at receiver — and pass-catcher in general — for the last few years. An investment at wideout, like Smith, might be in order so that the Patriots can truly take their offense to the next level. And if Newton is around, he’s already made it abundantly clear that he likes working with and developing young playmakers. Smith would certainly fall under that category.
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