It took all the way until the sixth round for the New England Patriots to finally take their first defensive player off the board at No. 180 overall in the 2024 NFL draft.
That player was South Carolina cornerback Marcellas Dial.
Along with various holes on offense, the Patriots clearly needed help in the defensive backfield as well. Jonathan Jones is getting long in the tooth. J.C. Jackson is gone, and both Christian Gonzalez and Marcus Jones are coming off season-ending injuries.
Dial could be seen as more of a developmental corner, who excels mostly in man coverage. Getting onto the field won’t be easy considering the tremendous talent already on the Patriots’ defense.
The unit ranked top-10 in the league last season, and Dial will have to work his way into the mix. For the Patriots, it’s all about building the right depth for emergency situations like they had last season with the injuries to Gonzalez and Marcus Jones.
With the right development, Dial could become a quality depth piece on the roster.