The New England Patriots made a pair of picks during the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, despite entering the event without any selections in that round. New England elected to trade their first-round pick, 23rd overall, to the Los Angeles Chargers for a second- and third-round pick. New England then moved up from that third-round pick to made another selection in Round 2.
The Patriots traded their original second-round pick, ultimately 55th overall, to Atlanta for Mohamed Sanu during the 2019 season. The Falcons traded that second-round pick to the Baltimore Ravens for tight end Hayden Hurst.
So when Baltimore was on the clock, they selected Ohio State running back J.K. Dobbins. But it’s easy to wonder: what would the Patriots have done, if they were picking in that slot? Here’s a roundup of the 13 prospects which were picked at that selection or later:
- Dobbins
- Raekwan Davis, DT, Alabama
- Van Jefferson, WR, Florida
- Ezra Cleveland, OT, Boise State
- Denzel Mims, WR, Baylor
- Josh Uche, OLB, Michigan (who the Patriots picked at 60th overall)
- Kristian Fulton, CB, LSU
- A.J. Dillon, RB, Boston College
- Willie Gay, ILB, Mississippi State
- Jeremy Chinn, S, Southern Illinois
- Logan Wilson, ILB, Wyoming
- Antonio Gibson, RB, Memphis
- Julian Okwara, OLB, Notre Dame
The name that stands out is Mims, a big and physical wideout, whose measurables were off the charts, especially by the Patriots’ standards. He ran the best 3-cone drill (6.66-seconds) at the 2020 NFL Combine among wideouts. He’s got elite height (6-foot-3), weight (210 pounds) and speed (4.38-second 40-yard dash). He may not have proven production from every route on the route tree, but there’s clear upside to get him to that point. Mims and Harry would have been a formidable combination. But is four years of Mims going to be as productive as two years of Mohamed Sanu? Year 1 wasn’t great for Sanu, but he suffered an ankle injury which required surgery. Perhaps he’ll make a comeback in 2020. It will be worth monitoring, with some wondering: what if?
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