Patriots Find Vince Wilfork Replacement by Stealing Malcom Brown in NFL Draft

Troy Brown starred for the New England Patriots when they won their first Super Bowl back in 2001, while Malcolm Butler was the hero when they won their most recent title in February. And so it's rather fitting the Pats are attempting to extend the life of a dynasty that started in Brown's days and continues in Butler's days by replacing a departed star with a dude named Malcom Brown. 

Nothing more than coincidence, of course, but maybe a nice omen for the superstitious among us. 

More important to Patriots fans, though, is Brown may have the ability to play Vince Wilfork's vacated role as the mountain in the middle of New England's defensive line. 

That, too, would be serendipitous, considering Wilfork—like Brown, a bottom-half-of-the-first-round pick—played a fairly large role in helping the Patriots repeat as Super Bowl champions when he was a rookie in 2004. Ten years, three Super Bowl appearances and five Pro Bowl nods later, the 33-year-old Wilfork became the victim of a business decision when the organization parted ways with him in March. 

But Wilfork still started all 19 regular-season and playoff games for the Pats last year, which means his massive shoes need to be filled. That's the primary reason why so much will be expected of Brown, the final first-round pick of the 2015 NFL draft and a man who may need to deliver ASAP, if New England is going to become the first team to successfully defend a title since the rookie Wilfork helped the same franchise accomplish that feat a decade ago. 

ESPN.com's Mike Reiss sees it: 

"

Brown is the type of beefy, athletic, versatile lineman who should fit well in the scheme because he can play a variety of techniques -- from holding the point against the run to penetrating in the pass rush. He has three-down potential down the line. In 2004, the Patriots were surprised when Vince Wilfork was available at No. 21 and pounced. Not saying Brown is the next Wilfork, but this pick reminds me a bit of that one.

"

The comparison isn't perfect. Wilfork came into the league weighing about 345 pounds, while Brown was at least a couple dozen pounds lighter when weighed at the NFL Scouting Combine in February. And although the 20-year-old Brown still has room to grow and improve, he might not be as strong when taking on blockers. On the other hand, he looks to have more pass-rushing prowess than Wilfork ever did. 

But as Pro Football Focus run-stop numbers prove, he's not just an interior defensive lineman who chases down quarterbacks. 

Player	Program	Rate
1. Leonard Williams	USC	14.3
2. Henry Anderson	Stanford	13.2
3. Malcom Brown	Texas	11.1
4. Terry Redden	Memphis	9.8
5. Danny Shelton	Washington	9.1

Still, Wilfork was actually most recently listed at 325 pounds, and Brown may have the size to hang in regardless of what he's asked to do at the NFL level. He was a nose tackle for the majority of his freshman and sophomore years at Texas, before playing more three- and five-technique as a junior in 2014. He's the type of player you can plug into the middle of any defensive front and rely on to clog running lanes, while also applying pressure on passing downs. 

That extra pass-rushing oomph—he had 6.5 sacks as a junior—arguably makes Brown a more alluring prospect in a game that is evolving on a pass-heavy trajectory. And that scheme versatility is certainly something head coach Bill Belichick will appreciate, especially when he's already got pieces like Rob Ninkovich, Chandler Jones, Dont'a Hightower and 2014 first-round pick Dominique Easley to work with. Belichick's alignments are hardly basic or predictable, and he has alternated between 3-4 and 4-3 defensive fronts quite frequently during his time in New England. 

“He’s a guy who played inside, on the nose, all the way outside to the five-technique and kind of everywhere in between, so he’s been moved around a little bit," Belichick said Thursday night, per NESN. "He played a little bit more outside this year in Coach (Charlie) Strong’s defense and little more inside in the previous staff. He got plenty of snaps in a variety of spots. We look forward to working with him."

And while the word "steal" deserves an asterisk at this stage, it does appear as though New England got great value by landing Brown in the No. 32 spot. Bleacher Report's Matt Miller had Brown going 21st but figured he could be picked as high as a top-10 spot, while ESPN's Todd McShay, Mel Kiper and NFL Network's Mike Mayock all predicted Brown would be selected before the Arizona Cardinals were on the clock with the No. 24 overall pick. 

The Patriots must have known they had something special falling into their laps, because Belichick doesn't like to stay put in Round 1. In fact, this marked just the second time since 2007 New England has held on to its first-round pick.

But in this case, it was a no-brainer. 

Brad Gagnon has covered the NFL for Bleacher Report since 2012.

Follow @Brad_Gagnon