Jordan Richards to New England Patriots: Full Draft-Pick Breakdown

From Tavon Wilson to Duron Harmon, the New England Patriots have never been afraid to surprise, particularly at safety.  Stanford's Jordan Richards became next in that line after the Pats took the ex-Cardinal with the 64th overall pick.  NFL.com handed Richards a Round 6 or 7 projection, while NFL Draft Scout saw him as a fifth- to sixth-round pick.

Though the draft board didn't provide much value at guard or cornerback, New England's two biggest ostensible needs, I thought the Pats might've taken the leap at an offensive skill spot with a faller like Jaelen Strong or Tevin Coleman.  Richard is not moving to cornerback, though his move may augur a transition for someone else.

Richards wasn't really on anyone's radar before the draft, so consider this your first deep dive into the Patriots' first surprise pick of the 2015 draft.

What Richards Brings

At 5'10" and 211 pounds, Richards is one of the bulkier safeties in this class.  After making the transition from wide receiver in high school, Richards was largely a box safety for the Cardinal, consistently providing physical run support and sure tackling form.

His biggest selling point to the Pats was probably his character.  A team captain at Palo Alto, Richards was a cerebral leader who possessed a high football IQ and helped communicate play calls.  His selection also continues a trend of the Patriots selecting leaders, a pattern that has contributed to their consistently strong locker-room chemistry over the years:

Of course, this is a surprise pick for a reason, and Richards really isn't going to provide much help in coverage.  He's a bit reminiscent of Patrick Chung, as neither really possesses the instincts or fluidity to cover the deep half.  

However, there's still a reason to believe that Richards could be a plus asset in coverage at times because of his nose for the football.  A wide receiver in high school, Richards demonstrated nice ball skills with nine career interceptions.  Moreover, his 6.74-second three-cone drill time was the second best among all safeties at the scouting combine, per NFL.com.  

Those numbers would suggest someone who should have the agility to cover if he can improve his route diagnostic ability.

How Richards Fits

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With Tavon Wilson and Nate Ebner both seeing their contracts expire after the 2015 season, this is a future-minded pick.  Chung did fade toward the end of last season, particularly in coverage against tight ends, so perhaps the Pats also intend to upgrade from him in the near future with Richards.  However, there's also another more radical theory for Richards' selection:

Moving Devin McCourty back to cornerback seems like playing with fire, given how he's blossomed into an All-Pro-level safety.  Moreover, doing so after signing him to a top-of-the-market safety contract would seem like an act of bad faith, given that cornerback is a much more lucrative position.  Of course, if McCourty struggles outside like he did in 2011, that $9.5 million annual average would suddenly seem like a significant overpay.

More likely, Richards will contribute on special teams in 2015 with the intent of eventually replacing Chung at strong safety and the box linebacker in "big nickel" personnel.  It's entirely possible that the Pats don't see much value at cornerback this draft and will compensate by strengthening their safety corps and playing more three-safety packages.

This also seems like an indication that the Patriots will play more zone coverage in 2015, a development that probably isn't a huge surprise in the first place.  Richards doesn't possess the technique to play man coverage, and his zealous hand-grabbing will probably draw flags if he's asked to cover deep too often.  Richards does have a ways to go in zone recognition as well, but his lateral agility is more promising in that regard.

Bottom Line

No, this is not the pick most Patriots fans wanted.  The Patriots threw a lot of veteran quantity at the cornerback spot this offseason, but unless someone like Logan Ryan or Malcolm Butler takes a huge step forward, that position will be a liability next season.

And New England may have accepted that and changed its approach, seeking to build up the supporting cast around the defense's weakest link.  Cornerback still lacks a long-term solution and probably needs a pick later, but it appears the Patriots see better value at the surrounding positions.

Unlike yesterday's selection of Malcom Brown, it's hard to see how this improves New England's immediate 2015 title defense.  Richards' rookie season will be a win if he can earn snaps from Chung and draw steady snaps in big-nickel and three-safety packages, a bigger step than either Wilson or Harmon has taken thus far in their careers.