Trey Flowers to New England Patriots: Full Draft-Pick Breakdown

As enigmatic as the New England Patriots can be at times, there's no longer really any mystery about Bill Belichick's plan for the 2015 squad. By selecting his fourth consecutive box defender in Arkansas defensive end Trey Flowers, the Pats have established themselves as a team that will try to dominate the trenches and harass quarterbacks every week.

Flowers may not fulfill an immediate need, but he's also one of the better value picks. In fact, many might see him as someone whose draft position should've been flipped with that of Jordan Richards or Geneo Grissom, both of whom went off the board earlier than expected. While playing time will be hard to find in 2015, Flowers is an intriguing pass-rusher with significant future upside.

Pats fans might not be happy with the positional selection, but they should be happy with the prospect. Let's take a deeper dive into Flowers' game. 

What Flowers Brings

Flowers isn't nearly as versatile schematically as Grissom or Richards are. At 6'2" and 266 pounds, Flowers is perfectly proportioned to play the 4-3 defensive end spot, but he doesn't have the strength to kick inside or the agility to drop into coverage as a 3-4 outside linebacker.

Of course, given the wide proliferation of sub-package usage, that's not really a problem if Flowers is a pure pass-rushing specialist. With 17 sacks and 42 tackles for loss over his three seasons as a starter, Flowers was one of the more disruptive SEC edge-rushers despite consistently facing top-notch competition.  The sack total is actually relatively misleading; as Pro Football Focus' Ben Stockwell notes, Flowers would likely have racked up much gaudier totals had he been a better finisher:

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Second-place Trey Flowers has a relatively low conversion rate in terms of finishing his pressures with hits and sacks, but his relentless work rate against SEC offensive lines is noteworthy. Only Markus Golden of Missouri can match his sheer volume of pressure over the course of the season, but Flowers notched his pressure on 70 fewer pass rushes.

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PFF ranked Flowers second in pass-rushing productivity among all defensive linemen and first among 4-3 defensive ends. Though he doesn't come with the quick-twitch explosiveness most associate with prototypical edge-rushers, Jon Gruden went as far as to compare Flowers to former Pro Bowler LaMarr Woodley:

Indeed, though Flowers relies more upon power than speed, he is certainly no plodder, as evidenced by his impressive NFL Scouting Combine numbers. If the Pats can teach him to close better (which he really should with his arm length), Flowers has double-digit sack upside.

How Flowers Fits

Danny Johnston/Associated Press

Flowers was actually excellent against the run last season, part of the reason why he lined up on the strong side as often as he did as a wide-technique weak-side rusher. That kind of formational versatility will fit well in New England, where he could back up either Rob Ninkovich or Chandler Jones.

Moreover, Flowers' selection continues the Patriots' trend of drafting high-character prospects. The Pats lost plenty of veteran leadership this offseason, so perhaps this is an instance of New England attempting to rebuild the locker room voices in addition to finding good on-field fits:

For now, the arrival of Flowers in conjunction with Malcom Brown and Grissom probably pushes the likes of Michael Buchanan, Jake Bequette and Joe Vellano off the roster. None of those players had really distinguished themselves anyways, and Belichick has apparently decided the Patriots needed to reload their depth on the front seven.

Between Zach Moore and Flowers, the Patriots have a couple of high-ceiling lottery tickets who could provide insurance in the event that Jones leaves after 2016 or Ninkovich begins to decline. Both are powerful prospects with the motor and work ethic to improve, so while Flowers in particular is unlikely to play much in 2015 unless injuries arise, his well-rounded skill set should give him a chance to develop into a starter.

Bottom Line

Again, Flowers is unlikely to make a big splash in 2015, the third consecutive prospect who falls under that umbrella. But in their quest to build the league's deepest front seven, the Pats have added someone who should represent an upgrade over their 2014 reserves, with the upside to eventually replace Ninkovich down the line.

Flowers' selection also likely indicates a greater desire to rotate Jones and Ninkovich more liberally. The starters are three-down workhorses, but they've also played untenable workloads the past two seasons. With Jabaal Sheard, Flowers and Moore providing five-deep depth at the edge defender spot (and Dont'a Hightower serving as an option on the edge as well), the Pats can keep their starters fresh and playing a more palatable 70 percent workload.

Flowers feels like a best-available-player pick, but one who also fits with New England's trench-heavy draft plan. As someone with second-round level talent, the Patriots front seven is quickly becoming the strength of this team, quarterback position aside.