2015 Patriots Mock Draft: Early-Offseason 7-Round Predictions

Predicting what Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots are going to do in the NFL draft is hard enough when they are on the clock. Doing it four months in advance is just asking for trouble.

That said, there are some tangible holes on the current roster that will be tough to fill in free agency. We can use those as a starting point in the discussion.

To quell the discussion before it inevitably gets started, I don't have the Patriots trading down. Here is one potential way Belichick could take things next April.

Round 1 (via Trade): Brandon Scherff (OL, Iowa)

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There is no denying that the Patriots need a dominant presence on the interior of their offensive line. Dan Connolly is a free agent, and the line has struggled when he is unavailable to play. The depth behind him—Jordan Devey, Josh Kline, Marcus Cannon and Cameron Fleming—has done little to alleviate concerns.

Logan Mankins from five years ago is the template that Belichick should use. If he applies that mold to the current crop of 2015 NFL draft prospects, Iowa left tackle Brandon Scherff will be the top choice.

Like Mankins, Scherff played left tackle in college for a former protege—Pat Hill and Kirk Ferentz, respectively—of Belichick. He also will likely spend most of his time inside in the NFL.

At 6'5" and 315 pounds Scherff has the frame to play at both guard and tackle. His strength profile is unreal and will be able to match up well with the monstrous AFC East defensive tackles that he would face.

The only problem with projecting Scherff to New England is that the talented Hawkeye likely won't last until the end of Round 1. Like former Iowa left tackles Riley Reiff and Bryan Bulaga, Scherff has been projected as a possible top-five pick. However, with his possible move inside, a pick in the middle of the first round is far more likely. Bulaga and Reiff were both picked at No. 23.

To move up a few spots and secure Scherff's services, the Patriots ship their own first-round pick along with picks in the third, fourth and seventh rounds. With a high compensatory pick likely to come to fruition, thanks to Aqib Talib, they have some capital to spend.

Round 2: Malcom Brown (DT, Texas)

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Vince Wilfork and Alan Branch aren't getting any younger. Chris Jones isn't getting any better. Sealver Siliga may be the only pure defensive tackle—Dominique Easley could be called a defensive end as well—that is a lock for the roster in 2015.

Adding a sizable nose tackle to add young depth to the situation should be a priority. Enter 6'4" and 320-pound defensive tackle Malcom Brown. Like Wilfork, he isn't much of a pass-rusher. However, he seems more-than-willing and able to take on multiple blockers and let his teammates make the play.

Checking Brown's strength profile at the 2015 NFL Scouting Combine will be an important metric to see if he is NFL-ready.

Round 3 (Projected Compensatory Pick): Rashad Greene (WR, Florida State)

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Drafting and developing receivers has been difficult for New England. Aaron Dobson and Josh Boyce are the latest examples of players who have yet to live up to expectations. That doesn't mean they should stop trying.

Big or small, short or tall, slow or fast, Patriots fans don't care. They want receivers who can get open. That would be Rashad Greene. His listed 6'0" and 180-pound frame might be a little generous, but he runs great routes and has a knack for finding himself in space.

Having Greene wreaking havoc over the top and outside the numbers will just open things up more for Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman.

Round 4: David Johnson (RB, Northern Iowa)

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If there isn't one pick that befuddles the masses every Patriots draft, it just wouldn't feel right. David Johnson is my favorite running back for the New England Patriots outside of Todd Gurley and perhaps Melvin Gordon.

Johnson isn't a Barry Sanders-eqsue runner. He doesn't have breakaway speed. However, he combines the receiver traits of Shane Vereen with the toughness and downhill running ability of LeGarrette Blount into one 6'2", 229-pound body.

He has excellent hands and a great feel for getting open in space. Screen plays and checkdowns can break off big chunks of yardage. He can also gain that yard on 3rd-and-1. His powerful running style looks like Blount, a bit upright at times, but he inevitably falls forward.

With Vereen and Stevan Ridley both free agents in 2015, Johnson would be a nice addition to the depth chart.

Round 6: Sean Mannion (QB, Oregon State)

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The Patriots certainly don't have a need at quarterback. Tom Brady is having a great year, and the future looks bright with rookie Jimmy Garoppolo waiting in the wings.

However, I've long been a proponent of the thought that you should draft and attempt to develop a quarterback each and every year. For every Kliff Kingsbury, Zac Robinson or Kevin O'Connell, you get the occasional Tom Brady or Matt Cassel.

The Patriots have rode Brady's arm for the last decade-and-a-half. With Cassel, they parlayed a seventh-round selection into an 11-5 season and a second-round pick after trading him.

This year my late-round selection would be Sean Mannion. He has the measurables—6'5" and 220 pounds—that Belichick loves. He displays great touch on his passes—he has a rifle rather than a howitzer—and has worked well under center as well as in the shotgun. He isn't very mobile—picture Brady at the NFL combine—and has some footwork issues that will cause him to last until Day 3.

Draft him and develop him. See what happens. You never know what a sixth-round quarterback will bring.