New England Patriots Draft Picks: Results, Analysis and Grades

The New England Patriots have done a tremendous job of adding depth to their roster during the offseason, but their picks in the 2016 NFL draft will only further the cause. 

It will be interesting to see how the Patriots' 2016 draft class stacks up given the team's lack of a first-round selection, but we won't have any indication of that for a few years at minimum.

Let this tracker serve as your one-stop shop for all the Patriots' selections in the 2016 draft, updated throughout the selection process, along with rapid reactions and letter grades handed out for each pick.

Patriots Picks

The Patriots entered the draft with 11 picks, and after making their first pick at No. 60 overall in the second round, they added to their draft capital by trading the 61st pick to the New Orleans Saints and adding two more picks. In doing so, they filled in their gap from the 96th to the 196th picks by adding the 112th overall selection in the fourth round.

On Day 3 of the draft, the Patriots gave up the 196th, 204th, and 250th overall picks to the Miami Dolphins move up to the 147th overall pick, and then flipped the 147th pick and the 243rd to the Seattle Seahawks for the 225th overall pick in 2016 and a 2017 fourth-round pick.

The Patriots have addressed their need at cornerback, offensive tackle, defensive tackle, wide reciever and linebacker, but they ignored a need at running back.

Round 2, Pick 60: CB Cyrus Jones, Alabama

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Bill Belichick has tapped into his trusty pipeline once again. The Patriots head coach has a long-standing relationship with Alabama head coach Nick Saban, and that friendship has paid dividends for New England in the past with the likes of Dont'a Hightower. Now, Belichick is hoping it pays off again with the selection of cornerback Cyrus Jones.

At 5'10" and 197 pounds, Jones doesn't have quite the ideal size for an NFL cornerback, but he has the feisty competitiveness of current Patriots cornerbacks Malcolm Butler and Logan Ryan. He is flexible to play both man and zone coverage, although he may lack the necessary size and long speed for a pure man-to-man cornerback.

If it takes him some time to develop his skills in coverage, it still won't take him any time to find meaningful ways to contribute. As a senior at Alabama, he logged 42 punt returns for 530 yards and four return touchdowns, all the highest in the nation last year. In Belichick's never-ending search for value, he has once again found a player who can contribute on all four downs: three on defense and one on special teams.

Grade: A-

Round 3, Pick 78: OT Joe Thuney, North Carolina State

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Joe Thuney (54) played all over the offensive line at NC State.

The Patriots have added the offensive line depth they sorely needed heading into the draft. And although NC State's Joe Thuney is listed as a tackle, he could truly be considered depth at any of the five offensive line positions. Thuney played all five spots: He was a backup center as a redshirt freshman, and he started games at left tackle, right tackle, left guard and right guard.

At 6'5" and 304 pounds, with 32.25" arms, Thuney has the length and the athleticism to play on the outside, but he might need to add more functional strength to his game if he wants to move to the inside. CBS Sports' Dane Brugler says he "shows adequate movement skills and pays attention to his technique, but his lack of core strength and poor hand placement are concerns for the next level."

A little time in an NFL strength and conditioning program should help him add some power to his punch, but as far as any fundamental issues are concerned, there may not have been a better landing spot for him than New England if he wants to correct those issues. Dante Scarnecchia will have him up to snuff in a hurry.

Grade: B+

Round 3, Pick 91: QB Jacoby Brissett, North Carolina State

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With Tom Brady facing a four-game suspension at the start of the 2016 season, the need for a backup quarterback got a little more urgent. Call me crazy, but it seems a little shaky to back up Jimmy Garoppolo with a rookie. However, the Patriots did fill a need with the pick.

North Carolina State quarterback Jacoby Brissett has the prototype build for a quarterback at 6'4" and 231 pounds, and NFL.com's Lance Zierlein lauds Brissett's big arm and ability to evade pressure—an ability he'll need quite often should he see extended action, if last season is any indication. He also understands changing the velocity and trajectory on his passes in order to best beat specific coverages and deliver accurate throws.

He will need to work on going through his progressions, making pre-snap reads and other nuances of the position, but he has the tools to be a successful quarterback and even to develop into a starter in the long term. Whether he'll ever get that opportunity for the Patriots is another story entirely, but it does add an interesting layer of intrigue to Garoppolo's development. 

Grade: C+

Round 3, Pick 96: DT Vincent Valentine, Nebraska

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The Patriots continue to tick the boxes on their list of needs. After releasing defensive tackle Dominique Easley, the need for a replacement defensive tackle was put in focus. With the selection of Nebraska defensive tackle Vincent Valentine, the Patriots have added some depth to supplement the roster.

Valentine is a load to hoe at 6'4" and 329 pounds, carrying 33.1" arms to help keep blockers at bay and packing the thick lower body that helps him hold his ground at the point of attack. His ability to eat blocks makes him a perfect fit for a two-gap scheme like the Patriots run.

The only concerns are a checkered injury history that includes a high-ankle sprain that limited his performance in 2015, along with concerns about his conditioning and ability to contribute with a heavy workload. Clearly, the Patriots are comfortable that those possible red flags will not be an issue, but they are factors that bear watching as the Patriots just moved on from an injury-prone defensive tackle.

Grade: B-

Round 4, Pick 112: WR Malcolm Mitchell, Georgia

John Bazemore/Associated Press

The Patriots finally found a new, young weapon for Tom Brady (and for four games, Jimmy Garoppolo) in Georgia wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell.

He's not the biggest wide receiver available at 6'0" and 198 pounds, but what he lacks in size, he makes up for with smart route running, sure hands and the toughness to make contested catches. Mitchell was off to a great start to his college career, with 85 receptions for 1,237 yards and eight touchdowns in his first two years before a torn ACL held him out of the 2013 season. 

He rebounded in the two years that followed, and put up 58 receptions for 865 yards and five touchdowns in his final year at Georgia. NFL.com's Lance Zierlein expresses concern that Mitchell doesn't have the long speed to be a deep threat, but he ran a 4.45-second 40-yard dash at the scouting combine and averaged 14.9 yards per reception as a senior. 

With Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola, Chris Hogan and Nate Washington on the depth chart, the Patriots have plenty of veterans. What they need is a young receiver to develop in the wings for when any of those players begin to fall off or are no longer with the team.   

Grade: A

Round 6, Pick 208: LB Kamu Grugier-Hill, Eastern Illinois

It's the sixth round, which means now's the time for players you've never heard of. Eastern Illinois linebacker/safety Kamu Grugier-Hill may not have the most recognizable (or easily pronounced) name in the draft, but the versatile defender could find a home on the Patriots roster.

At 6'2" and 215 pounds, Grugier-Hill is built more like a safety than a linebacker, but he spent most of his time in college at the second level and not on the back end of the defense. That might be because he lacks the long speed to cover deep, but he has more than enough toughness and willingness to stuff the run.

If Hill were a bit bigger, his prospects as a linebacker for the Patriots might be a bit better. As it is, he's competing for a roster spot at a stacked position on the depth chart.

Grade: C-

Round 6, Pick 214: LB Elandon Roberts, Houston

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The Patriots made it back-to-back linebackers with the selection of Houston's Elandon Roberts. The 6'0", 235-pound linebacker is undersized for the position (though not quite as undersized as Kamu Grugier-Hill), but he was highly productive at Houston with 19 tackles for loss and six sacks in 2015.

NFL.com's Lance Zierlein describes Roberts as "a coach's dream" and a "tremendous leader on the field and off." The only problem with Roberts is that leadership and coachability are not going to help him run and cover in the open field, where he struggles.

That being said, the Patriots are apparently willing to make some provisions in terms of coverage ability for Roberts' run-stuffing production. He'll find a home in a Patriots linebacker group that lacks quality depth behind Jamie Collins and Dont'a Hightower. 

Grade: C+

Round 6, Pick 221: G Ted Karras, Illinois

Associated Press

Ted Karras (69)

Never count out the development of any offensive lineman under longtime offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia, but for Patriots sixth-round pick Ted Karras, it's going to be a long uphill battle.

The Illinois guard started all four years at right guard and showed the requisite power to play on the inside. He does not have the quick feet he'll need to mirror pass-rushers on the inside, according to NFL.com's Lance Zierlein, and he struggles with leverage. 

The guard spot also happens to be fairly well-stocked, with two second-year guards in Tre' Jackson and Shaq Mason who both started for the Patriots last year. That being said, it's hard to see a spot for a sixth-round guard in a deep group of interior offensive linemen for the Patriots.

Grade: D+

Round 7, Pick 225: WR Devin Lucien, Arizona State

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If there's one thing the Patriots need, it's size at wide receiver. If Arizona State's Devin Lucien has one thing and one thing only, it's size. At 6'2" and 195 pounds, he's immediately one of the tallest wide receivers on the roster behind the 6'3" Aaron Dobson. 

Lucien transferred from UCLA in 2015, and he capped off his college career with 66 receptions for 1,074 yards and eight touchdowns. He has good enough long speed to take the top off a defense, but he doesn't have the foot quickness the Patriots typically prefer in their more refined route-runners who are asked to run complicated routes.

With two rookie receivers in this year's draft class for the Patriots, there's a chance of an infusion of youth on the Patriots depth chart at the position—assuming both of their draft picks make the final cut. 

Grade: B-