New England Patriots Draft: Could the Pats Wait Until 28th to Pick J.J. Watt?

Over the past few months, Wisconsin defensive end J.J. Watt has been rumored around the New England Patriots to be a major possibility. 

Watt is entering the draft as a junior, and he has major upside with the talent he possesses. 

Prior to the NFL combine, multiple major sources have had Watt being selected in the middle of the draft, or even with New England selecting him at 17th overall.

However, a recent mock draft released by Foxsports.com's Peter Schrager has the Patriots selecting Boston College's offensive tackle Anthony Castonzo at No. 17 and then selecting Watt at No. 28. 

To many, this might seem very unlikely, but in reality, it wouldn't be out of the ordinary. 

Watt's talent and upside are good, and he did have a nice showing at the combine. But Scouts Inc.'s top 32 has Watt being ranked 23rd overall. 

Now, the top 32 is just a ranking and not a mock draft in itself. But Watt was projected by many sites to go earlier than Schrager's projections.

Watt, unlike some players, has a lot of room for improvement while he is expected to be productive at the pro level next year.

Standing in at 6'6" and 292 pounds, Watt still has room to add muscle and bulk up with his large frame.

Previously stated, Watt had a successful combine experience. In the 40-yard dash, Watt ran a quality 4.84 seconds, which isn't too bad considering his size.

Watt finished his junior year at Wisconsin with 61 tackles, 20.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks.

With many players raising their stock at the combine, Watt performing as expected could explain why Schrager has him being selected so late.

Watt could very well be selected by the Patriots at 28th overall, but I do think Bill Belichick does have some interest in Watt, as he fits the "Patriot mold".

NOTE: This article was first seen at PatriotsPlus.net.

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