The New England Patriots are one of two teams with a pair of first round picks in the forthcoming NFL draft, and ESPN's Todd McShay has revealed how the team could be thinking when it's time to make each of them in his latest mock draft.
The draft can be unpredictable, and McShay laid out five scenarios relating to the Patriots first pick, 27th overall:
- His actual projection has the Patriots taking USC defensive end/outside linebacker Nick Perry, a potential pass rushing force.
Other options include:
- Beef up the defensive line with one of three players: Michael Brockers of LSU, Jerel Worthy of Michigan State, or Kendall Reyes of UConn.
- Draft Wisconsin center Peter Konz, with an eye towards building the offensive line for the future.
- Take fast-rising safety Harrison Smith to address what was a woeful secondary in 2011.
- Do what Bill Belichick does better than anyone else, and find a trade partner in order to acquire additional picks in what is a deep draft.
McShay has a slightly more direct view on what the Patriots should do at pick 31, and that is take Jerel Worthy, who he believes can become a "disruptive" player for New England.
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