And, On the Third Day: Patriots Address Needs in the Closing Rounds

While it may not possess the pomp and circumstance of the NFL Draft’s Opening Night (or even Day Two) the third and final day of the NFL Draft is not without its share of significance.  Anyone questioning this fact, need only be taken back to 2000. During that Draft, the New England Patriots selected a “lanky, and kind of slow” quarterback from Michigan with the 199th overall selection. 

The rest, as they say, is history.  

The Patriots were certainly active on the third and final day of the 2021 NFL Draft.  

Here is a look at New England’s Day Three selections:

Fourth Round, 120th Selection: Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, Oklahoma

As much of the Patriots’ fan base clamored for a wide receiver, New England decided to use their only fourth round selection on Stevenson. In his first season at Oklahoma in 2019, he played in the first 13 games of the season before being suspended for the 2019 Peach Bowl. Stevenson finished the season with 515 yards on 64 carries with six touchdowns. Stevenson returned from the suspension six games into the 2020 season. He was named the MVP of the 2020 Cotton Bowl after rushing for 186 yards and one touchdown on 18 carries.

The 6’0” 230-pound back has the potential to be a dual-threat rusher with the Pats. He is a physical runner, with a pretty impressive stiff arm. Despite his natural power run style, he is  athletic enough to make tacklers miss in short yardage. It will be interesting to see how the Pats deploy him. Stevenson is drawing a lot of comparisons to former Patriot Legarette Blount, which may be a good comparison. 

Fifth Round, 177th Selection: Cameron McGrone, LB, Michigan

New England once again dipped into the Michigan defensive well with McGrone’s selection. The 6’1” 234-pound linebacker has some upside, and has the potential to be a three-down player in the MIKE role. McGrone played in only 19 games with 15 starts at Michigan, a relatively small sample size for scouting purposes. He finished his collegiate career with the Wolverines with 91 tackles, including 11 for loss, to go with four sacks and one forced fumble. 

McGrone suffered a season-ending ACL injury versus Rutgers in November 2020. As a result, his draft stock plummeted.  However, his toughness and impressive range. Made him worth the investment for head coach Bill Belichick. Still, Belichick (during his post-draft press conference with the media) advised that the team remains unsure if McGrone will be ready this year, and are prepared for him to possibly be more of a 2022 consideration.

Sixth Round, 188th Selection: Joshuah Bledsoe, S, Missouri

The Patriots opened the sixth round by selecting Missouri S Joshuah Bledsoe with the 188th overall selection. Throughout his four years at Mizzou, Bledsoe started 40 of his 43 games. He appeared as a box safety, free safety, and slot corner. As a result, Bledsoe projects as a versatile safety for the Patriots. His ideal fit would feature him in the D-gap/slot, in a Big-nickel heavy defensive scheme featuring man-to-man coverage assignments.

Sixth Round, 197th Selection: Will Sherman, OT, Colorado

Sherman started at both left and right tackle for Colorado, and might also be a candidate to move inside to the guard position. At 6’3”, 304-pounds, he has adequate size to block at the pro level. Sherman could be a swing tackle on both sides, and also has the potential to transition to guard, or even center.  There are some concerns regarding his pass protection. However, has some upside as a zone blocker, due to solid movement and his ability to get set quickly.

Seventh Round, 242nd Selection: Tre Nixon, WR, Missouri

At long last, the Patriots selected a wideout with their final pick of the 2021 NFL Draft.

Nixon projects as a vertical deep threat. He has NFL-level speed (he ran the 40 at a time of 4.43) and is able to use his speed to shed defenders at the line. Though he lacks some physicality, he is physical enough to make catches in tight coverage. Nixon could be a promising project in the slot.  

-Mike D’Abate is a Managing Editor and Columnist for Full Press Coverage. He covers the New England Patriots and provides NFL editorial content. He is also the host of the Locked On Patriots podcast. Follow him on Twitter @mdabateFPC