FOURTH ROUND
No. 120 CB Benjamin St-Juste Minnesota, Ht/Wt: 6-3, 202
From a high floor to developmental traits prospect, St-Juste could develop into a starting-caliber press corner in time. That’s exactly what the Pats have. Stephon Gilmore and J.C. Jackson remain atop the Patriots’ depth chart — for now. St-Juste is already a sound tackler, a must for Pats corners, and blazed a 6.63 in the 3-cone, remarkable quickness for a player with his frame. He’s equally adept in man and zone and doesn’t allow deep catches.
His top weaknesses could be ironed out with good coaching. St-Juste’s aggression pushed him to earn the highest coverage grades during Senior Bowl 1-on-1s and team periods, per Pro Football Focus. The Pats may have to trade up to nab him.
No. 122 EDGE Cameron Sample Tulane, Ht/Wt: 6-3, 267
Another Senior Bowl standout, Sample finished with PFF’s highest pass-rush win rate in Mobile. He’s a versatile piece who can play across the defensive line, particularly on passing downs, the kind the Patriots value highly in their game-plan defense. Sample consistently plays with great leverage and power, strength that helped him crank out 23 bench-press reps of 225 pounds at his Pro Day.
His low career sack total (10.5) belies the steady pressure he put on opposing quarterbacks at Tulane, including 42 pressures last season, per The Athletic. The Patriots interviewed Sample earlier in the draft process, according to a source.