9 players for Pats to target on Day 2
Several picks can address needs
The fireworks of the first round are over.
Now, the real work begins. The Patriots are slated to make several picks over the final two days of the NFL Draft, players that will ultimately determine whether their 2022 class is a success. For Day 2, here are the prospects to watch.
Alabama WR John Metchie III
Ht/Wt: 5-11, 187
Nick Saban once called Metchie “the epitome of what you look for in a wide receiver.” That alone might have the Patriots seeing him as a fit, but let’s keep going.
Before Metchie tore his ACL in the SEC Championship game, he was highly productive two-year starter, recording more than 2,000 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns.
In 2020, he established strong chemistry with Mac Jones and played inside and out, a must for most Patriots receivers.
Throw in his elite body control, detailed route-running and reputed professional mindset, and Metchie would be a seamless fit in New England.
South Albama WR Jalen Tolbert
Ht/Wt: 6-1, 194
As a small-school prospect at the Senior Bowl, Tolbert answered any questions about his about his ability to play against elite competition and later checked every athletic box at the combine. Tolbert closed his college career with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and dominated against the best teams/ He’s a strong routerunner and high-character player with his best football ahead of him.
Tolbert fits exactly what the Patriots need.
Cincinnati WR Alec Pierce
Ht/Wt: 6-3, 211 Another Senior Bowl standout, Pierce is a former team captain with excellent play strength and 4.4 speed. He broke out as a senior, catching 52 passes for 884 yards and eight touchdowns last year. Pierce also served as a gunner on special teams, a plus in the Patriots’ book.
If they believe Pierce can handle a full route tree, after running mostly vertical routes at Cincinnati, he could become the most physically gifted receiver on the roster.
UCLA OL Sean Rhyan
Ht/Wt: 6-5, 321 Rhyan is one of the best pass protectors in the class, who started from the moment he stepped on campus three years ago at
UCLA. Per Pro Football Focus, he allowed just two sacks over more than 1,000 pass-blocking snaps. Rhyan may need to kick inside in the pros, but the Patriots can let him make that decision by his training camp performance which should tell them whether he’s a potential starting guard or future starting tackle.
Wake Forest OL Zach Tom
Ht/Wt: 6-4, 304 After the Patriots drafted his predecessor in 2020, swing tackle Justin Herron, Tom flipped from center to left tackle, where he started the past two years. As threeyear starter and three-time All-ACC academic team honoree, Tom is one of the most seasoned and intelligent linemen in this draft. Most media experts see him as a fourth-round prospect, but there’s a chance he sneaks into the late third.
Kentucky OLB Josh Paschal
Ht/Wt: 6-3, 268 Paschal is one of the easiest Patriot projections in this class, as a three-year captain, sound edge-setter and impact special teams player. He’s physical and versatile, with 15 TFLs and 5.5 sacks last year. If Paschal doesn’t land in New England, look for him to join a franchise led by a former Patriots executive: Las Vegas, Houston, Tennessee or Tampa Bay.
Alabama CB Jalyn Armour-Davis
Ht/Wt: 6-1, 197 Armour-Davis doesn’t have the quickness the Patriots prefer in their defensive backs, but he checks virtually
every other box.
He carries good size, speed (4.39-second 40) and experience, both on special teams and in Saban’s system. He tackles well and can effectively play man and zone. AmourDavis also played through a foot injury last year, proving his plenty tough enough to stick it out in the NFL.
Fayetteville State CB Joshua Williams
The third FCS prospect who survived Senior Bowl to make this list, Williams has enough raw tools — running a 6.95 in the 3-cone and 4.51 in the 40 — to become an impact player. He’s a converted wide receiver who plays like it, flashing notable ball skills and body control. Williams likely wouldn’t start for the Patriots as a rookie, but if Jalen Mills and
Malcolm Butler can hold down the outside in 2022, he’s a starter in waiting with more seasoning.
Illinois S Kerby Joseph
Ht/Wt: 6-1, 203
After Paschal and Michigan’s Daxton Hill, no defender profiles more like a future Patriot in this class than Joseph. He’s smart, tackles well and can cover sideline to sideline, all musts for the Patriots, who ran more single-high coverage than the rest of the league last year. Joseph snatched five interceptions last season under former Pats assistant Bret Bielema, and finished with more than 400 career special teams snaps played, per The Athletic.
And he crushed the Senior Bowl, too.