Patriots bolster offense with picks

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The Patriots made a move to add more weapons around second-year quarterback Mac Jones, trading up to select Baylor receiver Tyquan Thornton in the second round of the NFL draft on Friday night.

New England traded its second-round pick (54th overall) and fifth-round pick (158th overall) to Kansas City in exchange for the 50th pick it used on the 6-foot-2, 181-pound Thornton. Massachusetts native Ben Lepper, a Make-AWish child who has overcome leukemia, announced the pick alongside Patriots defensive tackle Lawrence Guy.

It is New England’s second straight offensive pick after taking offensive lineman Cole Strange in the first round on Thursday.

Thornton was a secondteam All-Big 12 pick as a senior in 2021 and was the Bears’ leading receiver, catching 62 passes for 948 yards and 10 touchdowns in 14 starts.

That kind of production is needed in a Patriots receiving corps that had just one receiver (Kendrick Bourne) who caught at least five TDs and only two (Bourne and Jakobi Meyers) who produced at least 500 yards receiving in 2021.

The Patriots currently hold two picks in the third round.

Strange said the Patriots were getting a player whose style is “aggressive and relentless.”

“Aggressive and trying to play nasty,” he said. “How the game of football is supposed to be played.”

JETS TAKE RB

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — The New York Jets moved up in the NFL draft again and added another speedy playmaker to their offense.

Iowa State running back Breece Hall was taken with the 36th overall pick after the Jets acquired it from the Giants for their secondround selection — No. 38 — and a fifth-rounder.

The 6-foot-1, 220-pound Hall was a two-time AllAmerican who set an Iowa State record with 56 touchdowns in three seasons, including 41 TD runs in the past two years.

The Wichita, Kansas, native could form a potentially potent 1-2 combination in the Jets’ backfield with Michael Carter, a fourth-rounder last year who led the team in rushing. New York also has veteran Tevin Coleman, Ty Johnson, La’Mical Perine and Austin Walter on the roster.

“I know it’s really running back-friendly,” Hall said of coordinator Mike

LaFleur’s offense. “Just being able to touch the ball and have a lot of opportunities, that’s all I need.”

General manager Joe Douglas has made it his mission this offseason to surround second-year quarterback Zach Wilson with more playmakers to help boost his development — and the offense’s production. Hall fits the bill, as does Ohio State wide receiver Garrett Wilson, who was the No. 10 overall pick Thursday night.

It has been a busy draft so far for the Jets, who took Cincinnati cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner at

No. 4, Wilson six picks later and then traded back into the first round to select Florida State defensive end Jermaine Johnson at No. 26.

The opening night-haul was lauded by many fans and media as a massive success for a franchise that has the NFL’s longest active playoff drought at 11 seasons.

When asked Thursday night if the Jets had a high grade on a player who hadn’t yet been drafted, Douglas replied: “Absolutely, yes. Absolutely.”

Apparently, Hall was one of them — so much so the Jets pulled off a trade with the team whom they share a home stadium.

“A three-down back,“Hall said when asked what New York is getting by adding him. “A guy who can catch the ball, make people miss, run you over and somebody that plays hard. A person who’s just as good off the field as he is on the field, so a guy who’s going to impact the community and just be more than a football player.”

GIANTS ADD WR

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — After making two trades to pick up extra draft picks, the New York Giants took wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson of Kentucky in the second round.

Robinson had a breakout season in 2021, catching 104 passes for 1,334 yards and seven touchdowns this past season. He gives the Giants an option in the slot should Sterling Shepard have trouble returning from an Achilles tendon injury late last season.

The Giants dropped down in both their secondround trades.

First, they traded the No. 36 pick overall to the Jets for No. 38 and a fifth-round pick. Just as quickly they dealt the 38th pick to Atlanta for the 43rd overall and an extra fourth-round choice.

“We had deals in place before the draft started,” Giants general manager Joe Schoen said, adding Robinson is a versatile piece who will fit into the offense.