Round 3- 101st overall
The Patriots made their need at safety apparent when they selected Kyle Duggar with the 37th overall pick in this year’s draft. Between Devin McCourty aging and Patrick Chung opting-out of the season, New England needs young legs in the secondary.
Gardner-Johnson started seven games for the New Orleans Saints last season, intercepting a pass and defending eight more. He played 52% of the team’s defensive snaps and 44% of its special teams snaps. Best of all, Gardner-Johnson is only 22 years old.
Yodny Cajuste originally heard his name called with the 101st pick, but the tackle didn’t even appear in a game last season.
New Pick: Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, S Florida
Round 4- 118th overall
New England initially took Arkansas’ Hjalte Froholdt at 118th overall, but Froholdt didn’t see the field last year. That opens the door to two other guards.
This pick came down to Haynes and fellow guard Ben Powers. Powers went to Baltimore at 123rd overall, while the Seattle Seahawks took Haynes one selection later. After some bouncing around, I went with Haynes. The Wake Forest product has a chance to win a starting job in Seattle this year, and he’s a force in the running game.
New Pick: Phil Haynes, G Wake Forest