The New England Patriots used the 15th overall pick in last year’s draft on quarterback Mac Jones and returned to the playoffs after missing out in 2020. New England struggled after its Week 14 bye though, losing four of its final five games, including a Wild Card game to rivals Buffalo.
No team spent more money on free agents last offseason than the Patriots. With their cap space much tighter this time around, New England shifted its focus on re-signing some core veterans like S Devin McCourty, OT Trent Brown, LB Ja’whaun Bentley, RB James White, and special teamer Matthew Slater. Following cornerback J.C. Jackson‘s departure in free agency, the team brought back Super Bowl XLIX hero Malcolm Butler as a stop-gap option. Look for the Patriots to inject some youth into an aging secondary through the draft.
Long-time offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels left to take the head coach position with the Las Vegas Raiders. While Bill Belichick has yet to name a replacement and will likely wait as long as possible to do so, we do know that assistant coaches Matt Patricia and Joe Judge will move on from their defensive and special teams backgrounds and have roles in the running of the offense this season.
The first of New England’s seven picks in this draft comes at 21st overall. Improving the offensive line is a major need for New England entering the 2022 draft following the departure of Ted Karras in free agency and trading Shaq Mason to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Click here for the entire 2022 NFL Draft order and keep reading to see who the Patriots take in the 2022 NFL Draft. Coverage of the latest news from around the NFL is available all year round on PFT’s Peacock channel.
New England Patriots 2022 NFL Draft Picks:
Round 1: No. 21
Round 2: No. 54
Round 3: No. 85
Round 4: No. 127
Round 5: No. 158 (from MIA)
Round 5: No. 170 (from TB)
Round 6: No. 200
Round 6: No. 210 (from LAR)
Click here to see all of New England’s picks in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Check out draft picks for other teams in the AFC East:
Buffalo Bills 2022 draft picks
Miami Dolphins 2022 draft picks
New York Jets 2022 draft picks
Patriots draft picks 2022: Full list of New England’s draft picks, order for every round originally appeared on Pro Football Talk