Here's Everything The Patriots Did At 2021 NFL Draft
By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- The 2021 NFL Draft took forever to finally take place. And now it's in the books.
The Patriots entered the weekend as owners of 10 picks. They ended up making eight selections, after trading two picks to move to make their second selection .
Here are all of the players added to the Patriots family this weekend.
QB Mac Jones, Alabama
15th overall pick
The Patriots seemingly made their choice for the post-Tom Brady QB of the future with Mac Jones. He's coming off an unbelievable season with the Crimson Tide, during which he led the team to an undefeated season and national championship.
DT Christian Barmore, Alabama
38th overall pick (trade-up)
The Pats stuck with Alabama for their second pick, as they moved up to select the interior D-lineman early in the second round. The Patriots traded three picks (Nos. 46, 122, and 139) to move up eight spots to draft Barmore, who was the first defensive tackle to be drafted in this year's draft.
EDGE Ronnie Perkins, Oklahoma
96th overall pick
With the compensatory pick awarded to them for the loss of Tom Brady in free agency, the Patriots made another selection on defense. Ronnie Perkins missed half of last season due to a suspension carrying over from the end of the previous season, but he made the most of his time with 24 tackles and 5.5 sacks. He was named to the All-Big 12 Second Team in both 2019 and 2020.
RB Rhamondre Stevenson, Oklahoma
120th overall pick
Stevenson was suspended -- along with Perkins -- for the final game of 2019 and half of the 2020 season. Interestingly enough, the Patriots picked them with consecutive selections in the draft. Perkins rushed for 186 yards in the Cotton Bowl last season, running for 1,180 yards on 165 carries in his two seasons in Oklahoma.
LB Cameron McGrone
177th overall pick
The 6-foot-1 linebacker suffered a torn ACL last season, so he may be more of a 2022 addition. In 2019, he recorded 65 tackles, including 2.5 sacks, for the Wolverines.
S Joshuah Bledsoe, Missouri
188th overall pick
A Bledsoe is back in New England, as the Patriots picked safety Joshuah Bledsoe out of Missouri in the sixth round. Bledsoe recorded 41 tackles (2.5 for a loss) with six pass defenses and one interception last season, while also forcing a fumble.
OL William Sherman, Colorado
197th overall pick
The Patriots finally addressed the offensive line late in the sixth round by taking William Sherman. He played both the right and left tackle spots for the Buffaloes, and he told the New England media that he'd be willing to play all five positions.
WR Tre Nixon, Central Florida
242nd overall pick
The Patriots used their final pick on a wide receiver who's coming off an injury-shortened season. The 6-foot receiver caught 108 passes for 1,652 yards and 13 touchdowns in his three seasons with the Knights.
BELICHICK WRAPS IT UP
Bill Belichick spoke to the media on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night. That's quite a bit of talking.
His overall guiding principle for a weekend like this one was simple though.
"I think," Belichick said Saturday night, "you try to acquire good football players, and we'll figure out how to use them."
Fair enough. These eight players will get their shots in the coming months.
