What to do with 13 picks in the remaining six rounds of the 2020 NFL Draft?
The New England Patriots certainly aren't going to reveal their plans, but director of player personnel Nick Caserio offered a helpful roadmap for Patriots fans Thursday night.
After the Patriots traded the No. 23 overall pick to the Los Angeles Chargers for their No. 37 and No. 71 selections, Caserio was asked in a conference call if he thought there was still depth at the quarterback position, a potential area of need for New England.
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Here was his answer:
I think there's a number of players kind of in a pocket here probably these next two to three rounds across positions. When go back and evaluate what happened tonight, six or seven (offensive) tackles went, six or seven corner(backs) went, six receivers, four quarterbacks.
Going into the draft, I think the expectation was that's probably how it was going to shake out. Certain positions may have a little bit more left over here moving forward.
Bill Belichick, Caserio and the Patriots sat back and watched runs on positions like offensive tackle and cornerback that aren't their most pressing needs.
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By simple math, that means there's a wealth of players still available at other positions New England does need -- namely tight end, linebacker, defensive tackle and edge rusher.
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That's a good explanation for why the Patriots traded out of the first round (again): They feel pretty confident about landing a quality player at a position of need in the second and third rounds.
"Hopefully, we're in a position where there's still good football players that are available that we're able to pick," Caserio added. "That's how we feel. We'll have to take it pick by pick here. There's still good players that are kind of littered throughout the draft here."
Caserio and Belichick certainly have the resources to stock up, as the Patriots enter Day 2 with five picks total in the second and third rounds: Nos. 37, 71, 87, 98 and 100.
Could they target one of the remaining QBs or wide receivers with one of those selections or trade down again? Caserio suggested the latter was a possibility.
"You basically have 12 picks in five rounds, so we’ll see," Caserio said. "Like I said, we're going to look at what's left, then kind of recalibrate, move around a little bit. We certainly have the ammunition, the flexibility to do so."
But when New England actually makes a pick, don't be surprised if the team targets one of those "certain positions" that's been less picked over.