The New England Patriots could go in several different directions with their first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. They could address one of their positions of need, trade up, or they could trade back as Bill Belichick has been prone to do over the years.
NBC Sports Boston's draft guru Phil Perry has spent the last few months trying to project what Belichick may have up his sleeve. After extensive research and discussions with folks around the league, he's landed on one particular prospect who fits the bill as a Prototypical Patriot.
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When the Pats are on the clock at No. 21 overall, here's who Perry believes they'll take.
"The Patriots are choosing linebacker Quay Walker out of Georgia," Perry said Wednesday on Early Edition. "He allows the Patriots to have their cake and eat it too when it comes to the linebacker position because traditionally, they've liked big bodies. But now they have to get faster, and Walker gives them both size and athleticism at the second level.
"(He's) 240-plus pounds. I've talked to defensive coaches over the last week or so about Walker in particular. The things you hear, unbelievably tough, violent, physical, incredible upside because of the athleticism he gives you. He ran his 40 in the low 4.5s at that size. That is rare talent."
New England Patriots
Perry's seven-round mock draft: Patriots pull off two trades
Given Belichick and the Patriots' draft history, as Perry points out, taking one of the top linebackers in the first round wouldn't come as a surprise.
"The Patriots are a team that typically, early in the draft, they like to build their defense from the inside out," Perry added. "Think about all those defensive tackles they've taken, all those linebackers they've taken in the first round. They've only taken one corner in the first round, and he became a safety and played in the middle of the field, that's Devin McCourty.
"So Quay Walker, to me, between the ability he gives you and the connection he has coming from Georgia, coming from that Kirby Smart program where he's coming from a defense that has a lot of similarities to the scheme that's run here in Foxboro. This feels like a Patriots pick to me."
The 2022 NFL Draft kicks off Thursday at 8 p.m. ET. For the full mock draft with Perry, Tom E. Curran and Albert Breer, check out the full clip below: