The New England Patriots hold five picks on day 2 heading into the 2019 NFL draft. That is a massive amount of draft capital for the defending Super Bowl champions to reload in an effort to defend their title.

While it can be fairly deemed a fool’s errand to speak of day 2 targets ahead of the 2019 NFL Draft, that doesn’t mean we can’t do the research anyway. There are simply too many moving parts when building out this type of projection.

The Patriots first pick on day 2 is slated to be the 24th pick of Friday night. Teams reach, players fall, trades are made, quarterbacks go too high. We can do our best to price all of this into our potential targets, but any player listed below has the potential to be off the board when New England is on the clock.

Alternatively, every year players unexpectedly drop, and the Patriots may end up the beneficiary of such a scenario. These individuals wouldn’t be named in an article like this, as they’re projected to go higher than where New England is currently slated to pick.

Lastly, by the time you read this, or by the time the Patriots are supposed to make a selection, Belichick easily could have traded every pick he holds for future first rounders through the 2026 season.

Fool’s errand indeed, but the draft is meant to be enjoyed as well as analyzed. Let’s enjoy.

Draft Strategy

Before going any further, it’s recommended you check out the Patriot’s draft preview we previously published. While that last sentence understandably reads as an unashamed self-promoting plug, the article will provide a good working foundation of how New England operates on draft day and outlines their main areas of need.

If you’re strapped for time (we all are), the main takeaways are Bill Belichick rarely trades up, he trades down and/or for future picks constantly, and the Patriots most pressingly need passing game weapons, edge rushers, and coverage linebackers.

Pick #56

Jaylon Ferguson, EDGE, Louisiana Tech

Doesn’t this just feel like a Patriot pick to you? The FBS career leader in sacks falls to the late second round because of some poor combine numbers. Belichick then gets his hands on Ferguson, and puts Ferguson in a position to do what he does best; find a way to sack the quarterback. Fast forward three years, and there are five million think pieces published across the internet on “how did the entire NFL just ignore Ferguson’s college production? Of course it was Belichick that capitalized.”

Chase Winovich, EDGE, Michigan

Winovich is the more productive player of the two Michigan EDGE defenders in this draft. He also tested extremely well at the combine and figures to give Belichick the ability to use him in multiple positions across the defensive front. At this point, we all know how much Belichick values positional flexibility in the draft.

J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, Wide receiver, Stanford

This hits a need while presenting good value. Arcega-Whiteside is a jump ball specialist that could replace Rob Gronkowski’s red zone presence. Ok, he can do his best attempting to replace Gronk’s presence. Belichick has also shown a tendency to tap players from college programs where he deems the program to have excellent coaching. This wouldn’t be the first time the Patriots have drafted a Stanford product.

Pick #64

Zach Allen, EDGE, Boston College

More an EDGE setter than pass rusher, Allen is the reliable, hard-nosed type New England covets. Additionally, there is evidence that over the years Belichick really values edge setting as opposed to pass rush ability from this position.

Riley Ridley, Wide receiver, Georgia

Given the lack of receiving talent, Ridley hits a need here at the appropriate price. Ridley doesn’t have the same breakaway ability his brother does, but he is an excellent route runner that just knows how to get open. Sound like a Patriot to you?

Juan Thornhill, Defensive back, Virginia

Thornhill is an uber-athlete that blew up the combine. In addition, he leaves Virginia with 13 career interceptions, including 6 this past season. He has the positional versatility to be a safety-slot corner hybrid. Safety is also a sneaky long-term need for New England. While Devin McCourty is coming back for another season, he may either retire ahead of 2020 or leave in free agency. Additionally, Patrick Chung had two surgeries this offseason to repair the broken arm he suffered in the Super Bowl. Chung will be 33 at the start of the 2020 season, and his contract is structured to get out of it after 2019.

Dre’Mont Jones, Defensive tackle, Ohio State

When Greg Schiano was running the Rutgers program, Belichick repeatedly tapped into that pipeline. Considering Schiano was the Patriots’ defensive coordinator for 13 seconds, the evidence suggests New England will think highly of the Ohio State defenders. Dre’Mont Jones would hit a need of bringing in an interior pass rusher, a position that has never properly been addressed since cutting ties with former first-round pick Dominique Easley.

Pick #73

Kelvin Harmon, Wide receiver, N.C. State

Harmon may fall this far due to his inability to separate from defenders, and question marks on how that will translate to the NFL. On the flip side, Harmon is one of the best-contested catch receivers in the draft and would provide a red zone threat in the absence of Gronkowski.

Amani Hooker, Safety, Iowa

Amani Hooker had a great combine, most notably in the 3-cone drill where he posted a 6.81 time. He had the second highest PFF coverage grade among any defensive back in the country last season and does a good job of covering tight ends. Sounds like a defensive chess piece.

Chuma Edoga, Offensive tackle, USC

Same thought process as selecting Howard at #56. Edoga represents a developmental tackle that fits the draft range.

Pick #97

Jace Sternberger, Tight end, Texas A&M

Instead of reaching for a tight end earlier in the process, the team waits until the end of round three to get a fair value at the position. Sternberger doesn’t have the best physical traits, but all he did was produce last year, raking up 836 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Josh Oliver, Tight end, San Diego State

If New England is looking for catch radius from the tight end position, Oliver is the pick. Oliver also tested well at the combine and can be both a deep and slot threat for this offense. Among tight ends in this draft class, Oliver ranks fourth in deep pass receptions in 2018, and first in deep pass yards. Furthermore, he ranks second in slot receptions among tight ends, and first in slot yards.

Ben Banogu, EDGE, TCU

Banogu is still learning the position, but he is an off the charts athlete with a natural bend. This is a Belichick coach-‘em-up special waiting to happen.

Joe Jackson, EDGE, Miami

Jackson’s pass rush ability is going under the radar in this class. Among the edge’s this year, Jackson ranks 8thin PFF’s pass rush productivity metric. He finished 2018 with 12 sacks, 11 QB hits, and 31 hurries on only 285 pass rush snaps.