Going over the Patriots Draft Picks
Via NESN.comThe Patriots waited until the seventh round to select a quarterback. Danny Etling out of LSU has worked out with Tom Brady’s throwing coaches in California and worked on his mechanics. Etling is excited to learn from the greatest quarterback of all time. However, he seemed to go under the radar in the NFL Draft, and it’s a wonder what Belichick has up his sleeve.
The Patriots Plan for the Future
Via Patriots.com
Nick Caserio spoke after the draft and explained why the Patriots took Etling: “[Etling] was a player that we spent some time with here as a part of the process. Here’s a guy, a Purdue transfer, went down to LSU and the thing about him – he played for Coach [Cam] Cameron in kind of a pro-style offense. He had some experience. The one thing he didn’t do – he didn’t turn the ball over. You look at his career production and this guy didn’t turn the ball over. I think it was 16-2 this year, a low percentage. He takes care of the ball, smart, pretty accurate thrower. There’s some good qualities and traits that we think we can work with and develop. He played against good people on a weekly basis.” We’ll see how he does and sees if he’s a fit for the Patriots. With knowing that Brady has at least two more years they really needed to draft a quarterback.
As for running back Sony Michel who they drafted 31st overall in the draft, he seems to be an explosive force in the backfield. The Patriots could not only use Michel as a running back, but also as a receiver. The Patriots have Mike Gillislee, Rex Burkhead, and James White also at the running back position. In the 2017, season according to PatsPulpit the Patriots ran the ball 48% of the time. That number dropped to 36% of the time when Rex Burkhead was in the backfield. Nick Caserio said after the draft, “We think [Michel is] a good football player, so we picked the player. He’s got pretty good skills, he’s athletic, he’s good in space, he’s a strong runner for his size.”
