The Patriots hold the 15th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. This pick, along with #46 and #96 will be crucial for the future of the team in the post-Brady era. 

To begin, the Patriots will be picking 15th in the 1st round of the NFL draft. Projected to fall to that spot is the extremely talented Kyle Pitts out of Florida. Ever since the legendary Rob Gronkowski parted ways with New England, they haven’t found an answer at the Tight End position, standing at a monstrous 6’6 and weighing 240 pounds of muscle, Kyle Pitts might not be the blocker Gronk was, he is ultra-talented in the pass-catching game and would add the prolific weapon the Patriots offense has been missing since 2018.

Next, at pick #46, the Patriots should take another weapon. Coming out of USC, Wide Receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown provides a little bit of everything for the Patriots. At 6’1 195, he’s a surgical route runner, able to create space for an easy look for his Quarterback. He can line up as a slot receiver, which means he can catch quick throws for easy first downs. But his game includes something the Patriots have been missing, a legitimate deep threat, who can go the distance to catch bombs for big yardage. 

Lastly, the Patriots are projected to get the #96 picks as a compensatory pick, which is acquired when losing key free agents (In this case, Tom Brady). With this pick, I have the Patriots taking Michigan linebacker Cam McGrone. The Patriots were left with few answers at the linebacker position when their star linebacker, Dont’a Hightower, opted-out. Dont’a will be 31 when he comes back and might start to regress. Cam McGrone, 6’1 205, showed flashes at Michigan with high athleticism and speed, he suffered an injury early this year and couldn’t play much though. Cam has high potential to be a star player in the future, and Belichick often finds himself picking players out of Michigan. 

The Patriots are headed into one of the biggest offseason in their history and if they can draft correctly, Belichick and Kraft can assemble a strong roster with new faces to potentially restart the dynasty in the post-Brady era.