Pats’ Final Two Rounds Highlighted By Slot Receiver, QB

Over the final two rounds of the 2018 NFL draft, the New England Patriots remained extremely active. 

Entering the 6th round, the team had four picks remaining:

6th Round- 178,198,210

7th Round- 219

After selecting Arizona State linebacker Christian Sam, who plays inside and can play the WILL position, with the 178th overall pick, the Pats got back to what they do best; trading picks.

New England linked up on a deal with the Kansas City Chiefs, sending the 198th overall selection to Kansas City in exchange for the 233rd and 243rd overall picks. The deal was the seventh draft-day swap the Pats had made over the three-day event.

From there, the Pats moved on to select Miami slot receiver Braxton Berrios with the 210th overall pick. Berrios, who is 5-foot-8, figures to look to make the team as the latest in a long line of quick, elusive slot receivers, like Julian Edelman, Wes Welker and Troy Brown. The prototypical New England receiver also doubles as a sure-handed punt returner, who could help fill the void of Danny Amendola and take some of the responsibilities in the return game off of Edelman's shoulders.

New England, then, decided to make another deal. For their eighth draft-day trade, the Pats sent the 233rd overall pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for the 250th overall pick and a 2019 seventh rounder, once again adding to next year's draft haul.

Following the deal, the Pats made the move many had expected from them since day one; they took a quarterback. With all of the names that had been considered possibilities for them in pre-draft analysis off the board, the Pats made the interesting move to select LSU quarterback Danny Etling with the 219th pick overall. Etling played in 37 games, completing 57.9 percent of his passes for 7,076 yards and 43 touchdowns. The young quarterback, who will have a chance to make the roster, split his college career between Purdue and LSU.

After that shocking pick, the Pats concluded their draft by taking cornerback Keion Crossen out of Western Carolina and tight end Ryan Izzo out of Florida State with picks 243 and 250 respectively.

So, in total, the Pats selected nine total players, over the three days. Of those nine players, five are offensive additions and four are defensive players.

The team currently has eight spots remaining to sign undrafted free agents.