Trader Bill: Patriots Move Down - and Out - of NFL Draft's 3rd Round After Deal with Panthers

Confirming his reputation as the NFL Draft's most prolific trader, New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick struck again Friday night by trading down and out of the third round.

The Patriots traded their second third-round pick - No. 94 overall - to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for pick No. 137 in Saturday's fourth round and a third-round pick in 2023. That's a solid return for merely moving down 43 spots in the middle of the draft.

With the pick from the Patriots, the Panthers drafted Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral.

Belichick, who entered 2022 with by far the most trades of any NFL general manager in the the last 20 years of the draft, orchestrated one before the draft and three more in the first three rounds.

In the first round, the Patriots shocked the NFL - but filled an immediate need - by trading down and taking Chattanooga offensive lineman Cole Strange 29th overall.

In the second round they moved up four spots - from No. 54 to No. 50 - to take the fastest receiver in the draft, Baylor's Tyquan Thornton.

With their first pick in the third round the Patriots finally stayed put at No. 85 and selected Houston diminutive-but-versatile cornerback Marcus Jones.

On Saturday's final day of the draft, the Patriots - barring more trades - with have three picks in the fourth round (Nos. 121, 127 and 137), three in the sixth round (183, 200 and 210) and one in the seventh round (245).

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The Patriots entered the draft needing help at linebacker, defensive end, cornerback and, of course, Belichick's favorite - offensive lineman. In various mock drafts, they have been linked to Utah linebacker Devin Lloyd, Georgia linebacker Nakobe Dean, Alabama receiver Jameson Williams, Arkansas receiver Treylon Burks, Georgia defensive lineman Jordan Davis, Boston College offensive tackle Zion Johnson, Clemson cornerback Andrew Booth Jr., Florida cornerback Kaiir Elam and Northern Iowa offensive tackle Trevor Penning.

A year ago, the Patriots drafted Alabama and Davey O'Brien Award-winning quarterback Mac Jones 15th overall and his Pro-Bowl rookie season led them to a playoff berth. Jones led all rookies in wins, completion percentage, passing yards and touchdowns.

After an impressive seven-game winning streak in the middle of the season, New England lost three of its last four to finish 10-7 before being pummeled, 47-17, in the Wild Card game by the AFC East champion Buffalo Bills.

The Patriots - who were only a disappointing 4-5 at Gillette Stadium - finished with the NFL's second-best defense. Only the Bills (289) allowed fewer points than their 303. New England's +159-point differential trailed only the Bills (+194) and Dallas Cowboys (+172).

This offseason Belichick has retained most of the team's core veterans and even gone back-to-the-future with a couple familiar names from the glorious past.

New England re-signed kicker Nick Folk, running back James White, offensive tackle Trent Brown, backup quarterback Brian Hoyer, special teams maven and captain Matthew Slater and 2021 leading tackler Ja'Whaun Bentley. The Patriots are also bringing back defensive backs Devin McCourty (who turns 35 in August) and Malcolm Butler (who retired last season).

Newcomers include former Dolphins receiver DeVante Parker, former Giants safety Jabrill Peppers, Texans cornerback Terrance Mitchell and hybrid running back/receiver Ty Montgomery, signed from the Saints to fill the dual-threat role filled by Cordarrelle Patterson in 2018 and taken to the next level by Deebo Samuel in San Francisco in 2021.

And, biggest of all, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels left to become head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. With no official replacement yet, speculation is that Belichick will assume play-calling duties for the first time in his legendary career.

2022 Patriots Draft Board

1. (29) Cole Strange, OL, Chattanooga

2. (50) Tyquan Thornton, WR, Baylor

3. (85) Marcus Jones, CB, Houston

Round 4: 121, 127, 137

Round 6: 183, 200, 210

Round 7: 245