Patriots’ 2020 NFL Draft: Day 2 Live Blog

For the first time since 2000, the New England Patriots are entering the NFL Draft without Tom Brady on the roster. His absence - along with the departure of several other key free agents this offseason - make this year's draft for the Patriots a must-win situation.

After nine Super Bowl appearances and six championships, New England is about to have their most important draft of the Bill Belichick era. With 12 draft picks in their arsenal following the Rob Gronkowski trade, the weight of the franchise's run of the success continuing into a third decade lies on how the 2020 NFL Draft pans out for Belichick and the Patriots.

Because the league is conducting their first ever draft on a virtual landscape, it may add some extra uncertainty and hiccups that teams normally wouldn't come across on draft day. But if there is one team we know will be fully prepared for this type of event, it's New England, who are coached and prepared by one of the most meticulous head coaches in the NFL.

Here are the dates and times over the course of the draft:

• Round 1: Thursday, April 23 at 8 p.m. ET

• Rounds 2-3: Friday, April 24 at 7 p.m. ET

• Rounds 4-7: Saturday, April 25 at 12 p.m. ET

Here is a primer to catch you up on what you need to know about the Patriots before the draft begin (click here).

The New England Patriots opted to not make a selection on Day 1 of the 2020 NFL Draft. They traded the 23rd overall pick to the Los Angeles Chargers in exchange for the 37th and 71st overall picks.

Bill Belichick seemingly felt he could get an equally talented player in the beginning of the second round as he could have in the first round, which falls in line with what many draft boards showed ahead of the draft. So the Patriots were able to trade back, gain more draft capital, and still have an opportunity to grab a player with a high grade in this year's draft class. That's a win for the six-time Super Bowl champions.

Let's take a look at where the Patriots stand in terms of selections for the remainder of the draft:

2nd Round: No. 37

3rd Round: No. 71, No. 87, No. 98, No. 100

4th Round: No. 125, No. 139

5th Round: No. 172

6th Round: No. 195, No. 204, No. 212, No. 213

7th Round: No. 230

Here's a little tidbit from ESPN's Adam Schefter this evening:

One personnel director calls this “the deepest second round in the last 25 years.” He believes there are 20 players available tonight that could have been first-round picks; there usually are 7-10. “There will be as many starters in this round that there are in the first round.”
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 24, 2020

6:33 p.m. - SI's Albert Breer mentioned on Periscope that the Bengals and Colts - who own the 33rd and 34th picks, respectively - are trying to trade out of those picks. He mentioned that there may be an effort by some teams to move up in order to acquire one of the offensive tackles still left on the board, like Houston's Josh Jones.

6:57 p.m. - Another nugget I came across from Breer on SI.com pertains to the Patriots being one of the teams that are exploring trading down tonight:

Other clubs that have talked with other teams about trading up: Denver (46), Atlanta (47) and Jacksonville (42). Clubs exploring moving down: Indianapolis and New England. The supply of tackles is starting to run a little low, and there are a bunch of corners who were projected as potential first-rounders still there (Kristian Fulton, Trevon Diggs). Either position, or even running back, could prompt some trades up.

7:15 p.m. - Bengals kick off the 2nd round by selecting Clemson receiver Tee Higgins. He's cut from the same cloth as A.J. Green. Cincinnati doing what they can do surround Joe Burrow with weapons.

7:18 p.m. - Colts keep the run on receivers alive, taking USC's Michael Pittman Jr. with the 33rd overall pick. A.J. Epenesa, Cole Kmet, Xavier McKinney, Zack Baun and others linked to Patriots are still on the board with two picks to go before New England selects.

7:30 p.m. - The Patriots take Division II safety Kyle Dugger out of Lenior-Rhyne with the 37th overall pick. Dugger is a guy that will learn behind safety and captain Devin McCourty.

7:47 p.m. - With the Joe Judge-led Giants taking Alabama safety Xavier McKinney at pick 36, it was tough to gauge where New England would go with their following pick. But of course, they went with a player no one was expecting. Epenesa, Mims, Baun, Kmet, and other still on the board. New England opts to go with the Div. 2 safety instead.

8:39 p.m. - The Eagles take Oklahoma QB Jalen Hurts with pick No. 53. That's a bit of a head-scratcher. Spending a premium pick on a position that you gave big money too last offseason doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Hurts was a potential player the Patriots may have targeted in the third round.

8:49 p.m. - Edge rusher A.J. Epenesa - who was consistently mocked to the Patriots in the first round - goes to the Bills at pick No. 54. Very surprising that Epenesa fell this late in the draft. Day 1 rotational player for Buffalo.

9:05 p.m. - The Rams take Florida receiver Van Jefferson with the 58th pick. Jefferson is a player that was consistently being mocked to New England at the backend of the 3rd round. Los Angeles drafted him much earlier than he was expected to be. Jefferson is great off the LOS and has exceptional route-running ability.

9:30 p.m. - New England makes their first trade of Day 2. They gave their 71st and 98th picks to Baltimore for the No. 60 and 129 picks. With the 60th pick the Patriots selected linebacker Josh Uche. Uche is a versatile linebacker that specializes at rushing the passer. A perfect player to help fill the void left by Kyle Van Noy.

10:30 p.m. - Eight picks to go before New England makes a pick for the first time in the third round. Dayton tight end Adam Trautman is still on the board. He would be a perfect for the tight-end needy Patriots at this point in this draft.