Could Patriots buy low on one of these dinged-up draft prospects?

Over the years, the Patriots have shown an extraordinary willingness to buy low on draft prospects who have had injury issues coming out of college. Their philosophy? These talents have seen their draft stock take a dip because of various health problems, but with the benefit of some time in the New England system, they can theoretically surpass their draft status and become stars. In some cases, it works (Rob Gronkowski, Malcolm Mitchell). In others, not so much (Dominique Easley). With that in mind, here are six prospects in this year’s draft class who have struggled with injury, and as a result, could drop into New England's draft range.



RB Bryce Love: This Stanford product suffered a torn right ACL in the regular-season finale, an injury that came at the end of a college career where he had 3,865 rushing yards, 465 receiving yards and 32 total touchdowns. (That included 2,118 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns during his junior season.) Second in the Heisman voting in 2017, this 5-foot-10, 202-pound back has drawn comparisons to Dion Lewis, right down to the knee issue. Expected to be a mid-round pick, he said in February his goal would be to be ready by mid-training camp. The Patriots’ ground game appears to be set for 2019, but for a New England team that likes to operate under-the-radar when it comes to the running game, taking Love with a mid-round pick and stashing him on IR for a year certainly wouldn’t be out of character.



DT Jeffrey Simmons: This Mississippi State product produced seven sacks and three forced fumbles in his final two seasons, but he tore his ACL while prepping for the combine. In all likelihood, it’ll mean he’ll be out of the picture for 2019 for any team that takes him, but he’s still an interesting prospect for a few reasons, including the fact many believed he would have been a Top 10 talent if he wasn’t injured. The 6-foot-4, 300-pounder is expected to be available at the end of the first round — if New England is satisfied with the rest of its depth chart, could it roll the dice on the all-SEC defensive lineman, secure in the knowledge it might not see him in game action until 2020? It’s a distinct possibility.



WR Marquise Brown: “Hollywood” had Lisfranc surgery in December, but is expected to be good to go for training camp. As such, it won’t be a precipitous drop for the receiver — one ex-scout said it probably means a fall from the top 10 to the middle of the first round. Ultimately, it means he might not be available to New England if it sticks at No 32 — if the Patriots are going to go after him, it would likely necessitate a trade up. But it is worth noting that this 5-foot-9, 166-pounder has the sort of skillset Bill Belichick looks for when he seeks offensive skill position guys who can put pressure on opposing defenses in a variety of ways — a super-quick, smallish pass-catcher with make-you-miss ability.


RB Rodney Anderson: The Patriots aren’t necessarily in the market for running back help in 2019, but Anderson represents another mid-round, stashable possibility who could be a developmental choice for 2020 and beyond. The 6-foot, 224-pounder, a college teammate of Brown, has had leg and vertebrae issues at Oklahoma, but when he’s been healthy, he’s been dynamite — he had 1,161 rushing yards (6.2 yards per carry) and 281 receiving yards as a sophomore in 2017. Like some of the others on this list, he’s the sort of prospect who would likely be taken with an eye toward contributing down the road.



OL Alex Bars: A lot to like here, including the fact that the 6-foot-6, 312-pounder has played both guard and tackle at a high level, and he comes from a football family. (His father played linebacker at Notre Dame, while one brother played on the offensive line at Michigan and another brother was a defensive lineman at Penn State.) He suffered a season-ending ACL-MCL tear in September which will drive down his draft stock, but for a team like New England that might need to add some depth along the offensive line, Bars — who was a team captain at Notre Dame last year — could be an attractive mid-round possibility.



CB Kendall Sheffield: The Patriots don’t figure to be prioritizing cornerbacks when it comes to this year’s draft, but Sheffield could be a mid- to late-round possibility, with his drop due in part to a torn pec he suffered while doing the 225-pound bench press at the combine. The 5-foot-11, 193-pounder is an explosive athlete, and his speed will still allow him to find a spot on an NFL roster somewhere come 2019. The only question? Where the fourth-year junior might land.