2018 NFL Draft: New England Patriots Grab Two Georgia Bulldogs

The New England Patriots will be on the clock twice during the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft Thursday night. The Patriots have the 23rd and 31st picks of the opening round, a rare situation for a team which hasn't had a first-round pick since they picked defensive tackle Malcolm Brown with the last pick of the first round of the 2015 draft.

The 23rd pick was part of a trade which saw the Patriots send wide receiver Brandin Cooks and a fourth-round pick to the Los Angeles Rams for the first-round pick and the 198th pick in the sixth round.

So who is going to receive a new jersey from the Patriots? Unless Bill Belichick decides trades the pick (and he may), an offensive lineman seems to be the conventional wisdom. While not the flashiest of picks, the team is lacking depth at the position following the departure of Nate Solider and Cameron Flemming. As noted by the Boston Globe, many mock drafts have the Patriots picking UCLA tackle Kolton Miller. He met with the Patriots at the rookie combine and paid a visit to Gillette Stadium earlier this month. Notre Dame’s Mike McGlinchey and Connor Williams of Texas are also options at left tackle.

If you're looking for a quarterback, maybe you'll get what you want, but you might have to wait for Friday's second round. Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com has New England taking Lamar Jackson of Lousiville with the 23rd pick while Matt Miller of Bleacher Report is projecting Mason Rudolph of Oklahoma State to be taken with the pick. The Ringer is a little more ambition and is calling for New England to send the 23rd, 95th, and 198th picks to Seattle in exchange for the 18th pick, where Jackson would be selected.

Like most mock drafts, everyone was way off with the 23rd. The Patriots went with Georgia tackle Isaiah Wynn. One of the captains of the 2017 Georgia football team, Wynn was named a member of the AP All-American second team and Coaches' and AP All-SEC first team last season.

Wynn played 15 games in 2017 at left tackle and 12 at left guard in 2016.

With the 31st pick, the Patriots took running back Sony Michel, also from Georgia. In is four years with the Bulldogs, he rushed for 3,638 yards and 33 touchdowns.

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