FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- A wrap-up of the New England Patriots draft.
Best move: Start at the top with Alabama cornerback Cyrus Jones, who should compete for a No. 3 role immediately while also lessening the load on Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola by taking over top punt-return duties (four TDs in 2015). The team's initial pick at No. 60 overall, in the second round, Jones is as safe and solid of a prospect as the Patriots could make at that point. That's what they needed considering they were stripped of a first-round choice as part of Deflategate penalties. If there was a "best move, Part II", it would be acquiring a 2017 fourth-round pick to account for the NFL taking away their other 2017 fourth-round pick as part of Deflategate penalties. That was smart future planning.
Riskiest move: Passing over Utah running back Devontae Booker, who went to the Denver Broncos in the fourth round. Booker was a player I thought could have elevated the Patriots' offense to a higher level and he was right there for the taking, but instead landed with an AFC rival. That's one I'll be watching in the years to come to see if the Patriots regret it. Give him to the Patriots over Nebraska defensive tackle Vincent Valentine at No. 96, who might have been available later, and that would have put this draft over the top. The Patriots didn't select any running back, which seems questionable.
Most surprising move: Selecting quarterback Jacoby Brissett with a late third-round pick (No. 91). The idea that the Patriots would take a quarterback had merit entering the draft, but conventional wisdom was that it would come on Day 3. With the Patriots picking a quarterback that high, it ensures he will be on the 53-man roster alongside Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo, which will mark only the second time since 2009 that the club will carry three quarterbacks on its 53-man roster (it's usually two).
File it away: Sixth-round pick Kamu Grugier-Hill out of Eastern Illinois is a hybrid safety/linebacker who runs well (4.4 in the 40) for his size (6-2, 215 pounds) and could project to a core special teams role. The Patriots have a history of carving out roster spots for core special teamers and Grugier-Hill has a nice opportunity ahead of him.