Perry's Prototypical Patriots: Which DTs are best fits in New England?
Bill Belichick has been known to zig where everyone else zags on draft weekend -- which is why Phil Perry wants you to keep an eye on the defensive tackles in the 2021 NFL Draft.As Perry points out, Belichick and the New England Patriots have a penchant for using first-round picks on DTs. So, who might they have their eye on this year?Perry's "Prototypical Patriots" series continues with a look at the 2021 DT prospects of three different skill sets who check the most boxes for New England.
Is defensive tackle a desperate need for the Patriots? Nope. Does Belichick love taking interior defensive linemen in the first round, though? You betcha.
With his first 15 first-round picks as Patriots head coach, Belichick used one third of those selections on defensive tackles. He's used 18 first-rounders total during his tenure and more than a quarter of them have been used on the position.
Even though Lawrence Guy remains in the mix with offseason additions like Henry Anderson, Davon Godchaux and Montravius Adams, and even though players like Carl Davis and Byron Cowart are back for another year, don't be surprised if Belichick takes a defensive tackle on draft weekend. And early.
The question is, which type of tackle will he be interested in? They come in all shapes and sizes when you analyze Belichick's draft history.
Richard Seymour and Ty Warren were built like 3-4 defensive ends, with good length and weighing in at about 300 pounds.
Vince Wilfork and Malcom Brown, meanwhile, were built more like nose tackles. They checked in at closer to 320 pounds and had the power to hold up against double teams.
Then there was Dominique Easley, who weighed well under 300 pounds (288) but was a penetrating three-technique with great athleticism who was billed as a pass-rushing menace. Fourth-round picks from earlier in Belichick's tenure, Jarvis Green (2002) and Dan Klecko (2003), also were deemed fits as lightly-built interior defenders.
Here we'll dig into all three body types in the 2021 NFL Draft class. We've got Warren-types. We've got penetrators. We've got space-eaters.
Let's get to digging...
Perry's Prototypical Patriots series: RBs
