With the Patriots not surprisingly trading away their 23rd pick it leaves fans guessing what they have planned for day 2 with a lot of talent still left on the board. In return for the 23rd pick, the Patriots received the 37th overall pick and the 71st. Despite Patriot fans wanting them to use that pick on Kenneth Murray, it was the smart thing to do. The Patriots move down 14 spots, and got another 3rd round pick to compliment and complete the trade. Everyone knows Bill Belichick feasts in the middle rounds and he should have a field day in the 2nd day of the draft.

The Patriots should take a TE in the 2nd round without a doubt that is what I see them doing, but it is only a matter of when I think they should. A lot of talent is still left on the board that the Patriots could have selected at #23 which is the reason why they moved down so expect them to go in that direction. Xavier McKinney is a surprising player to see move into the 2nd round, and I would be pretty surprised to see him be there at #37, same goes for Grant Delpit. The most realistic players I see the Patriots going with is Zach Baun or AJ Epenesa whom I originally had going to the Patriots at #23. If they end up going with AJ Epenesa they would have to move back into the 2nd round to get their future tight end. Thuney at this point in time will not be traded for a 2nd rounder, instead the Patriots will package a 3rd round pick and 1 or 2 6th round picks in order to get back into the 2nd round. The tight ends that are available are Cole Kmet, Adam Trautman, Harrison Bryant, Hunter Byrant, Thaddeus Moss, Brycen Hopkins, and Albert Okwuegbunam. When the Patriots trade back into the 2nd round they will draft Cole Kmet who should still be on the board anywhere from pick #44 to pick #50.

The Patriots have 4 3rd round draft picks to work with, which leaves a lot of guessing. Will they go with a QB? Will they draft a 2nd TE? Or maybe they may go WR in this round if K.J Hill is still left on the board. With pick #71 I expect the Patriots to draft Jacob Eason like I had originally in my mock. As much as I want the Patriots to draft Jalen Hurts I just do not think Bill is going to target that style of player. With pick #87 I have the Patriots drafting K.J Hill out of Ohio State. Hill is a phenomenal route runner who knows how to get open. He is a smart player who has 2nd round talents but will fall into the 3rd round which would be a steal. Pick #98 I am predicting will be the pick that gets traded along with pick #195 in order to get back into the 2nd round. I would not be surprised if they trade a 2nd 6th round pick to complete the trade since they have 4 of them. With pick #100 the Patriots will go with a 2nd tight end but I am still unsure who we will go with. Drafting Thaddeus Moss this early may be a reach so that is why I could see us possibly going with Brycen Hopkins or Adam Trautman. If we do not go with a TE, Moss would still be available in the 4th or 5th if the Pats were interested in him.

Round 2 Pick #37: A.J Epenesa, Defensive end, Iowa

Round 2 Pick #44-#50 received in a trade: Cole Kmet, Tight end, Notre Dame

Round 3 Pick #71: Jacob Eason, Quarterback, Washington

Round 3 Pick #87: K.J Hill, Wide receiver, Ohio State

Round 3 Pick #98: TRADED

Round 3 Pick #100: Adam Trautman, Tight end, Dayton

Round 1 Pick 2, Redskins: DE, Chase Young, Ohio State

Round 1 Pick 3, Lions: CB, Jeff Okudah, Ohio State

Round 1 Pick 4, Giants: LB, Isaiah Simmons, Clemson

Round 1 Pick 5, Dolphins: QB, Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama

Round 1 Pick 6, Chargers: QB, Justin Herbert, Oregon

Round 1 Pick 7, Panthers: DT, Derick Brown, Auburn

Round 1 Pick 8, Cardinals: OL, Tristan Wirfs, Iowa

Round 1 Pick 9, Jaguars: CB, C.J Henderson, Florida

Round 1 Pick 10, Browns: OL, Andrew Thomas, Georgia

Round 1 Pick 11, Jets: WR, CeeDee Lamb, Oklahoma

Round 1 Pick 12, Raiders: WR, Jerry Jeudy, Alabama

Round 1 Pick 13, 49ers: WR, Henry Ruggs III, Alabama

Round 1 Pick 14, Buccaneers: OL, Jedrick Willis, Alabama

Round 1 Pick 15 Broncos: DT, Javon Kinlaw, South Carolina

Round 1 Pick 16, Falcons: OL, Mekhi Becton, Louisville

Round 1 Pick 17, Cowboys: LB, K’lavon Chaisson, Louisiana

Round 1 Pick 18, Dolphins: Safety, Xavier McKinney, Alabama

Round 1 Pick 19, Raiders: LB, Kenneth Murray, Oklahoma

Round 1 Pick 20, Jaguars: Safety, Grant Delpit, Louisiana

Round 1 Pick 21, Eagles: WR, Justin Jefferson, Louisiana

Round 1 Pick 22, Vikings: WR, Denzel Mims, Baylor

Round 1 Pick 23, Patriots: DE, AJ Epenesa, Iowa

Round 1 Pick 24, Saints: QB, Jordan Love, Utah

Round 1 Pick 25, Vikings: CB, Kristian Fulton, Louisiana

Round 1 Pick 26, Dolphins: OL, Austin Jackson, Southern California

Round 1 Pick 27, Seahawks: LB, Zach Baun, Wisconsin

Round 1 Pick 28, Ravens: LB, Patrick Queen, Louisiana

Round 1 Pick 29, Titans: CB, Jeff Gladney, TCU

Round 1 Pick 30, Packers: WR, Tee Higgins, Clemson

Round 1 Pick 31, 49ers: OL, Cesar Ruiz, Michigan

Round 1 Pick 32, Chiefs: CB, Trevon Diggs, Alabama

The 4 month ordeal is finally over. Ken Rosenthal tweeted out Wednesday afternoon confirming that the 2018 Red Sox were reportedly stealing signs but on a lesser scale than the 2017 Astros. They never came out with what evidence they have to back up that statement as we still await that or we may never find out exactly what they found. This investigation was sloppy, unprofessional, and filled with gaps. Rob Manfred back in November when he punished the Astros for their scandal got a lot of backlash from fans, disagreeing with his punishments.

In the punishment it looks as if replay operator J.T Watkins was the conductor of this whole cheating scandal which should make Red Sox fans feel a little bit better that they could not find any hard evidence of any Alex Cora wrongdoing. Watkins has been suspended through the 2020, and 2021 seasons. Alex Cora still remains banned from Baseball but only for his role in the 2017 Astros cheating scandal.

Since this whole ordeal began many Red Sox players spoke out about the investigation, including players who are no longer on the team. Mookie Betts, Joe Kelly, David Price, and most recently Steve Pearce claimed that the 2018 title was legit and won fair and square. Steve Pearce is the most interesting one to speak out about the investigation since it started because he did not actually have to say anything as he was just announcing his retirement at the time last week. “That’s such a joke to us. When it came out we were all kind of joking about it. We just want this to pass us. We won it fair and square. Whatever they accused us of, we were all kind of like, ‘I can’t believe this is even an issue.’ Once the report comes out we’re all going to be free.”

Here is a full timeline of the investigation from start to finish, not including how many times the investigation was delayed.

January 7th 2020: Rosenthal reports that the 2018 Red Sox illegally stole signs in the 2018 season when they eventually won the World Series vs the Dodgers.

January 13th 2020: Manfred rules on the 2017 Astros cheating scandal, and found hard evidence against Alex Cora. Manfred came to the conclusion that he was the mastermind behind the whole scandal.

January 14th 2020: Alex Cora was fired from the Red Sox because of his role in the Astros scandal shortly after the Astros fired A.J Hinch.

January 16th 2020: Mets manager, Carlos Beltran resigns from the Mets just 3 months after becoming their manager.

January 21st 2020: An LA Council unanimously approves a measure requesting that the 2017, and 2018 World Series titles be awarded to the Dodgers. Manfred dismisses the idea of forcing teams to vacant titles a day later.

February 16th 2020: Manfred refers to the World Series trophy as a piece of metal which causes backlash from players.

March 26th 2020: Rob Manfred says that they are not finished investigating the Red Sox and there has to be another delay due to the other problems they have.

April 22nd 2020: Rob Manfred punishes the Red Sox.

This years NFL draft is an unusual one. The COVID-19 outbreak is at it’s peak, so commissioner Roger Goodell was forced to think quickly to help stop the spread of this deadly virus. He decided to move the draft into his basement at his house so he did not have to postpone the event. With the draft now 1 day away it is time to begin speculation of what the Patriots might end up doing on Thursday-Sunday.

It is no secret that the New England Patriots and Bill Belichick in recent years have not had the best luck when drafting early round studs. Coming into this draft they are desperately in need of a WR, TE, and edge. What I want the Patriots to do is different than what I expect them to do come Thursday. Experts say that this years NFL draft has the best WR class in recent years which is why I want the Patriots to take advantage of this class. I would like to see the Patriots make a move to trade up in the 1st round with the Cowboys to get the #17 pick. Justin Jefferson is a name I’ve seen floating around recently connected with the Eagles who have the #21 pick. If the Patriots traded with the Cowboys for the #17 pick, chances are Jefferson will still be on the board when we select. I do not see this happening because if you look at our current WR situation with Mohamed Sanu, Julian Edelman, N’keal Harry they all played through injuries so I do not believe the Patriots exactly NEED a receiver that early, instead what I believe will happen is the Patriots end up staying put at pick #23, and select Iowa product Aj Epenesa who had 11.5 sacks last season.

The Patriots franchise tagged Left Guard Joe Thuney back in March, which began speculation of whether or not the Patriots were going to hold onto him or trade him for picks. With Joe Thuney reportedly nowhere close to a deal with the Patriots it is time to make a move. The Patriots currently do not have a second round pick because they traded it away to the Falcons back in October in order to acquire WR Mohamed Sanu. Many NFL experts believe that the Patriots will trade him to the Bears for the 50th overall pick, but I personally think the Lions could budge if offered a 3rd or 4th round pick as well as Thuney since they are infamous for signing/trading for Patriots talent the last few years. If the Patriots were to trade with the Lions, I could see LB Kenneth Murray still possibly being on the board when they select. If the speculation is correct, and the Bears and Patriots come to an agreement on a trade, I can see the Patriots taking Notre Dame TE product, Cole Kmet.

The 3rd round is my favorite round to predict this year because of how many picks the Patriots have in this round. They are in possession of pick #87 #98, and #100. I can see the Patriots either trading up and selecting Jalen Hurts or staying put and drafting Jacob Eason. It is important that the Patriots give QB Jarrett Stidham some young competition to keep him more motivated. With pick #98, I have the Patriots selecting another tight end, but this time Thaddeus Moss out of LSU. If the last name sounds familiar, he is indeed the son of former Patriot, and all time great Randy Moss. With pick #100 I can see us selecting Antonie Winfield, safety out of Minnesota.

The last round I will discuss is the 4th round. With news breaking on Tuesday that the Patriots have traded Rob Gronkowski to the Bucs, it gave them another 4th round pick to work with in this years NFL draft. In this round they have newly acquired pick #137 along with pick #125. With their 125th pick the Patriots will select WR K.J Hill out of Ohio State. Hill is an exceptional route runner, who knows how to get open. Hill has 2nd round talents, but with a WR class so deep many experts see him falling to the 4th round. Finally with pick #137 I have the Patriots selecting OG, Solomon Kindley out of Georgia.

Round 1 (23): A.J Epenesa, EDGE, Iowa

Round 2 Via Bears (50): Cole Kmet, TE, Notre Dame

Round 3 (87): Jacob Eason, QB, Georgia

Round 3 compensatory selection (98): Thaddeus Moss, TE, LSU

Round 3 compensatory selection (100): Antonie Winfield, Safety, Minnesota

Round 4 via Bears (125): K.J Hill, WR, Ohio State

Round 4 via Bucs (137): Solomon Kindley, OG, Georgia

Round 5 via Lions (172): David Woodyard, LB, Utah State

Round 6 via Broncos (195): Richie Grant, Safety, UCF

Round 6 via Texans (204): Dane Jackson, CB, Pittsburgh

Round 6 compensatory selection (212): Michael Divinity, LB, LSU

Round 6 compensatory selection (213): Trystan Colon-Castillo, Center, Missouri

Round 7 via Falcons (230): Kindle Vildor, CB, Georgia Southern

Round 7 via Seahawks (241): Mykal Walker, LB, Fresno State

The Bucs had the higher ground in terms of negotiations because of Rob Gronkowski’s contract status. A lot of wishful thinking Patriot fans felt as if the Patriots could have gotten more in this trade including myself at first. The more I thought about it, the more I started to make sense of the whole trade. Rob Gronkowski has not played Football for over a year, and has not been very lucky when it comes to injuries. It was either Gronk stays retired and we get nothing or we agree to trade him, and get a pick.

The Patriots might now have to look towards the NFL draft that begins in 2 days to find their future tight end with the current Patriot tight ends being Matt LaCosse, and Ryan Izzo. I do not see the Bucs trading O.J Howard even with the addition of Gronk. The Bucs did not know how to use Howard properly before they signed Brady back in March, but everyone knows TB12 knows how to get the best out of his players. Brady has always done exceptionally well using multiple tight ends on the same play. Now with an offense that consists of Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, O.J Howard, Mike Evans, and Chris Godwin.. It looks like the Bucs are the team to beat this year in the NFC.