New England Patriots: Making a case for Marcus Peters

The NFL Draft is less than a week away, and for New England Patriots, they will be looking to replace some key players in the draft that they lost during free agency.

A key to the Patriots’ success in 2014 was a much improved defense that added two talented cornerbacks last year. In the last offseason, the Patriots would sign Brandon Browner and Darrelle Revis in hopes of improving a secondary that has struggled in recent years.

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The two additions for the Patriots paid dividends, as they went from the 26th-ranked team in yards allowed in 2013 to the 13th–ranked team in 2014. The Patriots’ defense took it hits on the injury front losing Jerod Mayo for the season, and also having Chandler Jones miss extended time. Despite these injuries to key players, the Patriots’ defense would play very well last season, and a lot of that was because of their strong secondary.

The Patriots elected to decline Browner’s $2 million roster bonus, which made him available in free agency for the second straight season. After winning a Super Bowl with New England, Browner would sign a three-year contract to join the New Orleans Saints.

Easily the biggest loss of the offseason for the Patriots was losing Revis to the rival New York Jets. The contract for Revis was essentially a one-year deal, as the Patriots probably never had any intention of picking up the $20 million option. After declining the option, the Patriots did try to sign Revis, but he would instead take a five-year, $70 million deal to rejoin the Jets.

New England would spend a pretty penny to re-sign safety Devin McCourty, who was also a big part of the improved secondary. Starting at cornerback going into next season for the Patriots are currently Bradley Fletcher and Super Bowl XLIX hero Malcolm Butler.

While the Patriots will not be able to get the next Revis likely with the 32nd overall pick, they can add a talented cornerback to replace him.

Arguably the most talented cornerback in the upcoming NFL Draft is Marcus Peters from the University of Washington. Peters was granted eligibility to enter the draft as an underclassman after his junior season was cut short because of being dismissed from the team.

The reason for the talented Peters being an option for the Patriots is because of his behavior at Washington. In 2014, Peters was suspended one game for a sideline outburst, and then an altercation with an assistant coach would be the final straw for Peters.

Sep 20, 2014; Seattle, WA, USA; Washington Huskies defensive back Marcus Peters (21) celebrates his interception against the Georgia State Panthers during the first quarter at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

In his three seasons at Washington, Peters proved to be a play-maker from day one. In his freshman season, Peters would total three interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown. Peters would follow up his strong freshman season with five interceptions in 2013, which was fifth in Pac-12 conference.

In nine games last season, Peters would still total three interceptions, which was good enough to rank him third in the Pac-12.

Peters could provide the Patriots with excellent value with the last pick in the first round but he must improve his behavior. The Patriots are well-known for taking risk on players that have had some character issues elsewhere. With a veteran locker room around him, Peters would be set up for success.

Next: What are the five-best game in 2015 for the Patriots?

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