New England Patriots: 7-Round 2018 mock draft in mid-March

The New England Patriots need an infusion of talent across their defensive front seven. They severely lacked speed and playmakers both on the defensive line and at the linebacker position last season. Simply put, in order to improve defensively, the Pats must find a way to add impact players in the front seven this offseason.

With their first round selection of this mock draft, the Patriots find an intriguing defensive line prospect in Florida’s Taven Bryan.

Bryan is an extremely quick and athletic defensive lineman who shows fantastic ability as a one-gap penetrator. He gets a quick burst off the snap which allows him to gain an immediate advantage over the opposing blocker. At Florida, Bryan primarily played inside, consistently proving to be too much for interior offensive linemen to handle.

At the next level, I could see the 6-foot-4, 291-pound Bryan playing a variety of roles across the defensive line. He has enough speed and athleticism to compete on the edge, but can be an overwhelming rusher inside on obvious passing downs.

The Patriots love versatility as much as anybody and I could see Bryan providing that at the next level. On early downs, he would be a strong fit in the Pats defense across from Trey Flowers at defensive end. He could create a pass rush on the edge while also showing enough length and functional strength to set the edge. Bryan’s real upside would come on obvious passing downs when he could kick inside and create a consistent impact in the pass rush.

Bryan would be a strong compliment to the powerful Malcom Brown at defensive tackle and provide great versatility across the position. New England undoubtedly needs to get younger and more athletic up front and snagging Bryan in the first round would be a fantastic step in the right direction.