New England Patriots: 7-Round 2019 NFL mock draft in early April

The New England Patriots have gotten by in recent years without putting significant resources in the edge rusher position. Most teams see edge rusher as a premium position, but the Patriots continue to fill it with mid-round selections and players off of the scrap heap. With this in mind, despite the seemingly obvious need edge rusher, I do not expect the Pats to all of a sudden make the position a number one priority.

With their third and final selection in the third round of this mock draft, the New England Patriots select defensive end Anthony Nelson out of Iowa. Nelson is not an overly exciting prospect. He is not a freak edge rusher who bends around the edge with elite athleticism. That being said, he is a rock solid player who will have success at the next level.

Nelson is a long and strong defensive lineman who shows great competitive toughness at all times. He is fantastic against the run, showing the ability to fill gaps as both a one and two-gap defender on a consistent basis. While his pass rush upside is relatively limited, he does convert from speed to power well and shows an impressive ability to pursue the quarterback.

Simply put, Nelson is the kind of hard-working and high character player who Bill Belichick and the Patriots love. He has a chance to be an immediate contributor as a standard 4-3 defensive end and could even kick inside as an interior rusher on passing downs.