2019 NFL Draft: Worst pick for each AFC East team
New England Patriots: Damien Harris (87th overall)
We had to save the world champs for last. In truth, it doesn’t matter who the New England Patriots draft because they have Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. Nevertheless, even the kings of the ACF East make bad picks on occasion — even if it’s somewhat rare.
The Patriots are hated by all fantasy football players for their refusal to stick to one running back. There’s arguably no better team at utilizing a running back by committee approach than the New England Patriots. Still, taking Damien Harris in the third round seems like a wasted pick.
As far as fit goes, well, Harris does fit into the Patriots system. After all, they drafted the exact same type of player in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft when they nabbed Sony Michel. Both guys put their foot in the ground and fight for extra yards. In fact, they are ideally similar in size and speed; Michel is 5-11, 214 pounds and ran a 4.54-second 40 while Harris is 5-10, 216 pounds with a 4.57-second 40. Some say two is better than one but this is a bit too much.
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In fact, the team still has James White, who dominates as a receiver out of the backfield, and Rex Burkhead, who adds the same receiving ability as White provides. Oh, and there’s Brandon Bolden, who gets sprinkled in from time to time. Unfortunately for Bolden, he’s likely the odd man out. Still, with Michel, White and Burkhead, Harris will fight for carries and even just snaps on the field.
Since they won’t have Gronk, maybe taking a tight end would have worked in the third round, as would a player like Will Grier instead of taking Jarrett Stidham later on.