Steven Ridley’s 2018 NFL Mock Draft

With the thirty-first pick of the 2018 Steven Ridley NFL Mock Draft, the New England Patriots select:

Jarie Alexander; Defensive Back from the University of Louisville.

Rather than trading out of the first round altogether to salvage more picks, Bill Belichick continues to bolster his defense given the fact that both his options at Quarterback and Left Tackle are gone and there is no one here worth reach up for in this spot. Instead, he opts for Jarie Alexader, a fluid, sticky corner who is not shy about getting physical with receivers at the line of scrimmage. Impressive for a guy who is under 5’11 and weighs just under 190lbs. However, one would think that his fiesty nature upon playing against receivers would trickle down into run support. Sadly, it does not as Alexander seems 50/50 on tape upon doing so. As per the usual among Cornerbacks his size is that bigger and stronger receiver will be able to strong arm him easily should Jarie elect to do press coverage. Given the fact that Belichick plays to his opponents weakness and Jarie’s own penchant for challenging just about anyone in the draft, there is no reason to assume why Jarie would not be the pick.