NFL Mock Draft 7.0: Giants, Patriots trade up; Redskins land defensive help

The Patriots have 12 picks in this draft and they have more glaring holes than usual to fill. Bill Belichick loves to make draft day trades, and usually picks and chooses when to move up. This could be one of those years.

The retirement of Rob Gronkowski has opened up a massive hole in the Patriots’ offense. For the better part of the last decade, Gronk has served as the team’s top receiving target. Sure, he has dealt with injury problems, but when he was on the field, he was undoubtedly the top target.

With Gronk retired and Dwayne Allen now on the Dolphins, the Patriots have Austin Seferian-Jenkins and Matt LaCosse as their top tight ends. That will absolutely change before the start of the season. They have been linked to quite a few different tight ends, but if they can trade up to get T.J. Hockenson, expect them to do that.

Hockenson is the most well-rounded tight end in this class and he’s a steal at this point. In fact, he could go in the top-10, but the rise of quarterbacks pushes him down the board. He’s an excellent blocker at the point of attack, but he also has top-end receiving ability. He can run routes, is surprisingly athletic, is big, and catches everything that is thrown to him. He wouldn’t seamlessly replace Gronk, but he’s the prospect that will come the closest to getting this done.

The Patriots could consider a tight end if they stay put at 32, and they have shown interest in Alabama’s Irv Smith Jr. They also could consider taking two tight ends in this fairly deep class to shore up the depth there. But either way, a tight end is certainly in play for their first-round pick, and a trade with Seattle would make sense too.

Seattle seems desperate to move down and acquire some more picks. By moving down to 32, they can target a solid player that fits the athletic mold they like in their top prospects while grabbing some extra ammunition to address their needs as well.