New England Patriots Trade Up For Cornerback In NFL Draft

The New England Patriots got themselves a new cornerback.

Joejuan Williams was selected with the 45^th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. The team was set to pick at No. 56 overall in the second round, but decided to trade up with the Los Angeles Rams to secure Williams. The cornerback got Belichick’s attention in the pre-draft process.

New England surrendered the No. 56 overall pick and their No. 101 pick to bring Williams at No. 45.

Williams is 6-foot-4, 211 pounds, and head coach Bill Belickick said they need someone with this size. During his pre-draft conference, he talked about the needs of his team. He said, “This is another year where there’s a lot of big receivers—6’4″, 225, 230, whatever they are—I mean, somebody’s going to have to cover those guys one of these days.”

Belichick also talked about the moves his team is making at the moment.

“If teams are going to be three-receiver sets in the majority of offensive formations, then you better be ready to put five defensive backs on the field and be ready to have a slot corner,” he said. “If you want to have a slot receiver, then you need to have a slot receiver if you want to put three out there. Somebody’s got to play in the middle. …

“Usually, you sit there at the end of the year and say, well, we had a lot of trouble blocking this player or defending this type of player or whatever it is, and then that kind of becomes a need for you. Either we have to change our scheme to do this, which probably isn’t that easy or you would have already done it, or we have to have another certain type of player on our roster that we don’t currently have that has a certain type of skillset. So, this is another year where there’s a lot of big receivers – 6-4, 225, 230, whatever they are – I mean, somebody’s going to have to cover those guys one of these days.”

Williams was really productive in the SEC with Vandy, and had 61 total tackles in his junior season.  He also had 4 interceptions and 13 passes defended. At the NFL Combine, Williams ran a 4.64 second 40-yard dash and put up 17 reps on the bench press.

“Long press corner who has shown an ability to use his size and aggression as a zealot in contested catch battles,” writes NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein. “While he has traits to build upon, the Georgia game shined a light on his press inefficiency, lack of speed and inconsistent ball skills with his back to the quarterback. Coaching and scheme can improve or cover some of those areas, but the early results could be a bit uneven. If the technique catches up with the traits, the play demeanor and talent should make him a solid NFL starter.”