Entering the 2018 NFL Draft, everyone assumed that the Patriots would load up on talent to rebuild a front seven that lacks top-end playmakers.
And in true Bill Belichick fashion, Belichick zigged where everyone expected him to zag.
The Patriots football czar waited until the fifth round to select a linebacker, Purdue thumper Ja’Whaun Bentley, and addressed the offensive line, running back and cornerback in the first two rounds of the draft.
Out of those first three picks, the most surprising selection was Florida cornerback Duke Dawson. The Patriots had Dawson in for a pre-draft visit, so their interest wasn’t unexpected necessarily, but he was expected to go a round or two later than the Patriots selected him.