On its face, the Patriots’ selection of Oklahoma edge defender Ronnie Perkins in the 2021 NFL Draft might have come as a bit of a surprise.
Didn’t New England just add someone to the front seven already when it selected Alabama defensive tackle Christian Barmore?
Doesn’t the team already have Kyle Van Noy, Matthew Judon, and Chase Winovich playing in that spot?
Couldn’t that pick have been better spent on a wide receiver, a cornerback, or an offensive lineman?
Even if the answers to all those questions were “Yes,” there’s still a lot to like about Perkins, whom the Patriots grabbed with the 96th overall pick after many analysts projected him to go in the second round.