Patriots NFL Draft Day 3 Summary

The New England Patriots drafted 8 players on day 3 of the 2015 NFL draft, 4 on defense , 3 on offense and one Longsnapper . Here are the players they took and quick summary of their strengths and weakness's according to NFL.com.

TREY FLOWERS DE ARKANSAS 4th Round 101st player taken. 6'2" 266 lbs. Flowers is a high motor power end who is continuing to grow as a pass rusher. He is a good student. Doesn't look like much athletically, but finds his way to the ball against the run. Not yet advanced enough as a pass rusher to be able to consistently pressure the passer. While he might have room on his frame to add more bulk, he's not as long as most 3-4 teams would like at defensive end.

TRE JACKSON OG FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY 4th Round 113th player taken. 6'3" 330 lbs. College teammate with current Patriots Center Bryan Stork. Played alongside Stork on the offensive line of the 2013 FSU national championship team

Leverage and strength to stand and steer defenders in confined spaces. Stays flat-footed and balanced at point of impact in pass pro. Aggressive play demeanor. Can take a stand when being bull-rushed. Considered a bit overweight potentially affecting his foot quickness. Three-year starter, Jackson has the talent to be a dependable, quality NFL starter, but he needs to work on weight and conditioning in order to improve his feet and reach his potential.

SHAQ MASON C GEORGIA TECH 4th Round 131st player taken. 6' 1" 304 lbs One of the most powerful drive blockers in the 2015 draft. Salty and tough. Strength is his calling card. Short guard with short arms. Lets his hands get a little wide in pass sets, making his lack of length more distressing.. Powerful player with an ability to drive defenders off their spot with leg drive and then torque and finish with strong hands and upper body. Lack of height and arm length could hurt him a bit, but his elite power trait as run blocker and solid pass-protection technique make him a future starter at right guard in the NFL.

JOE CARDONA LS NAVAL ACADEMY 5th Round 166th player taken 6'2" 242 lbs. Cardona becomes only the 4th long snapper ever chosen in the NFL Draft. He will need special dispensation from the Naval Academy to be able to play football in the NFL. Bill Belichick's dad coached at the Naval Academy for many years. The Patriots current long snapper, Danny Aiken is a free agent.

MATT WELLS OLG MISSISSIPPI STATE 6th Round 178th player taken. 6'2" 222 lbs. Wells is a speedy undersized linebacker who projects to be an NFL special teamer and possibly weak side linebacker. He impressed scouts at his pro day with a very fast 4.43 40 yd dash. Wells started 26 games over the last two years with Bulldogs. He recorded 165 tackles, 22 tackles for loss and six sacks in four years at Mississippi State. He also had an interception, 14 passes defended and three forced fumbles. Wells played at Mississippi State with current Patriots linebacker Deontae Skinner.

AJ DERBY TE ARKANSAS 6th Round 202nd player taken. 6'5" 250 lbs Derby is one of those classic Patriots projects. He started his college career as a Linebacker at Iowa. He then became a Quarterback. Only during his senior year did he play Tight End. He has some skills as a receiver but is very rough around the edges

DARRYL ROBERTS CB MARSHALL 7th Round 247th player taken 5'11" 187 lbs. Roberts started 42 games at Cornerback in his college career, 2nd most in Marshall history. He has high end speed. Ran a 4.3 40 at his pro day. He is also very athletic. He most likely needs to show he can contribute on special teams to earn a roster spot.

XZAVIER DICKSON DE ALABAMA 7th Round 253rd player taken . 6'3" 260 lbs Dickson looks more suited to defenseive end in a 4-3 defense or an outside linebacker in a 3-4. He led Nick Saban's Alabama defense last year with 9 sacks. He also made 42 tackles.

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