Patriots draft CB JoeJuan Williams in second round

FOXBORO – The Patriots kicked off Day 2 of the 2019 NFL Draft by trading up into the second round to grab cornerback JoeJuan Williams from Vanderbilt.

The Pats traded their first second- round pick, 56 overall, and their second third-round pick, 101 overall, to the Los Angeles Rams to move up to No. 45. That’s where they selected this 6-foot-4 cornerback, who was rumored to be heading to the Patriots over the last month. He was one of the Patriots 30 predraft visitors. [...]

FOXBORO – The Patriots kicked off Day 2 of the 2019 NFL Draft by trading up into the second round to grab cornerback JoeJuan Williams from Vanderbilt.

The Pats traded their first second- round pick, 56 overall, and their second third-round pick, 101 overall, to the Los Angeles Rams to move up to No. 45. That’s where they selected this 6-foot-4 cornerback, who was rumored to be heading to the Patriots over the last month. He was one of the Patriots 30 predraft visitors.

Williams’ size alone makes him an intriguing prospect. He’ll the biggest cornerback in Foxboro since Brandon Brown in 2014. At Vanderbilt, the corner showed outstanding ball skills. Last season, he led the SEC with 18 passes defensed to go with four interceptions. Williams had 28 passes defended over his last two collegiate seasons. He also earned SEC Academic Honor Rolls the last three years.

Where Williams factors into the Patriots defense remains to be seen. This marks the second-straight year that Bill Belichick’s team has drafted a cornerback in the second round. The Patriots cornerback depth chart is absolutely stocked. Last year’s second rounder, Duke Dawson, didn’t play in a single game due to the depth.

Williams joins Dawson, Stephon Gilmore, Jason McCourty, J.C. Jackson, Jonathan Jones and Keion Crossen on the depth chart. It’ll be interesting to see how the depth chart shakes out come this summer.