Patriots could beef up defensive tackle depth in draft

A continuing series looking at how the Patriots could fill positions through the NFL Draft, which is scheduled for April 23-25.

Defensive tackles don’t always garner headlines but it’s easy to see when you have a need in that area.

Take last season, for example. The Patriots allowed 201 rushing yards in their wildcard loss to the Tennessee Titans. The Pats also struggled against the run in their loss to the Baltimore Ravens (210 rushing yards allowed) [...]

A continuing series looking at how the Patriots could fill positions through the NFL Draft, which is scheduled for April 23-25.

Defensive tackles don’t always garner headlines but it’s easy to see when you have a need in that area.

Take last season, for example. The Patriots allowed 201 rushing yards in their wildcard loss to the Tennessee Titans. The Pats also struggled against the run in their loss to the Baltimore Ravens (210 rushing yards allowed) and in spurts in their wins against Cincinnati (164 yards allowed), Cleveland (159) and Washington (145).

This offseason, the Pats lost their best run-stopper in Danny Shelton, but added another in Beau Allen. Allen joins Lawrence Guy, Adam Butler and Byron Cowart in the defensive tackle depth chart. It’s still a little light with Allen as the only pure run-stopper.

With Guy and Butler entering a contract year, the Pats could bulk up their depth chart by way of the draft. Head coach Bill Belichick has drafted 16 defensive tackles with the Patriots. Those players stand an average of 6 feet 3 inches and weigh 309 pounds. They have an average 40-yard time of 5.1 seconds, a 29-inch vertical, bench 225 pounds an average of 26 reps, have a broad jump of longer than 105 inches and 7.94-second 3-cone and 4.2-second shuttle times.

Here are some options for the Patriots:

Jason Strowbridge, North Carolina

Strowbridge is the best athletic fit for the Patriots, matching on six of eight targets. He’s undersized at 275 pounds, but hits on height, 40 time, vertical, bench reps, broad jump and 3-cone time. He is projected to go somewhere in the third or fourth round.

Strowbridge has been a standout for North Carolina over the last two seasons. As a junior, he earned honorable mention All-ACC honors. Last year, he was named to the third-team All-ACC squad. He had planned to play defensive end in college but was moved inside. He also stood out on special teams, blocking four kicks in his collegiate career.

DaVon Hamilton, Ohio State

Hamilton is tied with two others for the second-most matches with five. He hit on height, weight, vertical, bench and 3-cone. He led all defensive tackles at the recent NFL Combine in Indianapolis in bench reps with 33. That puts him in the 90th percentile all-time at his position. The Patriots met with him at the Combine.

At 6 feet 4 inches and 320 pounds, Hamilton has the ideal size for a defensive tackle. Last season, he was named to the third-team All-Big Ten after finishing with 28 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss and six sacks. Hamilton would help in the NFL against the run. He’s projected to go in the middle rounds.

Ross Blacklock, TCU

Blacklock also hit on five targets — height, 40 time, vertical, broad jump and 3-cone. He did not participate in the bench press at the Combine. He’s projected to be a late first-round or early second-round pick. The Patriots met with Blacklock at the Combine. Athletically, he compares to former Patriots first-round pick Dominique Easley.

Coming off an Achilles injury, which forced him to miss all of the 2018 season, Blacklock still earned first-team All-Big 12 honors last year. He finished with 40 tackles, nine for loss, and 3.5 sacks. At 6 feet 3 inches and 290 pounds, he projects as an interior pass rusher.

Larrell Murchison, Nebraska

Murchison is undersized at 6 feet 2 inches and 297 pounds but he hit on five targets — 40 time, vertical, bench, broad jump and 3-cone. His athletic profile also compares to Easley as well as NFL veteran Grady Jarrett. He’s a projected as a middle-round pick. He had a predraft interview with the Patriots.

Murchison started his collegiate career at Louisburg College in North Carolina. At Nebraska, he was a captain and earned second-team All-ACC honors last year. He finished with 48 tackles, 12 for loss, and seven sacks. He played both nose tackle and defensive end at Nebraska. He projects as an interior pass-rusher in the NFL.

Leki Fotu, Utah

Fotu didn’t crack our top-15 defensive tackles in terms of athletic traits. The reason he’s on this list is because of his size. At 6 feet 5 inches and 330 pounds, he represents the heaviest defensive tackle at the Combine. He’s projected to go somewhere in the middle rounds next week.

Fotu played rugby growing up and earned a scholarship to Utah after one year of high school football. He earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors both as a junior and a senior. Last year, he also earned third-team All-America honors after finishing with 29 tackles, nine for loss, and 1.5 sacks. He also was a team captain.

mdaniels@providencejournal.com

On Twitter: @MarkDanielsPJ