NESN

The thought of taking Ohio State wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba crossed our minds here. But ultimately, we went with a pick that both addressed a more pressing weakness and more closely aligned with Bill Belichick’s traditional draft strategy, which always has favored solidifying the line of scrimmage in the opening round. Jones isn’t as experienced as your prototypical Patriots-drafted lineman with less than two seasons of college starting experience, but he’s powerful, mean and very athletic, running a 4.97-second 40-yard dash at 6-foot-5, 311 pounds. He’d be an ideal pupil for new O-line coach Adrian Klemm and projects as the franchise tackle New England needs. Trent Brown, Conor McDermott and Andrew Stueber are the only Patriots tackles currently under contract for 2023, and Brown has one year left on his deal.