2022 NFL Draft: Best Players Available for Patriots in Rounds 4-7

Perry: Here's who the Patriots should target on Day 3 of NFL Draft originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Patriots director of player personnel Matt Groh made it clear in his back-and-forth with reporters on Friday: Bill Belichick's team was looking to get faster and tougher this weekend.

They accomplished the former on Friday night, adding arguably the fastest receiver in the draft in the second round (Baylor's Tyquan Thornton) and then following that up by taking an uber athlete in the third round (Houston's Marcus Jones) at corner.

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They accomplished the latter in drafting a guard with new-age athleticism and an old-school approach (Chattanooga's Cole Strange) in the first round.

If the Patriots want to continue with those trends going into Day 3 of the draft, how can they do it? They have three fourth-rounders, three sixth-rounders and one seventh-rounder remaining so they'll have plenty of opportunities to add whatever characteristics they like.

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They could get faster at inside linebacker by taking Penn State's Brandon Smith, who is a remarkable athlete for his size (6-foot-3, 250 pounds), but there are some concerns about his grit so perhaps that would be a non-starter for New England.

Adding Miami (Ohio)'s Dominique Robinson or Virginia Tech's Amare Barno would give the Patriots speed off the edge at outside linebacker. Sam Houston's Zyon McCollum and UTSA's Tariq Woolen would represent wildly speedy boundary-corner additions. Rutgers wideout Bo Melton and Memphis slot Calvin Austin will make their teams, wherever they end up, much faster on Saturday.

In terms of toughness, Michigan running back Hassan Haskins would certainly give the Patriots a bump there; he was honored with the Wolverines' Toughest Player Award as a senior. Indiana linebacker Micah McFadden would add toughness, as would Boston College interior offensive lineman Alec Lindstrom. (You can hear more about Lindstrom's story from BC coach Jeff Hafley on this edition of Next Pats.)

Here's a full list of Prototypical Patriots still available headed into Day 3. There are plenty...