2012 POD Mock Draft: New England Patriots Select Peter Konz

With the 31st pick of Pride of Detroit's 2012 NFL mock draft, the New England Patriots select Wisconsin center Peter Konz. Mavyrk is serving as the Patriots' general manager, and his reasoning for the pick is below.

After selecting a premier pass rusher (Nick Perry) to groom for either defensive scheme the Patriots want to use, I find myself making a selection four picks later that includes two players I was seriously considering at pick No. 27 in Peter Konz and Kendall Wright. If this were the real thing, I would have taken Nick Perry as I did and would now be on the phone with as many teams as possible trying to deal away this pick for future picks, as I feel confident I could pick up a center to groom and some field-stretching wide receivers later in the draft.

With the signing of Brandon Lloyd, the Patriots have some time and options with their wide receiver spots, so I can't feel too bad about grabbing Peter Konz here. I'd feel good about grabbing another pass rusher as well, but there's no one I'm really in love with that would match the value of No. 31 overall. Similarly, it'd be nice to get either a FS or another young corner to groom, but the pickings are slim.

Konz will likely not be pressed into a starting role immediately, but if he is (likely at RG) I think he'll do well in his rookie year as he is groomed to eventually replace Dan Connolly. Picking him here leaves me the ability to grab extra value in later rounds by filling greater needs later and not reaching here, and he will almost assuredly put the Patriots' concerns at center to rest for the next decade (injuries depending).

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