2014 NFL mock draft: Patriots select Austin Seferian-Jenkins

With the 29th pick in Pride Of Detroit's 2014 NFL mock draft, the New England Patriots select Washington tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins. TjwGOblue is serving as the Patriots' general manager, and his reasoning for the pick is below.

After trolling around at Pats Pulpit, I discovered their loyal readers had voted on a "Biggest Draft Needs" post earlier this month. Most of it appears to be depth issues, but the one that stood out to me was tight end. New England finished with their lowest red zone scoring percentage (TD only) this decade. While it was in the top 10 still, they were near the bottom of the league until Rob Gronkowski came back, which was clearly not coincidental.

Richard Hill over at Pats Pulpit did a great breakdown of the different types of tight ends in the Patriots scheme. Considering this and the Patriots' red zone deficiency, I have selected Austin Seferian-Jenkins. He was a red zone machine for the Huskies, catching 34.29 percent of his receptions there in 2013.

Of the top tight end prospects, Seferian-Jenkins had the highest percentage of plays lined up at the end of the offensive line at 47 percent. This somewhat reassures me that ASJ is more suited for the "Y" tight end role. ASJ also had the lowest drop percentage of tight ends in this draft class, which Tom Brady will love since the Patriots were second in team drops this past season. ASJ provides reassurance for Brady and the Pats if Gronkowski were to go down again.

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Check out the 2014 POD Community Mock Draft tracker for a look at all of the picks.