New England Patriots - NESN.com
It seems like everyone is clamoring about how well the New England Patriots did in last week’s NFL draft.
Despite all the criticism about his arm length in the lead-up to the marquee offseason event, Will Campbell received his flowers. So did New England’s second-round pick in Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson with Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard throwing major praise his way. Ex-NFL quarterback turned analyst Chris Simms got into the act, too, gushing about Washington State wide receiver Kyle Williams after the Patriots picked him in the third round.
But there is at least one Patriots draft pick that isn’t getting the same attention and former NFL executive Scott Pioli, who spent eight seasons in a front office role with New England, doesn’t want people to forget about him.
“In addition to Will Campbell, don’t sleep on fellow Tiger, 5th round pick Bradyn Swinson,” Pioli wrote on X on Monday. “I got to see quite a bit of them both on the field and off the field while consulting for LSU football the past couple of seasons. I truly think Swinson’s best football is ahead of him.”
Swinson has flown under-the-radar a bit compared to New England’s other draftees but the 6-foot-4, 255-pound edge rusher fills a need for the defense. He got after the quarterback during his final season at LSU, tallying a team-high 8.5 sacks to go along with 58 tackles, 13 of which went for a loss. Swinson also forced two fumbles.
Pioli probably is biased when it comes to Swinson due to his connection to the LSU football program, but there is a lot to like about Swinson. NFL Network even projected him as a plus starter in the league.
And the Patriots scooping up Swinson in the fifth round could be a major win for the franchise. Swinson certainly seems to think so.
“You’re getting a dog. That’s off rip. You got a steal,” Swinson told reporters after getting drafted, per team-provided transcript. “Honestly, just a guy that’s going to work hard every day, and is going to handle his 1-11, and is looking to help change the culture there, and add to the winning that’s going on. You’re getting a dog, for sure.”
