Vince Wilfork who can not only play right away Chase Winovich Buffalo Bills Jersey , but also succeed Lawrence Guy as the main DT on the team."WhitePatriots News Opinion and Analysis Contribute! FanPostsFanShotsAbout the Site List of Patriots Twitter AccountsWrite For Pats Pulpit!New User Welcome and Commenting GuideCommunity GuidelinesMastheadTopics Patriots Off-Season CoveragePatriots Opinion/AnalysisPatriots NewsPatriots Draft CoverageSportfolio ManagementTop 10 Patriots Draft Fits #4: Clemson DT Dexter LawrenceNew,56commentsLawrence is an athletic defensive tackle in the mold of Vince Wilfork who can not only play right away, but also succeed Lawrence Guy as the main DT on the team.EDTShareTweetShareShareTop 10 Patriots Draft Fits #4: Clemson DT Dexter LawrenceThomas J. Russo-USA TODAY SportsThe Patriots are mostly set with the DT position as they’ve got 3 solid rotational players in Lawrence Guy, Mike Pennel, and Adam Butler. Guy and Pennel are more early down run stuffers with moderate pass rush upside whereas Butler is better at pushing the pocket than anchoring against the run. This year’s draft has a handful of solid DT prospects the Patriots should have a chance on, with only Quinnen Williams, Ed Oliver, Christian Wilkins, and Jerry Tillery likely being off the board before the Patriots pick at 32. One player that was once considered a Top 10 prospect before the previous college season that could be available is Wilkins’ Clemson teammate in Dexter Lawrence.Combine DataHeight: 6’4”Weight: 342Arm: 34 3/4” 40: 5.05StrengthsCan play almost any interior DL position1 and 2-gap versatilityFreak athleteStrong anchor vs. runVirtually unblockable in 1-on-1 situationsDisruptive rusher by collapsing the pocket WeaknessesHas out-athleted every one to this point, technique will need workMore of a disruptor than playmakerGets a bit lazy at timesReasons Why the Patriots Will Draft HimPatriots haven’t had an athlete on their DL like this since taking Vince Wilfork 21st overall in the 2004 draft. Lawrence profiles very similar to Big Vince, who fell out of the top 10 and right into the Patriots laps that year. Lawrence being more of a disruptor than playmaker may allow for some teams to pass on him (their mistake) and the Patriots to target Lawrence in the early to mid 20s as a potential trade up target. Even if Lawrence isn’t going to make enough plays to be a defensive player of the year candidate, his skill set strongly profiles for what the Patriots want in their interior defensive linemen. Reasons Why the Patriots Will Not Draft HimSimply not being available is the biggest reason I can think of. If Lawrence is available when the Patriots are on the board, I think they pull the trigger on him regardless of other needs. Another thing to note is also the Patriots don’t necessarily have to prioritize a DT in the first round either given the team is 3-deep at the position although an injury makes the position rather thin as well. Lawrence also was barred from college postseason play in 2018 after testing positive for ostarine Color Rush Chase Winovich Jersey , a known PED, although he denies knowingly taking the substance. Who He Needs to Beat Out: Frank Herron, David Parry, Keionta DavisThere isn’t much competition for Lawrence if we’re talking about the 4th DT in the rotation behind Guy, Pennel, and Butler. Lawrence would already be the most talented player in the room.Rookie Year ProjectionLawrence would be able to play right away as a major factor in the Patriots DT rotation. Lawrence should also be leaning on Guy and Pennel as two players who were late round picks that had to fight for every opportunity they got and ultimately cashing in with New England. Lawrence should see roughly 30-40% snaps as a rookie barring injuries. Long Term ProjectionLawrence will eventually work his way to being the top DT in the rotation by the end of Year 2, which is when Guy, Pennel, and Butler are all about to hit free agency. His size and strength would make him a tough guy to double up and beat in the run game. Grade: 5/5 Day 1 StarterRound: 1st FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — If things go right, the New England Patriots won’t have to play another road game until a potential Super Bowl appearance.That would be welcome news for a team that takes a 7-0 home record into Sunday’s regular-season finale against the New York Jets — and is just 3-5 on the road.“Trust me, I wish I knew the answer to that,” safety Duron Harmon said Thursday when asked about the home/road disparity. “At the end of the day Youth Chase Winovich Jersey , I mean . our fans are great, they’re loud, they’re here, they’re supporting us. As far as the road woes, I really don’t know. I wish we could have the answer to that because then we would fix it.“We’re working on it. We’re worried about being a consistent football team, getting better so that when an opportunity comes to play on the road down the road we’ll make sure we’re ready to go. But right now we’re just focusing on winning this Jets game.”There are two paths that could keep the Patriots, who wrapped up their 10th straight division title last week, from another road game. Both require help from outside – one requires A LOT of help.Assuming New England finishes off an 8-0 home slate with a win over the Jets, one of the teams the Patriots have beaten on the road, here are two ways to set up two home playoff games:—Both the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers lose Sunday, playing at home against weaker opponents,Oakland and Denver, respectively.Very unlikely.—The Chiefs or Chargers lose their first playoff game to one of the wild cards.Possible.Asked if he’d just as soon put off testing the road record until next year Womens Chase Winovich Jersey , Harmon said, “Oh for sure,” and added, “The only thing we’re focused on right now is just winning this week.”“We know we are. We know that we have about five losses on the road,” said Rob Gronkowski. About?“But we really never put any thought into it, like why we’re 7-0 at home and we’re 3-5 on the road. It just shows how tough it is to go play in the NFL, to go and win a road game.“I’ve been playing for a few (nine) years now and no doubt about it, going on the road is definitely tough in the NFL. … You gotta deal with it – we got the Jets this week and we’re home, so our main focus is on them and what we gotta do to beat them.”A loss would eliminate any shot at the conference’s top seed.The Patriots, the only undefeated home team in the NFL, have outscored their seven home opponents 225-130. They have been outscored on the road 192-173.After winning at home to start the season, the Patriots sustained back-to-back road losses at Jacksonville and Detroit, two teams that are a combined 8-20 against the other teams in the league. There was a big win at Chicago before a blowout loss at Tennessee Authentic Chase Winovich Jersey , and then the losses at Miami (that miracle final play) and Pittsburgh.Said safety Devin McCourty: “At the end of the day I would just say we didn’t play well on the road. You can probably go through each game and there would be some similarity, some differences – but for whatever reason we just didn’t get it going on the road the way we needed to.“Some of the game early in the season just were basically no contest. We lost basically the last two games, Miami and Pittsburgh, one play; one play changes the game. Some of that was football and some of that was just not getting off to a good start.”NOTES: After Tom Brady reiterated on his weekly Westwood One radio spot that he intends to play again next year — Brady never has said anything other than that — Gronkowski, amid speculation he might retire after the season, refused to get into his personal situation Thursday. “I haven’t been thinking about that at all,” said Gronk, who nearly quit the game after last season. “We’re on the last game going into Week 17, we got the Jets, and that’s all I’m really worried about as of now.” Asked if he’s still enjoying playing, he said, “Yeah. Definitely.”