Roger McCreary is a great fit for the New England Patriots

Roger McCreary was consistently found in the first round of several mock drafts during the weeks leading up to the Senior Bowl earlier this offseason. 

Since then, the measurements of his arms and other defensive backs picking up draft stock have caused him to fall out over several analysts' first-round predictions and some have even knocked him out of their top 50 prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft. 

Our friends at Patriots Maven recently wrote a report on McCreary and discussed the upside the Auburn Tiger has as a second-round value for a team like the New England Patriots who need some help at the cornerback position. 

They cited his experience defending some of the top wide receivers every single week including the likes of Jamar Chase who has exploded on the scene and helped take the Cincinnati Bengals to the Super Bowl. 

McCreary excels in man-coverage but now has some experience running zone and playing off of the line due to a new defensive scheme that Auburn defensive coordinator Derek Mason implemented last season. 

Patriots Maven writer Kevin Tame wrote the following in his report on McCreary. 

McCreary’s speed and instincts will make him a contributor on day one with his NFL team. He faced a gauntlet of receivers in the SEC week in and week out. He held his own each time holding Alabama’s Jameson Williams, Devonta Smith, Mississippi State’s Makai Polk, Ole Miss’s Braylon Sanders, and Dontario Drummond to low receiving totals. His matchup with Penn State’s Jahan Dotson went very similarly as well. This will smoothen the transition to the NFL, even though we know that the guys at this level are more advanced. McCreary’s combine measurements of his arm’s length will scare some teams who have a prerequisite number they want their prospects to hit. The tape really shows that has not been a hindrance to him so far in his journey. His playstyle is similar to that of Casey Hayward of the Atlanta Falcons. He was talked about as a surefire 1st rounder before the combine, but there is a probability that he will be on the board in round 2.

The Patriots use former Auburn defensive back Jonathan Jones as a key defender in the backfield when he is healthy. Perhaps they could add another Auburn Tiger to help bolster their pass defense.