Patriots Trade Up, Eye Defensive Boost

0:00It's April 24th. I'm Corey with The Story. This is NFL News Today, driven by AI and built for football fans. Patriots fans, the team just traded up in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft to snag offensive tackle Caleb Lomu from Utah. Now with the 63rd overall pick, near the end of Round 2, they're eyeing a defensive boost by grabbing cornerback D'Angelo Ponds out of. Indiana. CBS Sports analyst Josh Edwards dropped a mock draft predicting exactly that move ahead of day two on Friday. He sees Ponds as a perfect fit to shore up the secondary right away. Ponds transferred to Indiana after a year at James Madison and became a cornerstone of their defense during a national championship run. Last season alone, he posted 60 tackles, 10 pass breakups, two picks, and a forced fumble. What stands out is how this five foot eleven corner plays way bigger than his frame, lining up outside or in the slot like Trent McDuffy. He held strong against big 10 stars, showing real starter potential.

1:02Day two kicks off soon, so we'll see if New England pulls the trigger or pivots, but this mock has that defense clicking early.