WR Jayden Higgins, Iowa State

Round Projection: Day Two, Pro Comparison: Michael Pittman Jr.

Higgins is a big possession receiver who can win on in-breakers and above-the-rim contested catches on the outside. He can also use his speed for cleaner vertical wins as a big slot. The 6-4, 214-pound receiver is at his best crossing defenders’ faces on slants or finding soft spots in zone coverages. But he does have some trouble creating separation, especially on vertical routes in isolation as an outside/X receiver. Higgins doesn’t always play to his 4.47-second timed speed, with inconsistent releases off the line to beat press coverage. He’ll eat up cushion versus off-coverage for wins at the first two levels, and again, he can stretch the seams/threaten on posts as a big slot. In many ways, he’s similar to Tet McMillan. He’s not as dynamic after the catch as McMillan, but Higgins is a day-two version who wins in similar ways.

EDGE Princely Umanmielen, Ole Miss

Round Projection: Top 50, Pro Comparison: Whitney Mercilus

Speaking of dynamic speed rushers, Umanmielen is one of my guys. His first step challenges the edge on every rep and builds speed as he gets into his second and third steps to turn a tight corner with excellent closing burst to finish sacks. Umanmielen’s dip-rip rush is a foundational move, and he’ll complement that with a nasty inside spin move and long arm. The Ole Miss product’s performance vs. Georgia last season had it all (two sacks, six total pressures). Umanmielen looks like a great fit in Vrabel’s aggressive defense as a rush end.

T/G Wyatt Milum, West Virginia

Round Projection: Day Two, Pro Comparison: Peter Skoronski

The Patriots selected Campbell in the first round to fill their need at left tackle, but if they want to really strengthen their offensive line, they could target Milum to play left guard. Milum is a power-oriented college left tackle who will likely move inside to guard. Due to his 32 ⅛-inch arms, Milum practiced on the interior at the Senior Bowl, where teams view his NFL future. Milum has the play strength to generate movement on down blocks and double teams, the athleticism to pull and climb to the second level, and good upper-body power to torque defenders out of gaps. As a pass protector, his quick strikes can end reps quickly, and he has a stout anchor to handle power. Milum’s skillset is conducive to playing in a phone booth. He projects nicely into the tackle-to-guard pipeline that’s blossoming in the NFL and could be a day-one starter for the Patriots at left guard.

DT Darius Alexander, Toledo

Round Projection: Day Two, Pro Comparison: Keion White (at DT)

Alexander is an explosive interior penetrator who fits the aggressive mindset that the Patriots are trying to instill in their defensive line. As a run defender, the Toledo product is at his best going through blockers’ edges into the backfield as an interior battering ram. Alexander has a few go-to moves in the pass rush that give him a nice foundation. The 24-year-old has an effective long arm/bull rush and pairs that with a well-timed swim move. Alexander is an older prospect who is still refining his technique to reach his ceiling. His anchor/power is inconsistent due to his shaky pad level, and he’ll get caught battling with blockers rather than finding the ball. Still, the Pats want defenders who fit an upfield scheme, and Alexander has the traits to thrive in a Vrabel defense.

WR Kyle Williams, Washington State

Round Projection: Day Two, Pro Comparison: Rashod Bateman

There’s a lot of late buzz about the Washington State wideout, one of the draft’s best separators. Williams is more about creating separation than running precise routes, but his blend of speed (4.4s) and suddenness allows him to win in multiple ways. He has a great release package to stack press-man corners on the outside, as his tape is littered with completed go balls in isolation. He can also set up defenders for route breaks on blaze outs and has plenty of burst after the catch to turn underneath targets into big gains. Williams needs to cut down on drifting out of his horizontal breaks and is an older prospect (23-year-old rookie). But he’s among the best pure separators in this year’s receiver class.

Other Remaining Players From Lazar’s Patriots Big Board

– EDGE J.T. Tuimoloau, Ohio State

– RB Dylan Sampson, Tennessee

– OT Ozzy Trapilo, Boston College

– DT Alfred Collins, Texas

– EDGE Jack Sawyer, Ohio State

– CB Jacob Parrish, Kansas State

– RB Cam Skattebo, Arizona State

– EDGE Kyle Kennard, South Carolina

– WR Tre Harris, Ole Miss

– EDGE Oluwafemi Oladejo, UCLA

– EDGE Barryn Sorrell, Texas

– OT Charles Grant, William & Mary

– TE Terrance Ferguson, Oregon

– RB Ollie Gordon, Oklahoma State

– DL Joshua Farmer, Florida State

– OT Anthony Belton, NC State

– RB LeQuint Allen, Syracuse

– C Drew Kendall, Boston College