Patriots stick with defense in second and third rounds

The New England Patriots have selected a pair of defensive players and made a trade through three rounds of the 2015 NFL Draft.

With the 64th overall selection, the last of the second round, the Patriots selected defensive back Jordan Richards from Stanford.

After trading picks 96 and 219 to the Cleveland Browns for picks 111, 147 and 202, the Patriots then selected Geneo Grissom from Oklahoma with the 97th overall selection in the third round.

Richards, 5'11" and 210 pounds, finished the 2014 season with three interceptions, five pass break-ups and eight passes defended. He also had 79 tackles, with 53 solo tackles.

His father is from Massachusetts, which Richards was asked about during a conference call shortly after his selection.

"My dad is from Natick, so he was stoked for sure," said Richards. "Being a California kid, I can't say I'm a Patriots fan or I was growing up, but shoot, I can change now."

Richards has been praised for his smarts on the football field. He was nicknamed, "Coach" by his teammates at Stanford.

"Everybody talked about his communication, his leadership, his character off the field," said head coach Bill Belichick. "I don't think there will be any issue with that."

"As a player, I think I play fast and physical and that kind of touches all aspects of the game, whether it's [special] teams or defense," said Richards.  "And as a person, I think I'm a smart player and I think I'm easily coachable and that I just want to learn and be the best football player I can be, so an organization like the Patriots, I'm going to try to go there and be a sponge and soak up as much as I can from teammates and coaches and somehow contribute to the success of this organization."

Grissom, who played both defensive end and linebacker at Oklahoma, played in 10 of 13 games for the Sooners in 2014. He missed the final three games of the season with a sprained MCL in his right knee. He finished 2014 with 39 total tackles, including 3.5 sacks and 6.5 tackles for a loss.

"He has good playing strength, runs well," said Belichick. "This year on third down he played end and then also bumped inside to an inside rush position.  He was the guy who would move inside sometimes. He's pretty disruptive in every game. It's not like you had to watch four games to find him making a play."

Grissom finished his career at Oklahoma with 8 sacks and 17 tackles for a loss.

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is expected to address the media shortly. We will share his comments as soon as they are available.

Cox Media Group