Browns trade 2013 sixth overall pick Barkevious Mingo to Patriots
One day after trading starting center Bryan Stork to the Washington Redskins, the New England Patriots have made another deal. The Patriots announced on Thursday that they have acquired 2013 sixth overall pick Barkevious Mingo from the Cleveland Browns for a 2017 fifth-round selection.
#Patriots acquire LB Barkevious Mingo in a trade with Cleveland: https://t.co/G9YDX9DGqO
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) August 25, 2016
Mingo has been a bust for the Browns since being drafted in the first round three years ago. In three seasons, he’s recorded just seven sacks and started 16 games. Coming out of LSU, Mingo was viewed as a raw prospect with the potential to be a dynamic pass rusher on the edge.
With the Browns, Mingo played standup outside linebacker. In New England’s hybrid 4-3 front, he’ll likely put his hand in the ground and rush as a defensive end. With Belichick’s history of turning busts into productive players, it will be interesting to see if he can turn Mingo’s career around.
At the very least, he's bulked up to play the position. He's supposedly worked on adding 20 pounds of muscle this offseason, which would certainly help his ability to play defensive end.
6-foot-4 Barkevious Mingo weighed 227 pounds at end of '15 season before working to put on 20 pounds of muscle in offseason (via @treed1919)
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) August 25, 2016
As for the Patriots, Mingo joins a deep group of pass rushers. Rob Ninkovich is dealing a triceps injury that could sideline him into the regular season, but should have an impact in 2016. Jabaal Sheard, Chris Long and Shea McClellin are the other primary pass rushers.
Earlier this offseason, the Patriots acquired guard Jonathan Cooper from the Cardinals. With this trade, New England now has the sixth and seventh overall picks from 2013 on the roster.
