The New England Patriots are known as a team that does a good job at just about everything, but if there is one place where they aren't exactly perfect, it's in the draft. Sure, the team found Tom Brady late and has taken great picks like Vince Wilfork and Jerrod Mayo, but for every one of those, there is a Brandon Meriweather pick that failed.
Over the past few seasons though, coach Bill Belichick has proven to be excellent at finding talent, including running backs Brandon Bolden and Stevan Ridley and they also have a solid young backup now in Ryan Mallett. This year the team has a very important draft, as they could lose a number of players that may not be replaceable in free agency.
Wes Welker tops the list of players the Patriots need to replace, along with cornerback Aqib Talib, who was excellent in the secondary after coming over to the team in a trade in the middle of the season. The Patriots are at risk of losing both players to free agency and could use the draft as a way to bring in replacements without breaking the bank.
Wide receiver is a position of need for the team since Welker is gone, as the future of Brandon Lloyd is unclear and they have free agents in Donte Stallworth, Julian Edelman and Deion Branch. The team may sign Danny Amendola from the Rams if Welker leaves, but there are also a number of options deep into the draft that could benefit the Patriots. The team ranked fourth in passing offense so clearly not much is wrong, but everyone deals with injuries and the more receivers Brady has the better off the team will be.
Discuss the Deal in the SWR Forum: Did the Patriots Make the right move by allowing Wes Welker to go?
The first round options are speedsters Tavon Austin from West Virginia and Terrance Williams from Baylor, who could be available late for the Patriots, but chances are they will not be there. The Patriots will have to be smart about their picks as well, as they do not have any selection from rounds four through six, which is when Belichick loves to work his magic.
The team would love to have Austin, who blew away scouts at the combine with his speed, but there is a chance he will be gone by the end of the round. Austin could be the most dynamic player in the draft and the team could possibly trade up or down for him, but if they can't snag him, Robert Woods from USC could also be an interesting pick.
The draft is deep at the position, with names like DeAndre Hopkins, Denard Robinson and Ace Sanders all possibilities. Another intriguing pick for the Patriots is Texas A&M receiver Ryan Swope, who may slip down to the third or fourth round and has fantastic speed and hands.
As for the secondary, the position is also deep and the Patriots could pick one or two players, depending on if they let Talib leave in free agency. Tyrann Mathieu is an option late in the draft and other players that will be scouted hard include Marcus Trufant, Matt Elam and Phillip Thomas.
