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New England Patriots 2008 NFL Draft Needs
The New England Patriots are coming off one of the best seasons in NFL history, but it ended in more disappointment then satisfaction. After storming through the regular season at 16-0 and winning its first two playoff games, the Patriots were just one step away from a season of perfection. But we all know that Eli Manning and the New York Giants put an end to their storybook season and the Patriots were left empty-handed. The Patriots will enter the 2008 season without their Pro Bowl corner Asante Samuel as he decided to part ways and join the Eagles. The team also lost CB Randall Gay, LB Rosevelt Colvin, and WR Donte’ Stallworth. The team did bring back Pro Bowl WR Randy Moss and LB Tedy Bruschi. With many more moves still likely to take place here is what we think the Patriots will need to look in this years draft if they don’t do so before in free agency.
1. Cornerback
With the loss of Samuel and the departure of Gay the team will likely need to address this position before the season gets underway if they want to compete on the defense side of things. The team would currently look at sending Ellis Hobbs, and possibly Antwain Spann on opposite sides of things if they were forced to take the field today. So it’s obvious that they will need some help here in the draft and free agency. If the team decides to take a corner with its first pick they will pretty much have their choice as none are expected to go before they pick at #7. South Florida’s Mike Jenkins, Troy State’s Leodis McKelvin, or Tennessee State’s Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie would all be excellent picks for the Patriots.
2. Linebacker
The team is starting to show its age at this position, and with the possible retirement of Junior Seau and Bruschi getting up there in age the team needs to get younger here whether its free agency or the draft. If the team believes it can wait till later rounds to get a corner they could spend their first round pick on Ohio State’s Vernon Gholston who could fill in nicely as both a linebacker and defensive end.
3. Safety
If you can’t tell by now, the Patriots are in need of a revamp on defense. They will need to continue to fill the holes in the secondary with the likely loss of free agent FS Eugene Wilson still on the way. They also have the veteran Rodney Harrison who is getting up there in age and has had trouble staying healthy for a full season recently. James Sanders was pretty impressive at filling in at safety, while last years first round pick Brandon Meriweather not showing he is NFL ready just yet the team will likely try and fill this void at some point in the draft.
4. Tackle
While the offensive line is one of the best in the league, they are weak on the right side in T Nick Kaczur. Kaczur stands out as the worst of the 5 starters, as he is the only one who is not a Pro-Bowl caliber player. The team could be looking at Boise State’s Ryan Clady if he falls to them in the first round. If Clady is gone the Patriots will likely look at filling this hole later in the draft.
5. Running Back
The team will still have starter Laurence Maroney in the backfield, but with the under appreciated Kevin Faulk facing some drug troubles the team could be looking at a solid back up to Maroney. Here are two possible scary scenarios for the rest of the league. First off Darren McFadden could slip to the Patriots and become another huge star on the offense, there is also talks that the Cowboys might be willing to trade Marion Barber to the Pats if McFadden is still on the board, reuniting Barber and Maroney from their days back in Minnesota.
Be sure to continue to check back as we will continue to be bringing you team-by-team draft articles. Also, be sure to check out our first round Mock Draft. Feel free to leave any comments you might have on the draft and each team’s draft needs in our comment box.
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