The New England Patriots and the Draft

The critical need for the Patriots this year was a cornerback. The left corner was a disaster area this year, as the Patriots were second-worst in the league in yielding touchdown passes.

They have filled that need temporarily with Shawn Springs. Springs is an outstanding corner. However, he is at an age where he's not likely to improve, and is likely within two or three years to see his performance slip.

Fixing the corners

Not resting with the acquisition of Springs, they also went out and got Leigh Bodden, whose performance with Detroit last year was not all one might hope for but who has played very well in the past with the Browns.

He is younger than Springs, and his best years are still coming.

Outside linebacker

For years, Mike Vrabel has been one of the outstanding outside linebackers in the league. He has been a great pass rusher and stout defender against the run, and a team leader on defense.

He has also shown himself capable of playing such other positions as tight end, fullback and defensive end well. His career TD catch total is more than a fair number of people who play tight end as their regular position.

Last year, however, his performance slipped, and at age 34, it was clear that he was going to have to be replaced in the near future.

"In the near future" became "immediately" when he was traded along to Matt Cassel for the No. 34 pick in the upcoming draft.

Inside linebacker

Another great old soldier of the Patriots' championship teams is inside linebacker Tedy Bruschi, the last remaining veteran of the 1996 AFC championship team who was the glue in the middle of the Super Bowl championship defenses in 2001, 2003, and 2004.

Only weeks after they won the 2004 Super Bowl, however, he suffered a stroke, which proved to be connected to a heart condition requiring surgery. It looked like he would never play again.

Incredibly, by the middle of the 2005 season, he returned to the field, and has played every season since. However, he has never recovered his form of 2001-2004, and has had some injuries since then.

If he plays in 2009, it will probably be his last season. The Patriots will need help at ILB. Last year they picked up Jerod Mayo for one ILB position, but they need another to prepare as Tedy Bruschi's successor.

Fullback

Heath Evans was someone the Patriots did not think they were going to have to replace. Although he entered free agency, he insisted repeatedly that he wanted to return to the Pats as their fullback.

Some sportswriters wrote, rather snidely, that the Patriots could get him for whatever they cared to offer. That proved not to be the case, as he received a better offer and left.

Evans was not limited, as some fullbacks are, to blocking. He was also, until 2008, a productive part of their running game, stepping up occasionally to be their featured runner.

Sammy Morris could be moved to fullback now that the Patriots have acquired Fred Taylor as an additional halfback. He is an excellent blocker, a decent receiver, and a potent inside runner.

They are more likely, however, to keep him as part of their "running back by committee" system.

Maintaining the Running Game

Fred Taylor is a big, punishing back with the straight-line speed to take the ball to the house when he gets into the open field.

However, the Jacksonville Jaguars decided that their future at running back would be with Maurice Jones-Drew, who is younger and a better receiver, and had no interest in keeping Taylor.

At 33, Taylor is in any event on the downside of his career, and cannot be seen as a long term prospect at the position.

Laurence Maroney has shown flashes of ability ever since he was drafted by the Patriots. He has great breakaway speed.

However, he has been inconsistent, has frequently been injured, and is neither a reliable blocker nor an outstanding receiver.

The Patriots may be coming to the conclusion that they cannot build their running game around him.

Sammy Morris has stepped in for Maroney in each of the last two years and has played well when he has, but in each year he has suffered a serious injury that caused him to miss significant playing time.

The Patriots may want someone more durable.

The Third-Down Back

Another of the Patriots' old soldiers is Kevin Faulk. For years he has been their third-down back, getting first downs on passes or draw plays and providing better blocking than anyone would think that a back his size could do.

In 2003 and again in 2008, he had to step up as their primary runner from time to time, and when he did, he did a workmanlike job. However, he, too, is getting older, and the Patriots have to start considering who can do the job.

Filling the Middle

The Patriots cannot wait any longer to seal up the middle of the defense with a younger linebacker to succeed Tedy Bruschi. Here are two blue-chip inside linebackers in the upcoming draft.

One is Rey Maualuga of USC, but he will be long gone from the board by the time the Patriots draft for the first time.

On the other hand, James Laurinaitis is an accomplished linebacker with adequate size and excellent technique and intelligence who is probably very nearly NFL-ready.

He is likely to be available when the Patriots pick.

Replacing Vrabel

It is not easy to replace all the things that Mike Vrabel has been. Connor Barwin, however, is an almost eerily similar player to Vrabel. He even looks a bit like Vrabel.

He is about the same size as Vrabel, with a good head for the game, and has played tight end, making him a candidate to replace Vrabel as the extra tight end who comes in near the goal line, and defensive end in a 4-3 defense.

At the combine, he had the best scores of any linebacker on those drills that measured quickness when having to change direction.

He would be an outstanding pick with the No. 34 choice the Patriots received from the Chiefs; then again, he may still be available when they draft in the middle of the second round with the pick they have from the Chargers.

Right tackle

The weak link on the Patriots' offensive line has been Nick Kaczur, the right tackle. Kaczur has frequently been beaten by pass rushers and has been only ordinary as a drive blocker on running plays.

Phil Loadholt of Oklahoma is a behemoth who can drive through defensive linemen on rushing plays and is at least as good a pass blocker as Kaczur. He would be a good pick with the Pats' own second-round pick late in the round.

A dominating runner

Chris Wells of Ohio State is a big, punishing runner with enough speed to break the occasional long gain, somewhat like Taylor, but even more like the Pats' star runner on their last championship team, Corey Dillon.

There have been some questions of durability and his ability to play through pain which may cause him to last long enough that the Patriots might be able to take him with either their No. 23 or maybe even their No. 34 pick.

If Laurinaitis is on the board at No. 23, the Pats should take Laurinaitis and hope Wells lasts to No. 34.

If Laurinaitis is gone, Wells would be a good use of the No. 23 pick.

Safety

The Patriots' firebrand strong safety, Rodney Harrison, is about at the end and has not yet been re-signed by the Patriots. They do have a decent pair of safeties; like running back, this is not exactly an area of need.

Still, Harrison was a big hitter and team leader in a way that neither his successor, Brandon Meriweather, nor free safety James Sanders is. Michael Hamlin of Clemson is a ferocious hitter, extremely intelligent and a team leader.

The only knock on him is exactly the knock that was always put on Harrison, that he has ordinary speed at best. He does not have to be extremely fast to be a great strong safety.

Hamlin is the single person in this draft who seems to be the most like Harrison, and would be worth taking.

The Monster Fullback

The long-time Patriots faithful will remember Jim Nance, who bludgeoned his way through defenses to AFL rushing titles in 1966-'67.

Nance, at about 240 pounds, was as big as the smaller defensive tackles in the league, not that much smaller than average defensive tackles, and bigger than most of the linebackers who tried to tackle him.

Heath Evans is gone, and the fullback position is open. Texas A&M fullback Jorvorskie Lane, a 280-pound beast, is, as Nance was 40 years ago, as big as many defensive tackles and bigger than any linebacker.

He has adequate speed and is simply a brutal tackle-breaker. He is capable of devastating blocking. Fullback is not a high-priority position, so Lane is likely to be available even in the later rounds of the draft.

A second-day pick would be well-spent on him.

Run-Stuffer

What Lane is to this year's backs, Jasper Brinkley of South Carolina is to its linebackers. He goes about 270 pounds and is probably the outstanding pure run-stuffer in the draft.

You can never have too many inside linebackers, as the Patriots have discovered the last couple of years, and one of these days Junior Seau will decide to keep surfing.

If the Patriots get Laurinaitis in the first round, it would still be well to get Brinkley with their third-round pick; if they don't, that might be an essential move.

Brinkley's massive presence in the middle would complement the very quick Jerod Mayo.

Faulk's successor

Except for Kevin Faulk, none of the Patriots' runners are particularly good receivers. With Faulk getting older, they will have to be considering his successor.

Kory Sheets of Purdue is the same kind of shifty smaller back that Faulk is, with good hands and blocking ability.

It's in good hands

The Patriots' drafting has, except for a poor 2006 class, been strong. Scott Pioli is gone, but Bill Belichick isn't. Patriots fans can be confident that the process remains in good hands.