The Complete New England Patriots Draft Primer

Every year, the New England Patriots are competing for AFC championships and Super Bowls. Every year, they must continue to find ways to improve their roster. If you're not getting better, you're getting worse—especially in the NFL, which is also short for "Not For Long." 

The Patriots have been the kings of the AFC East for nearly a full decade-and-a-half, but the other three teams are not content to be the little brother of the division forever. Make no mistake: Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are the great equalizers, but the Patriots have to capitalize on every opportunity to get better.

The 2015 NFL draft gives the Patriots plenty of opportunities to do just that, with nine picks and hundreds of prospects to choose from. But which picks do the Patriots hold? What are their biggest areas of need?

Here's a draft primer that will get you caught up to speed. 

Patriots' Draft Picks

Jason DeCrow/Associated Press

Round	Selection	Overall	How acquired
1	32	32	Assigned
2	32	64	Assigned
3	32	96	Assigned
3	33	97	Compensatory pick
4	2	101	Trade with Tampa Bay Buccaneers
4	32	131	Assigned
6	2	178	Trade with Tampa Bay Buccaneers
7	2	219	Trade with Tennessee Titans
7	36	253	Compensatory pick

The Patriots hold nine draft picks; they have made nine selections in two of the past four drafts (2011, 2014). That being said, nine picks is a lot for a roster that, according to Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio, "is even a little more full than last year at this time." There are currently 73 players under contract with the Patriots.

With that in mind, the Patriots have made a trade in the first round of the draft in seven of the past eight years, with a total of 12 first-round trades; 10 times they traded down, two times they traded up. Three seasons involved multiple first-round trades, with three trade-downs in 2009, two trade-downs in 2010 and two moves up the board in 2012. 

So, if you think the Patriots are going to sit tight with all nine picks, you might want to rethink that stance. 

The Patriots acquired their two draft picks from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the trades that acquired tight end Tim Wright (fourth-round pick included for guard Logan Mankins) and linebacker Jonathan Casillas (sixth-round pick included for a fourth-round pick). They acquired the Tennessee Titans' seventh-round pick in the trade that nabbed linebacker Akeem Ayers for a sixth-round pick. 

Patriots' Draft Visits

Associated Press

Wake Forest cornerback Kevin Johnson would be an interesting fit to the Patriots for their need in the secondary.

In preparation for the NFL draft every year, each team is permitted 30 predraft visits by prospects coming to its facility and an unlimited number of private workouts at the prospect's team facility. Local prospects do not count against a team's 30 predraft visits, which means the Patriots have unlimited access to the copious talent available at schools such as Harvard, Boston College and the University of Massachusetts.

The Patriots went way outside state lines, as would be expected, and their list of potential targets turned up some surprising names, for better and for worse.  

Thanks to CBS Sports' Frank Cooney, we have a complete list of the prospects that have visited and/or worked out with the Patriots (PV = private visit; LOC = local; WO = workout):

Prospect	Position	School	Contact
Kevin Johnson	CB	Wake Forest	WO
Bobby McCain	CB	Memphis	WO
Justin Coleman	CB	Tennessee	WO
Trae Waynes	CB	Michigan State	WO
Cedric Thompson	FS	Minnesota	PV
Nick Perry	FS	Alabama	WO
Damarious Randall	S	Arizona State	PV
Chris Dunkley	WR/CB	South Florida	PV
David Andrews	C	Georgia	WO
Nick Easton	C	Harvard	LOC
Tre' Jackson	G	Florida State	PV
Shaquille Mason	G/C	Georgia Tech	WO
Jeremiah Poutasi	OT/G	Utah	WO
Tavaris Barnes	DE	Clemson	WO
Corey Crawford	DE	Clemson	WO
Mario Edwards Jr.	DE/DT	Florida State	PV
Eddie Goldman	DT	Florida State	PV
David Irving	DT	Iowa State	WO
B.J. McBryde	DT	Connecticut	WO
Nelson Agholor	WR	USC	WO
Chris Conley	WR	Georgia	WO
Jamison Crowder	WR	Duke	WO
Malcome Kennedy	WR	Texas A&M	WO
DeVante Parker	WR	Louisville	PV
Mike Davis	RB	South Carolina	PV
Todd Gurley	RB	Georgia	PV
Denzel Perryman	OLB/ILB	Miami	WO
Stephone Anthony	ILB	Clemson	WO
Paul Dawson	OLB/ILB	TCU	WO
Tony Steward	OLB	Clemson	WO
Randall Telfer	TE	USC	PV

The Patriots focused heavily on the cornerback spot, with nine predraft contacts, according to Cooney. That's somewhat surprising, given the team's current logjam at the position. There are currently nine cornerbacks on the roster, and most of them already have NFL starting experience. 

Likewise, a short list of names on the offensive line is also surprising. The Patriots only held visits or worked out five offensive linemen, despite currently having only one starting guard. Veteran Dan Connolly has not yet re-signed with the team, and the Patriots witnessed firsthand what an offensive line meltdown looks like—a lot like a Three Mile Island. 

Their private visit with Todd Gurley, however, is no surprise; Yes, they have six running backs on the roster right now and would appear to have a different back for every situation. What they do not have, though, is that one back who can contribute in any situation. The predraft visit was likely geared toward getting a clear reading on Gurley's physical readiness after tearing his ACL in November.

Patriots' Team Needs

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Patriots have a staggering number of needs for a team that just won a Super Bowl, but the NFL draft offers plenty of opportunities for the rich to get richer. 

Here are the Patriots' needs in no particular order:

Defensive Tackle

If these needs were ranked, defensive tackle would probably be closer to the bottom than a lot of people think.

Make no mistake: Vince Wilfork's departure signals the loss of a workhorse, but with Sealver Siliga waiting in the wings, the nose tackle spot is in good hands. The Patriots drafted defensive tackle Dominique Easley less than one year ago and re-signed Alan Branch, while Chris Jones is a good depth player for the rotation. 

How many more spots can the Patriots find for defensive tackles? Granted, if they plan on running more 3-4 fronts in 2015, the big-bodied two-gapping defensive linemen become a bit more valuable. A shift to three-man lines would make the defensive line a bigger need than it is presently.

Guard

If the Patriots kicked off the season tomorrow, they would be doing so with only one proven starting guard—and that is Ryan Wendell, who switched to the position last year for the first time in his NFL career. Dan Connolly remains unsigned, and the Patriots are facing the distinct possibility that Jordan Devey and Josh Kline could play meaningful roles on the team in 2015. 

The Patriots rotated their personnel frequently at the start of the 2014 season and the results were disastrous, but fortunately, they've shown some commitment to finding an answer. They brought back former offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia to help in the predraft scouting process, and Scarnecchia was on hand for several workouts, including with Florida State's multiple offensive line prospects. 

Cornerback

This one's a no-brainer, it would seem. Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner both left, leaving behind two giant holes that must be filled in the Patriots' coverage unit.

With that in mind, don't let it be a no-brainer: You have a brain, use it. Much like the team's "need" at defensive tackle, the Patriots have plenty of cornerbacks with starting experience in the fold: Logan Ryan, Alfonzo Dennard, Kyle Arrington and Malcolm Butler have all started meaningful games for the Patriots in their careers. 

There's no question about the depth; the question is about whether the Patriots have the top-end talent to defend the NFL's premier passing games the way they did last year.

Wide Receiver

Brandon LaFell, Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola are a serviceable threesome of wide receivers for the Patriots offense. If anything should happen to one of the three, though, the Patriots are already facing significant questions about whether their depth chart can rise to the challenge. It's not time to give up on 2013 second-round pick Aaron Dobson just yet, but the Patriots can't put all their eggs in that basket.

The Patriots have both Edelman and Amendola under contract for the next three seasons, but LaFell's contract lasts only two more years before the Patriots must find a new answer at the X receiver position. If the Patriots do not believe Dobson is that answer, perhaps now is the time to draft that player and begin developing him. 

Day-by-Day Game Plan

Gregory Payan/Associated Press

Here are some thoughts about what the Patriots should be thinking in each phase of the draft.

Day 1

The No. 32 pick is a unique spot; it's the last pick of the night, and it's the last opportunity for a team to draft a player who will have that incredibly valuable fifth-year option in his contract. That being said, there will be plenty of prospects available for the Patriots to target at positions of need. This would probably be a good spot to grab one of the draft's top guards like Duke's Laken Tomlinson or South Carolina's A.J. Cann. 

If they would rather wait on Florida State's Tre' Jackson in the second or third round, the second tier of cornerbacks will have some valuable options like Connecticut's Byron Jones or Utah's Eric Rowe, either of whom could line up at multiple spots in the secondary and can also contribute on special teams. 

Day 2

With three picks on Day 2 of the draft, the Patriots have the capital to be a power player in the second and third rounds. One of those picks, the 97th overall, is a compensatory pick that can't be traded, but the Patriots still have the potential to move up in the second round of the draft to grab a player they have a particularly high grade on.

The running backs will be a position to watch on Day 2, with several solid options like Indiana's Tevin Coleman, Miami's Duke Johnson and USC's Javorius Allen all among the names that could be called. All three of those backs would provide a big boost to the Patriots' passing offense as receivers, although Johnson and Allen will both need help in pass protection. 

Day 3

The Patriots hold five picks on the final day of the draft, and all but one of them are tradeable. These are the rounds where the Patriots probably aren't going to find starters, so the best thing they can do is search for players to round out their depth chart. 

The wide receiver, guard and linebacker positions should all be among the discussion in the war room for the Patriots on Saturday. 

History of No. 32

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

The last time the Patriots made a pick at No. 32 was in 2005, when they drafted guard Logan Mankins (above).

Here's a brief look back in time at the history of the 32nd overall pick dating back to 1970. 

Past 5 32nd-Overall Picks

Year	Team	Player	Position
2014	Minnesota Vikings	Teddy Bridgewater	QB
2013	Baltimore Ravens	Matt Elam	DB
2012	New York Giants	David Wilson	RB
2011	Green Bay Packers	Derek Sherrod	OT
2010	New Orleans Saints	Patrick Robinson	DB

Best Pick: Drew Brees, QB (San Diego Chargers, 2001)

The Chargers traded Drew Brees to the New Orleans Saints before they could reap the benefit of their strong selection, but Brees showed flashes of being a great quarterback even before he took the Saints to their first Super Bowl victory.

He barely took a breath from conquering the ultimate team accomplishment before he began his crusade on the NFL record books, tossing the pigskin for more than 5,000 yards in three consecutive seasons and setting a then-single-season record with 5,476 yards.

Worst Pick: Mike Elkins, QB (Kansas City Chiefs, 1989)

Mike Elkins had a solid college career, earning an All-American honorable mention from both the Associated Press and The Sporting News as well as a selection to the All-ACC first team. He was the 32nd pick when that selection was a second-rounder, and he played one game in the NFL, attempting two passes with one interception. 

Patriots At No. 32

The Patriots have drafted a player at the No. 32 spot on two separate occasions: 2004 (tight end Ben Watson) and 2005 (guard Logan Mankins). In 2002, the Patriots held the 32nd overall pick but traded it to the Washington Redskins as part of a trade that allowed them to move up to No. 21 for tight end Daniel Graham. 

Unless otherwise noted, all scouting combine information and draft notes provided by CBSSports.com and NFL.com. All quotes obtained firsthand.