NFL Draft 2012: Patriots Must Use Both First-Round Picks and Avoid Trading Them

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick likes to trade his higher draft picks to collect more picks in later rounds, but with two first-round selections in the 2012 NFL Draft, the Patriots must use both those picks and avoid trading them for more value.

This year New England has an extra first-round pick from the New Orleans Saints, which was part of the trade at last season's draft that helped the Saints select Alabama running back Mark Ingram.

The Patriots have a defense that needs pass rushers and cornerbacks, and this class has several of those types of players in the first round.

With defensive end Andre Carter coming off an injury and able to become a free agent, it's unlikely the Patriots re-sign him despite the success he had before being lost for the year during a late-season game at Denver.

The Patriots have some great flexibility under the salary cap, but it's likely they use most of that to re-sign Wes Welker to a new contract extension, as well as sign another marque free agent from outside the organization like Brandon Lloyd.

With that said, the team is probably going to address their needs on defense in a cheaper way, which is where the draft comes in.

Although Belichick has drafted some good defensive players over the last few seasons such as Jerod Mayo and Patrick Chung, there have been many players in the secondary, especially at cornerback, that he has badly missed on.

One of his better cornerback selections, Devin McCourty, had a terrible sophomore season in 2011 after making the Pro Bowl as a rookie.

This draft class has several good cornerbacks Belichick could look at taking. Some first-round talents include Alfonzo Dennard of Nebraska and Dre Kirkpatrick of Alabama. However, to get Kirkpatrick, Belichick would have to trade into the top 15, but he certainly has the pieces to make that happen if he wants to.

Kirkpatrick is a tremendous player who not only excels in coverage, he also tackles really well, which makes him effective in stopping the run. He would be a perfect fit on the Patriots defense.

The Patriots have one of the best offenses in the NFL and their defense played better in the playoffs, including in the Super Bowl loss to the New York Giants.

If Belichick can improve the team's secondary in the draft, there's no reason to believe New England can't reach the Super Bowl again next season.