Targeting the Top 10: Who Are the Patriots Eyeing in a Possible Draft-Day Trade?

 Patriot Pat says-

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On the eve of the 2009 draft, Peter King is reporting the New England Patriots are looking to trade into the top 10 picks.

While the idea of trading is not new to me, and since there was suggestion of a "surprise" player, I had an interesting idea about who the Patriots might want with that top 10 pick.

What if they are targeting Michael Crabtree?

The general consensus has been that the Patriots will be looking to shore up their defense. However, as I have shown before, they have a number of defensive players who would be quite serviceable.

With Joey Galloway on a one-year contract, and Randy Moss in the later years of his career, the Patriots could certainly be targeting an offensive weapon.

With the new rules favoring offense, the need for strong defense is great. However, the need for an even stronger offense is greater.

With a player like Michael Crabtree lining up in a spread offense with Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Joey Galloway, and Greg Lewis, Tom Brady would have no problem tearing apart opposing defenses.

They also have a running back corps full of crafty veterans who will supplement each other well, enabling them to stay healthy and fresh deep into the season.

On the other side, another option is defensive end Tyson Jackson. He would be Richard Seymour's future replacement, considering Seymour is entering the final year of his current contract.

Coupled with that, however unlikely, is the potential of a trade of Richard Seymour and picks to Carolina in exchange for Julius Peppers.

Trading Seymour would free up another $3.3 million in cap space to make the signing of Peppers more possible.

Of course, if they are not able to pull the trade off, then this would be a moot point, but one thing is for sure, the next two days are going to interesting.

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Andrew Cahill is a true Boston sports fan. Check out his website, "Patriot Pat's Patsies."

Be sure to comment with your ideas.

This is officially a moot point. UPDATED post-1st round.