New England Patriots' Potential 1st-Round Draft Targets

After hoisting their fourth Lombardi Trophy in February, the New England Patriots lost several core players. Darrelle Revis went back to the New York Jets. Vince Wilfork, who helped New England win two Super Bowls, is now a Houston Texan. Additionally, Shane Vereen joined the New York Giants.

The Patriots' sexiest free-agent signing was Jabaal Sheard. At 25, the versatile pass-rusher has high upside. However, while transitioning from defensive end to outside linebacker, he had just two sacks last season, per NFL.com.

But what head coach Bill Belichick knows as well as anyone is that free agency is a vehicle to improve your team, not build it. The most successful NFL franchises are built through the draft—just look at the two teams that played in the last Super Bowl.

With the draft just two days away, here is a breakdown of the Patriots' potential first-round targets, based on New England's positions of need and Bleacher Report NFL draft lead writer Matt Miller's big board and scouting reports of the top 400 prospects, which can be found here.

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

Eddie Goldman, DT, Florida State Seminoles

Miller ranked Eddie Goldman as 22nd among the players in the draft and No. 5 among defensive linemen, giving him a grade of 6.99 and projecting him as an impact rookie and future starter.

Goldman could certainly make an immediate impact in New England. After losing Wilfork to Houston, the Patriots have just two big-bodied defensive tackles on their roster, Sealver Siliga and Alan Branch. The former missed nine games last season due to a foot injury and underwent offseason surgery to completely heal the matter, per Pro Football Talk's Josh Alper.

At 6'4" and 336 pounds, Goldman has the size and strength to be an effective run-stopper. He also has the ability to generate pressure from the interior of the line, as evidenced by his four sacks last season at FSU, per sports-reference.com.

Greg Gabriel, the former director of college scouting for the Chicago Bears who has 30 years of experience as an NFL scout, had high praise for Goldman when assessing him for the National Football Post:

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He shows good instincts and reactions and is consistently around the ball. He has excellent size and is light on his feet. He plays like he is an athlete, has very good hand use, and knows how to play with leverage.

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The only question is whether New England would have to trade up for a player of this caliber. The Patriots are equipped with nine draft picks—six of those are in the first four rounds—so they are certainly in a position to do so if necessary. Goldman represents a case of talent meeting need, making him worthy of pulling the trigger.

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Byron Jones, CB, Connecticut Huskies

Byron Jones' performance at the NFL combine thrust him into the national spotlight. Most notably, his 12-foot, 3-inch broad jump set a world record, per NFL.com's Bryan Fischer.

As Fischer explained in the link above, what makes this feat even more impressive is the fact that Jones was still recovering from a torn labrum at the time.

In addition to being one of the top performers at the combine, the Connecticut Huskies cornerback completed the 40-yard dash in 4.45 seconds and 4.4 seconds during his pro day, in addition to 18 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press, per Gil Brandt of NFL.com.

As these numbers attest, Jones has a ton of tools to work with. He also is an intelligent and high-character individual who served as a team captain. Furthermore, he demonstrates impressive anticipation, good recovery and closing speed as well as great hands, as evidenced by his eight career interceptions, per sports-reference.com.

Miller has Jones ranked as the 26th overall prospect and fourth for cornerbacks. However, he is not as ready for the NFL as fellow corners Marcus Peters and Kevin Johnson, who are likely to be selected ahead of him. That may be surprising to hear of a fifth-year senior, but he converted from safety to cornerback in 2013 and played in just seven games last season because of a torn labrum.

Jones needs to bulk up, and his game requires refining, but his physical tools, versatility, character and intelligence will appeal to the Patriots.

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Maxx Williams, TE, Minnesota Golden Gophers

This would be quite an intriguing selection by New England. Yes, the team signed tight end Scott Chandler to pair up with Rob Gronkowski, but the 29-year-old has eight seasons worth of mileage on his tires and a two-year contract that the Patriots could part with after the season in order to save $2 million, per spotrac.com.

Maxx Williams may not be much of a blocker, but his skills as a receiver make him the far-and-away top tight end in this class. Miller also ranked him as such and gave Williams a grade of 6.30, which reflects his ability to have an immediate impact.

While Chandler provides the Patriots with another effective tight end next to Gronk, Williams brings a different dynamic to the position. As a move tight end, he would allow New England to pick up where it left off when Aaron Hernandez was arrested.

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

Laken Tomlinson, G, Duke Blue Devils

If the draft shakes out in such a fashion that Laken Tomlinson is the player the Patriots set their sights on, don't be surprised to see them move out of the first round in order to add one or more future picks.

Tomlinson is the 59th prospect listed on Miller's big board but is ranked as the second-best player at his position and comes with a grade of 6.20. With the Duke Blue Devils, he started all four years and did not miss a game. At 6'3" and 323 pounds, he possesses a terrific blend of size and power.

Tomlinson is most effective as a run-blocker. He gets off the ball quickly, does a good job of utilizing his size and strength and demonstrates the ability to get to the second level. Studying him in pass protection, it was evident that he struggles to recover once he's been beaten. Defenders had too easy of a time getting by him using countermoves.

Nevertheless, New England's biggest need is on the interior of its offensive line. The Patriots sorely lacked depth in this area last season, and now, starting left guard Dan Connolly (one of the team's captains a year ago) remains unsigned.

Tomlinson does not appear to be ready to start as a rookie, but he could potentially do so as early as his second season. Drafting him and resigning Connolly sures up New England's greatest need.

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Benardrick McKinney, LB, Mississippi State Bulldogs

This is another player who New England could likely trade back to get, but Benardrick McKinney fills one of the team's most important areas of need and seems like a player who could develop into the prototypical Patriots linebacker.

To paraphrase, Mike Loyko, the author of a highly informative draft guide, described McKinney to me as someone who runs particularly well for his size, has the versatility to play inside and outside and could grow into a three-down player.

At the combine, the 6'4," 246-pound McKinney, ran the 40-yard dash in 4.66 seconds, which for comparison's sake, is a similar time to what Patriots linebacker Dont'a Hightower registered in 2012, per CBSSports.com. The Mississippi State Bulldogs product also showed off a 40.5-inch vertical, a top-five mark at his position, per his NFL.com draft profile.

Still not convinced he's worthy of being the Patriots' first selection? Here's Tim Tebow's endorsement of McKinney along with some highlights:

McKinney ranked 47th on Miller's big board and fourth for linebackers, indicating he will likely be available after the first round. However, he could potentially be one of the first five players selected in Round 2, which is reflected by his grade of 6.25.

He isn't much of a blitzer but is good in coverage and spectacular against the run. He is a thumper who plays aggressively and has good instincts. McKinney can make an immediate impact, play in any scheme and could prove to be one of the best defensive players taken in this draft.