Identifying New England Patriots' Biggest Strengths, Weaknesses After Draft

Every team had needs entering the 2015 NFL draft. Some teams did a better job of addressing those needs than others, but nearly every team still has needs now that the final pick of the draft has been announced. 

The New England Patriots are not excluded from that group. Even with nine selections entering the draft, the Patriots still managed to leave some of the cupboards a little understocked at a few positions. That being said, they also used their picks wisely to fill multiple positions that were lacking in some way, shape or form.

Organized team activities, mandatory minicamp and training camp will all help provide clarity as to the construction of the depth chart, and if one or two players emerge, a weakness could become a strength in a matter of months and without any moves being made.

But which positions are the Patriots banking on someone catching fire, and which positions have the Patriots done the best job of answering their pressing needs?

Strength: Defensive Line

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The Patriots wasted no time filling a need on the defensive line and turning a position of weakness to a position of strength in the process.

Texas defensive tackle Malcom Brown was the Patriots' first-round pick at No. 32 overall, and the rookie joins 2014 first-round pick Dominique Easley, young up-and-coming nose tackle Sealver Siliga, veteran Alan Branch and young backup Chris Jones as the defensive tackles. 

And we haven't even gotten to the defensive ends just yet.

Chandler Jones and Rob Ninkovich are hybrid defensive ends/outside linebackers in the Patriots' multiple 3-4/4-3 front and are joined by veteran Jabaal Sheard in the rotation of edge defenders. The Patriots also added defensive linemen Trey Flowers (Arkansas) and Geneo Grissom (Oklahoma) and outside linebacker Xzavier Dickson (Alabama) as hybrid edge defenders for their versatile front seven.

Indeed, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick once again has a deep group of defenders in the front seven that will allow him to move freely between either a 3-4 or a 4-3 front and even to get creative in his pass-rush packages.

Weakness: Cornerback

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On paper, the cornerback position looks like a weakness because the Patriots lost Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner.

A different story could play out on the field; Logan Ryan, Kyle Arrington, Alfonzo Dennard and Malcolm Butler all have starting experience in the Patriots defense and could help usher in a new era and a different scheme than the one the Patriots ran in 2014. 

That being said, their lack of early selections at cornerback has left them with question marks as to how the depth chart will shake out.

Over the past three years, the Patriots have undergone dramatic changes to their defensive backfield. All the while, they've been stockpiling young players at the position.

Strength: Edge Defenders

Once upon a time, the Patriots' defensive end rotation consisted of Chandler Jones, Rob Ninkovich and not much else. Recently, the Patriots started devoting more resources to the position.

In the past 12 months, they've added Zach Moore, Jabaal Sheard and Geneo Grissom to the rotation on the edge. Those players will help take some of the burden off Jones and Ninkovich, who have both played far too many snaps in the past two seasons particularly.

The Grissom selection is a quintessential Patriots move, with a versatile player who could feasibly line up at any of a number of spots up front—defensive end, linebacker or even defensive tackle.

Pair that with the signing of Sheard, who is in a similar mold as a versatile edge defender, and Moore, who has a high ceiling with his physical gifts and impressive size at 6'5" and 269 pounds, and the Patriots are ready to throw the kitchen sink at opposing passers with their pass-rush packages in 2015.

Weakness: Strong Safety

The Patriots used a second-round pick on a strong safety, and yet they still managed to leave the NFL draft with a question mark at the position.

Between Patrick Chung, Duron Harmon, Tavon Wilson and Stanford safety Jordan Richards, the Patriots have plenty of depth at the position. Chung was a solid starter for the Patriots in 2014, Harmon has been a better-than-serviceable backup, Wilson has slotted in as a third safety and special teams ace and Richards is a wild card.

The Patriots would not be in deep trouble if Chung is the starter once again in 2015; he proved last year that he can hold down the fort opposite Devin McCourty, and that he's a good fit for what they need at the position. That being said, the strong safety position remains one where the Patriots could be searching for an upgrade down the line unless someone steps up in a way that we've not yet seen.

Strength: Tight End

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Anytime you have a perennial All-Pro like Rob Gronkowski on the roster, the tight end position is going to be considered a great strength of the roster.

Given Gronkowski's illustrious injury history, it's a good thing he's not the only one the Patriots have on their roster. They have done a tremendous job of building depth at the position.

Michael Hoomanawanui is the seasoned vet with vast experience in the Patriots' system; Tim Wright is the young, athletic pass-catching tight end who complements Gronkowski; Scott Chandler is the newly acquired free agent who could factor into the starting lineup in two-tight end sets. Add another athletic, young tight end in Arkansas' A.J. Derby and the Patriots are ready for just about anything that could come up.

Not only do the Patriots have a talent-loaded depth chart at tight end, they've also created a pretty deep competition for playing time at the position. There's a good chance that we'll see the best that all these players have to offer this summer in training camp as the battle heats up.

Weakness: Running Back

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The Patriots have taken an aggressive approach to addressing the Shane Vereen and Stevan Ridley departures. The definition of "aggressive" here is that the Patriots have added a lot of names to the depth chart, but there's not a lot of star power. 

Right now, the Patriots depth chart at running back consists of LeGarrette Blount, Jonas Gray, James White, Tyler Gaffney, Travaris Cadet and Brandon Bolden. They have a different back for every situation. What they don't have is one back who can play in any situation. 

The running game needs to be better this year than last; the Patriots averaged 3.9 yards per carry in 2014, 11th-worst in the NFL. 

The Patriots have always taken a committee approach to the running back position, and 2015 appears to be no different. It's worked for them in the past, but it remains to be seen whether that approach will work for them again in 2015.