What Are the New England Patriots' Long-Term Needs?

The New England Patriots are not one of the teams that focuses on filling needs during the NFL draft. That being said, it's never a bad idea to look ahead at some needs that could open up down the line when considering which players the Patriots should be targeting.

Yes, there are pressing needs, but soon, there will be more pressing needs, as contracts expire at positions where the Patriots have not appropriately manned their depth chart. With two picks in the second round and two more picks in the third round, the Patriots have some of the best capital in the draft when it comes to adding developmental prospects.

Those players may not be ready to start right away, but that's the beauty: In this situation, they don't have to be one of those "plug-and-play" guys. There's some wiggle room for the Patriots to add players with raw talent, although they may not contribute until two or three years into their career.

Here's a look at a few of the positions where the Patriots should be looking at getting ahead of the curve.

Defensive End/Outside Linebacker

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Chandler Jones is gone. Rob Ninkovich and Jabaal Sheard will be gone soon, too, unless they both sign extensions before the end of the 2016 season. That means that, in less than 12 months, the Patriots could be without the three players who started for them at defensive end in 2015.

The Patriots took some measures last year to get ahead of the curve at defensive end by drafting Geneo Grissom and Trey Flowers.

Grissom played all over the defensive line in 2015 but mostly at defensive tackle. At 6'4" and 252 pounds, though, he would be well-suited for more playing time on the edge. Flowers didn't make it far through the 2015 season before it was brought to an end due to injury, but his rehab will be followed closely as an important backup defensive end.

There's also 2016 undrafted free-agent Rufus Johnson, who wowed with an impressive training camp and preseason, and logged four hurries, four quarterback hits and two sacks in three games, according to Pro Football Focus. 

It would not be asinine to believe that the Patriots have found quality depth at defensive end, but it would be errant to believe that Grissom, Flowers and Johnson are starting-caliber players. There just isn't enough evidence of that yet.

Offensive Tackle

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Make no mistake; tackle is a short-term need as well as a long-term need. If the season began today, Marcus Cannon would still be the team's top backup tackle behind Nate Solder and Sebastian Vollmer. Fortunately for the Patriots, the season does not start today, and there's still a whole seven rounds worth of draft picks to be announced.

That need could be magnified next year, when Vollmer's contract expires. The team could sign him back, but the soon-to-be 32-year-old tackle has suffered multiple serious injuries over the course of his career. It's fair to wonder whether the Patriots will keep him as the starting right tackle or look to move in another direction.

The Patriots drafted Cameron Fleming in the fourth round in 2014, but the young backup didn't fare much better than Cannon or any of the Patriots' other backup tackles (66th out of 75 offensive tackles in pass protection, according to Pro Football Focus). He has shown flashes, but vested confidence in him as a long-term starter might be misplaced at the moment. 

Patriots fans don't need a reminder of their shaky depth on the offensive line. The 2015 season told the story, but the story isn't over. The Patriots can still correct their issues in the short term and long term with a smart pick at tackle in the draft.

Running Back

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Entering the 2016 NFL draft, the running back position may be one of the Patriots' biggest needs. Their top two running backs—LeGarrette Blount and Dion Lewis—both finished the 2015 season on injured reserve, leaving many to wonder what the depth chart at running back will look like in 2016. They could use a back to compete with Blount for the first- and second-down carries, as well as a scatback behind Lewis.

But if you think the Patriots need a running back today, just wait a year and see what the backfield looks like. At that point, Brandon Bolden, Donald Brown and Blount will all be free agents. 

The Patriots drafted James White in the fourth round in 2014, and White showed flashes of potential in taking over the third-down role when Lewis went down. White finished the season with 40 receptions for 410 yards (10.3 yards per reception) and four touchdowns. As a pure ball-carrier, though, he left a lot to be desired with 22 carries for 56 yards (2.5 yards per carry) and two touchdowns. 

Brown hasn't fared much better since leaving the Indianapolis Colts in 2014, and he has 144 carries for 452 yards (3.1 yards per carry) and 37 receptions for 299 yards (8.1 yards per reception) in the past two seasons without a single touchdown to his name.

The Patriots have some options at the moment, but they could be as deep as a kiddie pool at running back in a short time.

Cornerback

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Headed into the 2016 draft, the cornerback position is not one of the Patriots' immediate needs. Yes, they could use a third cornerback for their nickel packages, but between Malcolm Butler and Logan Ryan, they already have two starting-caliber cornerbacks. The need will loom larger a year from now, when both Butler and Ryan's contracts will expire, making them both free agents.

If the Patriots haven't added a quality cornerback by then, they could be in trouble.

Last year, the fifth defensive back was a safety more often than a cornerback. According to Pro Football Focus, the top five defensive backs in snap count were Butler, Ryan and safeties Devin McCourty, Patrick Chung and Duron Harmon. 

Make no mistake; Chung has evolved into a much better cover defensive back than he was in his first go-around with the Patriots, and his toughness in run support has not dropped off in any way. That being said, the Patriots would benefit greatly from having more options in terms of that fifth defensive back—not to mention, Harmon is also among the soon-to-be free agents. 

There could be as many as three vacancies at the top of the Patriots' depth chart in the defensive backfield. Now is a good time to begin addressing those vacancies before they become more pressing concerns. 

Linebacker

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When the Patriots traded defensive end Chandler Jones to the Arizona Cardinals, the consensus was that the move was for the greater good in the long term. By moving Jones, the Patriots have more flexibility to extend long-term contracts for linebackers Dont'a Hightower and Jamie Collins, both of whom are set to be free agents in 2017.

But what happens if the Patriots are unable to come to terms with one—or heaven forbid, both—of their key free agents? It would be prudent for the team to begin adding depth at linebacker to get ahead of the curve.

The Patriots need linebacker depth even as we speak in advance of the 2016 draft. But in less than 12 months, they might also need starters. Last year's top backups were Jonathan Freeny and Jon Bostic. With the retirement of Jerod Mayo, one of those two linebackers could be competing for a starting job in 2016—granted the Patriots don't add a starting-caliber linebacker in the draft. 

In a worst-case scenario, the Patriots will need two new starting linebackers by the beginning of the 2017 season. In that case, the Patriots might be better off addressing the need now as opposed to later.