Ranking New England Patriots' Biggest Needs in 2017 NFL Draft
The New England Patriots are defending Super Bowl champions. However, they haven't just sat around waiting to defend their title in the 2017 season. Head coach Bill Belichick and Co. have been busy trying to improve the roster that went 17-2 last year.
The Patriots replaced cornerback Logan Ryan with Stephon Gilmore. They replaced Martellus Bennett with Dwayne Allen. The team strengthened their defensive line by adding Kony Ealy and Lawrence Guy. They strengthened their offense by trading for wideout Brandon Cooks.
On paper, New England's roster already appears on par with, or better than, last year's. However, this doesn't mean the team doesn't have needs heading into the draft.
These draft needs are what we're going to examine here. Let's be honest, New England doesn't have the kind of immediate needs that some other teams do. However, we can still identify some requirements based on both the short-term and long-term pictures for the franchise.
We'll run down the list and rank each need in order of importance. This ranking is important for the Patriots, who have no picks higher than the third round. Realistically, the team may only be able to fill one or two needs in this draft.
7. Guard
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Realistically, guard is not a major need for the Patriots. However, I'm including the position on this list because the team does have an opportunity to upgrade the position. A lot will depend on how New England views second-year guard Joe Thuney.
Thuney started all 16 games for the Patriots last season, but he was also the weak link on the offensive line. Pro Football Focus rated him 138th overall among guards and credited him with 32 quarterback pressures on the season.
If the Patriots feel Thuney can take a big step forward in Year 2, they'll probably ignore this position in the draft. However, if the right player is on the board, the team may consider bringing him in as competition.
I don't think they would use one of their top picks on a guard, but the position is probably on their draft board.
6. Linebacker
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Linebacker also isn't a major need for the Patriots. They have one superstar in the recently re-signed Dont'a Hightower. They also have some quality rotational linebackers in Shea McClellin, Kyle Van Noy and Elandon Roberts.
However, if the opportunity to add another young playmaker to the linebacker corps presented itself, New England would (or at least should) jump at the chance to add him.
Van Noy, McClellin and Roberts are solid linebackers, but they aren't elite. Van Noy was the only one of the three to crack the top 50 as ranked by Pro Football Focus, and he came in at No. 50. The three of them combined for just 2.0 sacks, two forced fumbles and one interception.
This is a position I do think the Patriots would consider with one of their first picks. While it isn't the biggest need, I think the team would pull the trigger in the third or fourth round for the right player.
Adding a legitimate playmaker alongside Hightower would make the middle of New England's defense even more dangerous.
5. Offensive Tackle
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Now we're getting into positions I think the Patriots will make priority on draft weekend. Offensive tackle isn't a big immediate need, but the team could use depth at the position and could start searching for an heir to left tackle Nate Solder.
"They sure look set at the tackle position for 2017, with Nate Solder manning Tom Brady's blind side and Marcus Cannon suddenly emerging as one of the better right tackles in the National Football League," Matt Dolloff of CBS Boston recently wrote. "But beyond next season? The future is not so clear."
Solder is in the final year of his current contract.
The problem is that this isn't expected to be a strong class of offensive tackles, and the Patriots would almost certainly have to trade up for one of the top prospects.
If, say, Alabama's Cam Robinson slid into the middle of Round 2, the Patriots might consider making the move. However, it's more realistic that the Patriots will look to add tackle depth and possibly a future starter rather than a top-tier prospect.
This position would be higher on the list if not for the fact the Patriots can still re-sign Solder before next offseason. He only recently turned 29 years old, and quality tackles play well into their 30s.
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4. Running Back
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On the surface, New England's lack of a powerful early-down back seems like an issue that should take priority. However, there are a few reasons why this position isn't high on the list.
The first is that the Patriots already have tailbacks Dion Lewis, James White, Brandon Bolden, D.J. Foster and recently acquired Rex Burkhead. There may not be a 1,000-yard back among the bunch, but New England will at least have the option of using a committee approach.
The second reason is that I'm not sure the Patriots cannot find a way to bring back LeGarrette Blount for another run. Mike Reiss of ESPN.com believes the door could be closing on a Blount return, but I don't think New England would rule out re-signing him until after the draft.
I do think the Patriots should still at least weigh their draft options in the middle or late rounds. If a quality bruiser is available that they like, they can scoop him up and move on from Blount entirely. If not, undrafted free agents and Blount would remain options.
Ultimately, I believe the Patriots need to find themselves a premier workhorse back. With Lewis, White and Burkhead all under contract for at least one more season, though, I think that search can wait.
*Update: On Tuesday, the Patriots signed Buffalo Bills RFA running back Mike Gillislee to an offer sheet, per NFL Media's Ian Repoport. If the Bills don't match, he'll be added to the backfield and the Patriots may be out of the market for running backs.
3. Cornerback
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Cornerback isn't a major need for the Patriots right now, but it could soon be. If Malcolm Butler signs an offer sheet with another team and New England doesn't match—or the team outright trades him—the team would be without its top cornerback.
Yes, the team added Gilmore in free agency, but Butler is still the guy with the experience and the skill set to perfectly fit in New England's defense.
The problem here for New England is that even if the team goes into 2017 with Butler and Gilmore as the starting cornerbacks, it seems unlikely that Butler will want to return next offseason.
Gilmore got a five-year, $65 million deal from New England while Butler received a first-round tender. According to Michael Giardi of CSN New England, Butler is "unhappy" with the situation.
Therefore, it would make a lot of sense to begin preparing for life without Butler. 2015 second-round pick Cyrus Jones should be part of that plan, but he was a bit of a disappointment as a rookie last year. Adding another quality corner would be prudent.
Fortunately, this is a deep draft for corners, and the Patriots may be able to stay put and secure a good one. Bleacher Report draft analyst Matt Miller believes guys like Central Florida's Shaquill Griffin and Miami's Corn Elder should be third-rounders in this draft.
* Update: Butler has signed his RFA tender with the Patriots, according to NFL Media's Ian Repoport. This means he'll be in New England for 2017, barring a trade.
2. Strong Safety
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Strong safety Patrick Chung has had plenty of bright moments since returning to New England in 2014. However, he'll be 30 this summer and seemed to take a sizable step back last season. Pro Football Focus rated him the third-worst safety in the league.
Seeing as how the Patriots tend to part with aging players early rather than later, I'd say this is a good time to start looking for Chung's replacement. He has two years remaining on his current contract, but only $800,000 in dead cap after this season. Cutting him next offseason would be affordable.
I'm placing strong safety just slightly above cornerback on this list because I feel the team could use an upgrade at the position now. However, I'm not making this the No. 1 draft priority because backup safety Duron Harmon has shown he can excel at both safety spots.
Pro Football Focus rated Harmon 28th overall among safeties last season. Harmon is just 26 years old and it wouldn't be surprising to see him take the starting job from Chung at some point in the season. However, at 6'1" and 205 pounds, Harmon isn't quite the physical box safety New England needs to fully replace him.
The good news is that finding a stout box safety in the third or fourth round shouldn't be difficult in this deep defensive draft.
1. Edge-Rusher
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This is the perhaps the one position New England really needs to focus on for this season and beyond. A lackluster pass rush was one of the few weaknesses on the team in 2016, and they lost defensive ends Jabaal Sheard and Chris Long in the offseason.
As a team, the Patriots produced just 34 sacks and were rated just 24th in pass rush by Pro Football Focus last season—and that was with Sheard and Long on the team. While the team could generate pressure at times, this often required creative means. Defensive end Trey Flowers led the team with just 7.0 sacks.
Now, if the Patriots can get the maximum effort out of Ealy, perhaps they'll have their pass-rushing complement to Flowers. However, it would make a ton of sense to target a capable pass-rusher in the draft.
This is a position I could definitely see the Patriots trading up to secure. If they don't trade up, quality guys like Auburn's Carl Lawson and Ohio's Tarell Basham might still be there in early Round 3. Bleacher Report draft analyst Matt Miller has both rated as third-round prospects.
If New England can add a top-notch pass-rusher in the draft, the team needs to do so. Just imagine how much more dominant the defense would be if it is consistently pressuring opposing quarterbacks.
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