NFL Draft 2011: Five Reasons Why the New England Patriots Should Trade Up

Entering the 2011 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots sit with six draft picks in the top 92: 17th, 28th, 33rd, 60th, 74th and 92nd. 

With those picks, the Patriots can do some major damaging by adding even younger talent to their already young and rebuilding team. 

Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots, although going 14-2 in 2010, are in a for a need of a lot of positions. Whether if it's the pass rush or offensive line, New England does have some holes to fill. 

With the second most picks in the 2011 draft, New England could move up higher than their 17th overall pick—which is nontraditional for the Patriots. 

New England could possibly trade the 17th or 28th overall pick, along with a third or fourth round pick to a team inside the top 15. However, the last time New England drafted inside the top 15 was in 2008, when they selected inside linebacker Jerod Mayo—look at how they worked out. 

Here five reasons why the New England Patriots should trade up in the first round of the NFL draft. 

NOTE: This article was first seen at PatriotsPlus.net. Be sure to follow Tony Santorsa on Twitter @TonySantorsa.

5. New England Could Draft an Elite Pass Rusher

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MOBILE, AL - JANUARY 29:Defensive lineman Cameron Jordan #97 of the North Team during the Under Armour Senior Bowl on January 29, 2011 at Ladd-Pebbles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images for Under Armour)

Over the past couple of months, Patriots' fans have been hearing rumors of the Patriots possibly drafting California's Cameron Jordan or Wisconsin's J.J. Watt. However, in recent mock drafts done by "experts," Jordan's and Watt's stock have been quickly rising.

In earlier mock drafts, the Patriots were a popular choice for Jordan, and then they were popular for Watt. But now, some draft analyst are having Jordan and Watt much closer to the top 10. 

Ever since Richard Seymour was traded to the Oakland Raiders in 2009, New England has lacked a dominant and elite pass rusher. If Belichick choose to move up a few spots from No. 17, he'd be able to get his hands on either Watt or Jordan. 

4. Potentially Landing a Top Wide Receiver

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AUBURN, AL - NOVEMBER 13: A.J. Green #8 of the Georgia Bulldogs pulls in this touchdown reception against Demond Washington #14 of the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium on November 13, 2010 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Now, just imagine this trade scenario: The Minnesota Vikings sit at 12th overall, and are in need of an offensive linemen and a quarterback. If quarterbacks Cam Newton and Blaine Gabbert are already selected, the Vikings may choose to fall back and wait for an offensive linemen like Boston College's Anthony Castonzo. 

New England, at 17th overall, could be a perfect suitor for the Vikings. 

So, if New England did move up to 12th overall, they'd have a really good chance at selecting this year's top wide receiver: Georgia's A.J. Green. 

I realize that this is extremely far-fetched, but New England does have the pieces to move up. 

Green has been slotted to go from anywhere between fifth to 15th, and New England can make their move. 

As quarterback Tom Brady ends his career, he could possibly have receivers such as Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez and possible Green to be throwing to for the rest of his career. That would be lethal. 

3. New England Already Has Three Picks in the Top 33, Why Not Go Higher?

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INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 28: Defensive lineman Robert Quinn of North Carolina runs through a drill during the 2011 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 28, 2011 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

The Patriots currently hold the 17th, 28th and 33rd picks—all picks are practically in the same neighborhood. 

If New England comes to conclusion that the same talent around 17th could be found at 28th, why should they have two picks? They have the pieces to move up. 

The Patriots could use their 17th overall pick as a piece to trade up into the top 15. 

If teams like the Tennessee Titans, Washington Redskins, Minnesota Vikings and the Dallas Cowboys choose to fall back and acquire later round picks, New England can take advantage of that tremendously. 

One prospect, who's stock is rather low, is North Carolina's Robert Quinn. 

Quinn was forced to sit out by the NCAA in 2010, so his ability to stay in game shape is unclear. 

However, when Quinn was active, he was one hell of a pass rusher and would be a great addition to New England's 3-4 defense as a Joey Porter-type. 

2. Block Miami and Draft RB Mark Ingram

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FAYETTEVILLE - SEPTEMBER 25: Mark Ingram #22 of the Alabama Crimson Tide pushes away a tackle attempt by Tramain Thomas #5 of the Arkansas Razorbacks during a first half touchdown run at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium on September 25, 2010 in Fayett

Bill Belichick could kill two birds with one stone—move up before Miami, who's currently at 15th overall, and draft stud running back Mark Ingram. 

This reason is kind of "iffy" though. In some expert mock drafts, analysts have teams waiting until the twenties to select Ingram, but in others, Ingram is long gone by 17th overall. 

If New England drafted Ingram, it would be a great opportunity to held lengthen Tom Brady's career. 

Ingram would add much more balance to New England's offense and would take a lot of pressure off of Brady. I am not saying Brady isn't performing well, but he'd be able to do much more with a stud running back next to him. 

Not to mention, Ingram could be the Patriots' long-term Curtis Martin (if Ingram doesn't leave and go to the Jets). 

1. Draft an Elite Corner Back

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LINCOLN, NE - OCTOBER 30: Cornerback Prince Amukamara #21 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers breaks up a intended for wide receiver L'Damian Washington #2 of the Missouri Tigers during second half action of their game at Memorial Stadium on October 30, 2010 in L

One of Bill Belichick's most underplayed philosophies is that a good secondary can help make a good pass rush. 

The Patriots already have lucked out by drafting corner back Devin McCourty last season, and can do so again in 2011. 

Like I've said previously, the Patriots have the pieces to move up and they can grab another future Pro Bowl corner back in Nebraska's Prince Amukamara.

If New England ended up with McCourty and Amukamara, they'd also have Leigh Bodden returning from an injured 2010 season and quality corner back Kyle Arrington—they'd have one of the best secondaries in the league.