New England Patriots fans will be very upset if their team doesn’t spend a high draft pick on a cornerback.
Cornerback and defensive tackle lead the Patriots’ 2015 NFL draft needs after head coach Bill Belichick allowed Darrelle Revis, Brandon Browner and Vince Wilfork to walk in free agency. The Patriots’ balanced roster last season was one of the biggest reasons why they were able to win Super Bowl XLIX. Now they must replenish their defense with high draft picks.
See who the Patriots could select with their No. 32 overall pick in this year’s draft:
DEFENSIVE TACKLE
The Patriots have a giant hole to fill — literally and figuratively — after Wilfork signed with the Houston Texans. They have solid depth at the position, but they need another top-of-the-line defensive tackle with upside to boost the Patriots’ run defense for 2015 and into the future.
The Patriots could go into the season with Sealver Siliga and Alan Branch as starters on early downs and Dominique Easley and Chris Jones playing third down, but their run defense would struggle when Siliga or Branch need to be rotated out of the defense.
Easley is expected to step up as an interior pass rusher next season after his rookie year was hindered by injuries both during the preseason and regular season. He isn’t a gap-clogging nose tackle like Wilfork, however.
Plenty of nose tackles are available in the 2015 NFL draft, including Oklahoma’s Jordan Phillips and Clemson’s Grady Jarrett. The Patriots showed interest in Phillips and Jarrett at their respective pro days.
The Patriots also could look to select Florida State’s Eddie Goldman or Iowa’s Carl Davis if they’re available.
LINEBACKER
Given Jerod Mayo’s recent injury history and Dont’a Hightower’s offseason shoulder surgery, the Patriots could use extra some depth at linebacker, in which they currently have very, very little.
The Patriots reportedly hosted Rolando McClain on a free-agent visit Monday, showing they acknowledge their need for a linebacker. If they don’t believe Mayo will take a pay cut, then linebacker could be an early round need, but if they’re confident the captain will stick around, then they can afford to draft a player in the middle rounds.
The Patriots lost Jonathan Casillas and Akeem Ayers in free agency, leaving Jonathan Freeny (107 career defensive snaps), Deontae Skinner (105 career defensive snaps), Eric Martin (97 career defensive snaps), Darius Fleming (43 career defensive snaps), Chris White (15 career defensive snaps), Cameron Gordon (no NFL experience) and James Morris (no NFL experience) as their only reserve linebackers. Morris was highly touted coming out of Iowa, but he went undrafted because of injuries and missed the 2014 season with a torn ACL.
The Patriots reportedly showed interest in TCU linebacker Paul Dawson at his pro day. Kansas linebacker Ben Heeney also could be a fit in the fourth round. If the Patriots are looking for an edge-rushing outside linebacker, they could select Missouri’s Markus Golden.
CORNERBACK
The Patriots have tremendous depth at cornerback, but they lack a true No. 1 option after losing Aqib Talib and Revis in consecutive offseasons. The Patriots could send out a solid rotation of Kyle Arrington, Logan Ryan, Malcolm Butler, Bradley Fletcher and Robert McClain in 2015, but they definitely could look to upgrade in the draft.
LSU’s Jalen Collins, Florida State’s P.J. Williams and Ronald Darby, or UConn’s Byron Jones could be around at No. 32 overall if the Patriots are willing to spend a first-round pick on a cornerback. They also could trade up in the first round, since they have nine picks. Wake Forest’s Kevin Johnson or Washington’s Marcus Peters could be potential trade-up options.
If the Patriots take a cornerback lower in the draft, then Utah’s Eric Rowe or Auburn’s Nick Marshall could receive interest.
Thumbnail photo via Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports Images
