Only a fraction of the New England Patriots' coaching staff made the trip to Indianapolis for this year's NFL Scouting Combine.
According to multiple reports Wednesday, the Patriots sent just four of their coaches to the marquee event of the pre-draft process.
Special teams coordinator Cam Achord and special teams assistant Joe Houston both traveled to Indy, NESN.com confirmed. They'll be joined by wide receivers coach Troy Brown and cornerbacks coach Mike Pellegrino, per reports from MassLive.com's Mark Daniels and the Boston Herald's Andrew Callahan.
Multiple members of the Patriots' scouting department also made the trip, including director of player personnel Matt Groh.
It's becoming increasingly common for NFL teams to send a partial staff to the combine or, in some cases, skip it entirely. Last year, the Patriots opted to keep their offensive coaches home in New England rather than having them meet face-to-face with combine participants.
The Patriots were well-represented at the East-West Shrine Bowl earlier this offseason, with head coach Bill Belichick and nearly all of his assistants spending a week coaching draft prospects in Las Vegas. They also had defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington serving as a defensive coordinator at the Senior Bowl.
In the weeks before the draft, which begins April 27, the Patriots will meet with dozens of prospects at college pro days, private workouts and official visits. They currently own eight draft selections -- including No. 14 overall in Round 1 -- and are projected to receive three more through the NFL's compensatory pick system.
New England's most pressing needs include offensive tackle, cornerback and wide receiver, though those could change depending on how the team approaches free agency.
