New England Patriots: 2015 NFL Draft Preview

As the 2015 NFL Draft quickly approaches, New England Patriots fans sit in a familiar position. The Super Bowl Champion Patriots sit in the 32nd slot for the first and consequent rounds. Knowing The Hooded One’s tendency to confuse even the analysts, he singlehandedly creates a nightmare for the likes of ESPN’s Todd McShay and Mel Kiper who are likely working through their 100th Mock Draft of the year. While many teams hide their draft goals, rightly so, asking Belichick for a straight answer before draft day is even more futile than asking him questions after a big game.

What We Know:

While player personnel coming into New England will be a giant question mark over the next two weeks, we know that the departures from last years roster are devastating. The loss of perennial all-stars DT Vince Wilfork and CB Darrelle Revis are both well documented and have left very few dry eyes across New England. Not to mention the loss of CB Brandon Browner, Running Backs Shane Vereen and Stevan Ridley, and the current free agency of Dan Connolly, the Pats have lost huge performers on both sides of the ball.

Off Season Moves:

The resigning of S Devin McCourty and the placement of the franchise tag on K Stephen Gostkowski are huge pieces to a complicated Patriots puzzle. McCourty was a huge piece of a fantastic secondary and would have been a pain to see go. Gostkowski continues to affirm he belongs in the same breath as some of the best kickers in NFL history and helps to avoid heart-attack moments late in games. The addition of TE Scott Chandler was a wise move by the Patriots as a big target to pair with Gronk. To bolster a hurting secondary, the addition of CB’s Robert McClain, Bradley Fletcher, and Chimdi Chekwa should provide some depth to a secondary that lost two crucial pieces to last years success. On the defensive front, the signing of Jabaal Sheard will hopefully provide depth and experience hopefully helping to compliment the pass-rushing efforts of DE Chandler Jones.

The Needs:

Defensive Tackle

With a gaping hole in the middle of the line after the unfortunate departure of future Hall-Of-Famer Vince Wilfork, drafting a Defensive Tackle should be a Patriots priority.

Oct 30, 2014; Louisville, KY, USA; Florida State Seminoles defensive tackle Eddie Goldman (90) against the Louisville Cardinals at Papa John

In Mel Kiper’s most recent mock draft, top candidate for the job up front is Florida State DT Eddie Goldman. An experienced player with a history of winning, Goldman is a gigantic force who can mimic the play that Pats fans have come to expect out of their defensive line. While not a tremendous pass rusher, his size clogs the middle of the line and creates havoc for offensive lines requiring a double team nearly every play.

The Defensive Tackle position is loaded with elite talent and the Pats have kept eyes on DT Carl Davis out of Iowa and NT Jordan Phillips out of Oklahoma, and DT Malcolm Brown from Texas. All four of these players would fill the biggest gap (literally) on the field for the Pats as they look to rebuild a defense that had so much success from a year ago.

More from Chowder and Champions

Cornerback

While Revis is irreplaceable and Browner is a rare find in the NFL with his size, the Patriots return with a deep cast of characters at the Cornerback position. While every Pats fan hopes that CB Malcolm Butler will be the savior of the future much like he saved the Super Bowl, it simply isn’t a sustainable goal.

The first favorite to join the ranks of Belichick’s secondary is CB Byron Jones from Connecticut. Jones played an integral part of a team that unfortunately couldn’t win games last year. Surprise surprise, Head Coach for UConn Bob Diaco hails from the expansive Belichick coaching tree after working under ND Head Coach Brain Kelly. Belichick has had a tendency to enjoy CB’s out of the Big East and even more importantly drafting players who were coached by those who once were under his tutelage. While the speed of the college game and the pro game are a difficult learning curve for many, Jones has exhibited a great work ethic to pair with his coverage skills. His combine statistics were absolutely preposterous and he has good size for a corner who could help replace the big Brandon Browner.

Oct 11, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; Connecticut Huskies cornerback Byron Jones (16) looks for a signal against the Tulane Green Wave in the third quarter at Yulman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Glenn Andrews-USA TODAY Sports

While Jones is a front runner to join New England, the intriguing option here is CB Marcus Peters out of Washington. Belichick has had a history of taking on players with off the field issues such, see Legarrette Blount. Peters was a highly touted prospect coming into this season, but after butting heads with the coaching staff, ultimately saw his dismissal from the team. Peters is the proverbial ‘Perfect Belichick Guy’. With some added structure in the Patriots organization and Belichick’s no nonsense philosophy, Peters could join the team with a new chance to do his job and shape up.

If these two escape the Pats drafting postion, Cornerbacks such as Kevin Johnson out of Wake Forest and Ronald Darby of Florida State are the kind of players that you might expect to see in New England next season.

Skill Positions:

Jan 22, 2015; Mobile, AL, USA; South squad wide receiver Sammie Coates of Auburn (18) pulls down a pass during Senior Bowl practice at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

While defensive guys are crucial to success, they simply aren’t as fun to think about when you talk about your team. The Patriots have avoided going after big time wide recievers after so many debacles in the league including former Patriot Chad Jackson was a total bust. While they don’t seem to likely to look at the wideout slot as a huge need returning their entire receiving corps from a season ago, the one guy who could be a game changer at the position is former Auburn Tiger WR Sammie Coates. Coates is a less talked about WR prospect behind conference foe Amari Cooper and Arizona’s Jaelen Strong. Early projections have Coates slipping into the late first rounds or second round. At 32nd, the Patriots may find it appropriate to jump on a wide receiving prospect with good size and speed. They also may find it entirely appropriate to trade out of the first round as usual and collect a few second round draft picks where Coates could fall.

Late in the first round, two BIG names could be on the board that would make Patriots fans everywhere hold their breath. Doak Walker award winner Melvin Gordon and 2014 early season Heisman candidate Todd Gurley are the two big prospects at the Running Back position. Gordon was an absolute monster for the Wisconsin Badgers who are a running back factory. The Heisman runner up is a large back with great vision on the field. If you don’t believe me, go look at his game log from last year. Absurd.

Jan 1, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Wisconsin Badgers running back Melvin Gordon (25) runs with the ball against the Auburn Tigers during the second half in the 2015 Outback Bowl at Raymond James Stadium. Wisconsin Badgers defeated the Auburn Tigers 34-31 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Gurley could not be any more intriguing as a late first rounder. The Georgia Bulldog was on a tear to start his season before running into some off the field issues and landing himself a four game suspension. I thought it was a mistake for a top 5 pick to-be to finish out the season, and I was right. After tearing his ACL following his suspension, Gurley saw his draft stock plummet and with it lost himself a good chunk of change. While there are question marks surrounding his off the field issues and the health of his knee, he is an explosive back who would be a great fit to replace the departed Ridley and Vereen.

Ultimately, Belichick will be sure to keep us on our toes come game day. He is unpredictable, but for the past 15 years, he has proved that there is a method to his madness. While the Patriots remained relatively quiet in the offseason, the Bills, Jets, and Dolphins made blockbuster move after blockbuster move to create the best division in the NFL. This draft comes at a crucial time for the Pats as a Super Bowl championship and an aging Tom Brady means the winning has to continue and it has to continue now. For now, as Bill Belichick would say “We’re on to Chicago”.

Home/New England Patriots