Patriots: A projection of the team’s biggest draft needs in 2023
New England Patriots draft needs on defense
On defense, the Patriots need two main additions. They need another pass-rushing edge player to complement Matt Judon. Josh Uche had a breakout game against the Colts with three sacks.
NESN.com notes,
"After managing just five sacks over the first 26 games of his injury-riddled Patriots tenure, the 24-year-old linebacker equaled that total over the last two weeks, including a three-sack hat trick in Sunday’s defensively dominant 26-3 win over the Indianapolis Colts at Gillette Stadium. He also registered four-plus quarterback pressures in each of his last three games after hitting that number just twice previously, per Pro Football Focus. This pass-rush eruption followed a drought in which Uche, a staple in New England’s third-down package, recorded zero sacks, zero tackle for loss and just one QB hit between Week 3 of last season and Week 7 of this season."
Consistency is the issue for Uche. He hasn’t been consistent. Should Uche again falter, this hole on the right side will continue to cost them against teams like Buffalo with the magical Josh Allen and Miami with impressive Tua Tagovailoa at the helm. Even if he continues his upward climb, injuries happen and a pick of an edge in the third or fourth rounds fits.
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In addition, the defensive line is aging and other than Christian Barmore, an emerging pocket-crushing star, and above-average Dietrich Wise Jr, they are not very productive. They need a makeover at D-tackle and drafting a big, young defensive tackle is a must in the middle rounds, third, fourth, and/or fifth.
There are and/or will be additional needs depending on who is or is not re-signed, e.g. the aforementioned Meyers and Damian Harris. They will mandate additional allocations of picks to fill those holes in the roster. It is just the way of any NFL team.
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Yet, now, at the midpoint of 2022, the top needs seem to be roughly similar to those of 2022 that went unfilled. There’s lots of time until April and hopefully, a playoff berth (and a win or four!) beforehand will eventuate.
Nevertheless, it’s never too early to look ahead to the draft and what positions will be necessary to fill when the Patriots are on the clock. It’s really not that far away.