Patriots' 2011 Draft Could Involve Defense or Trade Bait

The New England Patriots are a team that seems to be able to avoid the "rebuilding" cycles. Part of their system involves a good coach and part of their system is the ability to draft well. Who might they draft in the 2011 Draft?

I'm using as reference "Draft Prospect Notes" at the New England Patriot website.

New England Patriots' 2010 Overview:

The 2010 Regular Season was a lesson in dominance for the AFC. Any teams competing for a 1^st seed in the AFC learned first hand that when a Bill Belichick-led squad gets hot, they get hot. The Patriots were hands down the best team in the league in 2010, scoring over 500 points, setting a record-low for turnovers, and boasting the NFL's most complete quarterback, the dependable yet spectacular Tom Brady, who earned his 2^nd League MVP trophy in 4 years. Brady was flawless, throwing 36 touchdowns to only 4 interceptions, the greatest single season touchdown to interception ratio in NFL history. The Patriots were unfortunately upset, however, in the Divisional Round of the 2010 Playoffs, with the New York Jets avenging a late season loss of 42 points by knocking New England out of the postseason with a 28-21 victory.

The Good:

The defense is young, with decent linebackers (Jerod Mayo in particular is legitimate game changer), and a physically talented and improving secondary. Offensively, the conversation begins and ends with Tom Brady. It really doesn't matter. He is a master of pocket presence, a fierce team leader, and a ridiculously accurate passer. Also, he is extremely versatile. Watch his 2 MVP Seasons, 2007 and 2010, and look at the difference in how he dominated; he used the long ball in 2007 and the "pick-apart" short pass in 2010.

The Bad:

There isn't much, but the Patriots could use an upgrade at defensive end. Their defensive line is not anything like what it used to be, and with such youth at linebacker, a veteran end to anchor the front seven could be very useful. Also, the Patriots are in need of a true replacement for Randy Moss. Don't get me wrong, Deion Branch is a great player, but he's not the kind of player they need to replace Moss. If New England can pick up a big deep threat, they can play Branch opposite of him, and put guys like Welker, Edelman, and Tate in the slot.

The New England Patriots' Draft Outlook:

The Patriots don't have many holes, so I could see them trading out of the 1^st round to a team looking a jump ahead to pick one of the 2^nd tier quarterbacks like Jake Locker or Ryan Mallet. If not, I foresee New England focusing on their defensive line, with someone like Brooks Reed or Akeem Ayers, players who can play outside linebacker or end. Belichick loves versatility, so this is a strong possibility.

All this being said, depend on the Patriots to surprise us.

References:

New England Patriots' Website, "Draft Prospect Notes"

NFL.com Website, "New England Patriots' Statistics"