The New England Patriots weren't exactly hurting for talent on their roster coming into the NFL Draft. In fact, as reigning Super Bowl champions, they appear to be set up pretty well going forward. But that doesn't mean that Bill Belichick, the mad scientist that he is, couldn't use the draft to add talent and address some areas of need. With question marks along the defensive line, in the secondary and backfield, and among the wide receivers, some additional depth wouldn't hurt.
But did Belichick adequately address New England's weaknesses? ESPN NFL Draft Insider Mel Kiper Jr. gave the team just a B- draft grade.
"The Patriots got two of the biggest steals in the draft and also did the usual by taking a player relatively early (No. 97) that I thought they could have gotten about six hours of draft picks later," Kiper wrote. "They did well overall, but I'm not sure why they didn't take at least one wide receiver or cornerback."
The Patriots lost both of their starting corners in Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner to free agency this offseason while no receiver on the roster cracked 1,000 yards last year. Ignoring both positions in the draft was admittedly surprising.
"Malcom Brown was an absolute steal at No. 32. The defensive tackle out of Texas actually isn't at all like Vince Wilfork - repeat after me: He's not a replacement for Big Vince - but he's really good and should be a part of the D-line rotation out of the gate. Jordan Richards is a smart, versatile fit in the secondary, which is exactly the kind of guy they like. I had him going lower, but if you think the guy can help and he's there for a team this good? Take him. Trey Flowers was another outstanding value down at No. 101 overall. I had him going off the board early in Round 2. That's a steal. I also like the additions of Tre' Jackson as O-line depth (he played with Bryan Stork at FSU), and they got their long-snapper in Joe Cardona. Matt Wells is also an interesting athlete to watch. The reach? That was Geneo Grissom, who I'm pretty sure would have been available later. Again, I wished they would have done more at CB and WR, and that drops them some, but you can't say they didn't get some good players, for a Super Bowl champ, no less."
