Patriots Rookies: New Numbers

Here are the numbers that Patriots Rookies are wearing:

QB Kevin O'Connell -- 5
WR/DB Matthew Slater -- 18
CB Terrence Wheatley -- 22
CB Jonathan Wilhite -- 24
S Mark Dillard -- 30
RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis -- 42
OLB Vince Redd -- 47
ILB Gary Guyton -- 48
ILB Jerod Mayo -- 51
NT Henry Smith -- 62 (blue)
C Ryan Wendell -- 62 (white)
DE Casey Tyler -- 64
DL Chris Norwell -- 76 (blue)
TE Jonathan Stupar -- 85
ILB Bo Ruud -- 91
OLB Shawn Crable -- 98

DT Carlos Feliciano and OL Josh Coffman, both UDFA's, have been released.

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Patriot Defense: Depth Chart Prediction

This is our post-draft prediction of what the defensive depth chart will look like come week one versus the Chiefs. As of right now, we have Bo Ruud not making the team and no undrafted free-agents making the team. The leaders to make the defensive unit out of the UDFA lot would be Gary Guyton (GT) and Vince Redd (Liberty), both linebackers who could beat out Larry Izzo or Eric Alexander.

Starters in Bold

Defensive Ends:
Richard Seymour
Ty Warren
Jarvis Green

Defensive Tackles:
Vince Wilfork
Mike Wright
LeKevin Smith

Outside Linebackers:
Adalius Thomas
Mike Vrabel
Shawn Crable
Pierre Woods

Inside Linebackers:
Tedy Bruschi
Jerod Mayo
Victor Hobson
Eric Alexander
Larry Izzo

Cornerbacks:
Ellis Hobbs
Fernando Bryant
Terrence Wheatley
Jonathan Wilhite
Jason Webster
Lewis Sanders

Safeties:
Rodney Harrison
Brandon Meriweather
James Sanders
Tank Williams
Raymond Ventrone

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Drago: I Will Break (dance) You

Welcome to Mike Dragosavich, the odds-on favorite for most jerseys ever sold by a punter. Not only can he punt, tackle, and dance, he can also clean up after the game. Provided that the UDFA Dragosavich can beat out the weak-legged but steady Chris Hanson, and the once retired Hulk Hogan, he could easily become one of the most popular punters to ever play the game. Drago, as mentioned earlier, has an odd 3-step technique that Belichick may try to change. It would be playing with fire to give NFL athletes that extra half-second to get to his feet, even though as we can see in the video, his feet are pretty quick.

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May-o Day

"I’m a hard worker and I’m coming here to contribute to this team in any way that I can, whether it be with special teams or with the starters. I’m coming to make a contribution and help with a championship.”

May 1st marked the day when Jerod Mayo was formally introduced to the Patriot family. Sort of like meeting your girlfriend's parents for the first time, first impressions are incredibly important. A careless word or two in your first few days as a Patriot can earn you the scorn of an entire locker room of veterans. Coming off sounding like a seasoned veteran himself, Mayo passed his first test as a member of the Patriots family. Papa Belichick was undoubtedly pleased.

Mayo will be put to the test May 3rd on the field during the first day of Patriots Minicamp, where he will be wearing no. 51. He and his fellow rookies will be looking to impress the coaching staff by picking up schemes quickly and learning from their mistakes. A total of fifteen undrafted free agents, listed here, will be joining Mayo and his fellow draftees. Most prominent among them is Mike Dragosavich, the big-man-on-campus at NDSU and a heckuva punter. He has an odd technique, but you can't argue with his results.

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2008 Patriots Draft: A First Look

While we won't put a final grade to this draft until 2013, we can start to evaluate now how the draft addressed the Patriots' perceived roster needs and if the Patriots were able to get good value at their picks. Mel Kiper Jr. gaves us a C+, as he feels that we reached on our picks, and better options were available. I'm sure Belichick was quite upset to hear that. Read on to see our grade.

Need

The Patriots came in with needs across the back seven on defense. Belichick and Pioli addressed that need early and often with the picks of Mayo, Wheatley, Crable, Wilhite, and Ruud. Mayo will be in the ILB rotation immediately, while Crable will bring much needed depth to the OLB position. Wheatley will probably contribute mainly as a slot corner to begin with, while Wilhite might crack the dime or quarter rotations. Ruud and Wilhite may help on special teams as well.

Considering that the Patriots scored a bajillion points last year, they didn't have many needs on the offensive side of the ball. Some felt that they needed to look at their offensive line, but free agency and development can help there. Kevin O'Connell obviously doesn't fill a need for starting QB, but he does help bring competition and upside to a below-average backup QB corps. Matt Slater should contribute on special-teams and is at best a homeless-man's Troy Brown.

Value = Need x Rarity

The Patriots had Jerod Mayo as the number one linebacker on their board, so regardless of whether experts have labeled him a reach, Belichick got his guy. Since Rivers was off the board at ten, ILB's were incredibly rare. Therefore, the Patriots got excellent value for the pick: high need, high rarity.

Wheatley was a slightly different story. Cornerback was definitely a high need area, but the rarity was low, as Charles Godfrey, Terrell Thomas, Justin King, and others were still on the board. Belichick obviously had Terrence rated higher than the others, and we are not inclined to argue. Even with the low rarity, still a good value.

The O'Connell pick presents a lot of opportunities for the Patriots. He could be a good backup, or he could eventually replace Tom Brady due to injury or retirement. Another option would be to treat him like Matt Schaub, who brought two second-round picks to the Falcons from the Texans. His present value is low, but in the future that could grow exponentially.

NE Patriots Draft Grade: Incomplete (Check back in five years)

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2008 Undrafted Free Agent Signings

Check out the rest of the site for NFL Draft Analysis, Salary Cap Info, and Patriots Talk.

This is an unofficial list of undrafted free agent signings from the 2008 NFL Draft. Please let me know if there are any additions I should be aware of. I'll be adding to this list as more information becomes available.

We definitely can't discount these guys, as each year a few UDFA's step in to make big contributions. For the Patriots, Randall Gay immediately comes to mind.

Thanks to pats1 at patsfans.com, KFFL, and many other places for helping me out.

List Updated 5/2 - 8:13am

Patriots
LB - Vince Redd - Liberty
P - Mike Dragosavich - NDSU (signed)
DE - Chris Norwell - Illinois
TE - Jon Stupar - Virginia
C - Ryan Wendell - Fresno St.
RB - Kenny Cattouse - Troy (tryout)
OT - Josh Coffman - ECU (2 years/$0 Bonus)
DL - Casey Tyler - Portland St. (1 year/$0 Bonus)
DL - Carlos Feliciano - Maryland
LB - Gary Guyton - Georgia Tech
RB - Benjarvus Green-Ellis - Ole Miss
LB - Keith Saunders - Alabama
TE - Tyson DeVree - Colorado (tryout)
SS - Mark Dillard - La Tech
LB - Scratch Saunders - Alabama

Bengals
FB - Tyler Whaley - OSU
FB - Bradley Glatthaar - Cincinnati

Bucs
DB - Jonathan Hefney - U. Tennessee
DT - Tywain Myles - Tarleton St.
DT - Chris Bradwell - Troy
DB - Elbert Mack - Troy
K - Chris Gould - Virginia
WR - Derrek Richards - Utah
LB - Lance Brandenburgh - Nebraska
DE - Vegas Franklin - Miami
RB - Carl Stewart - Auburn

Broncos
WR - Anthony Alridge - Houston
OT - Mitch Erickson - South Dakota State
P - Brett Curran - Toledo
K - Garrett Hartley - Oklahoma
LB - Wesley Woodyard - Kentucky
WR - Lorne Sam - UTEP
OT - Tyler Polumbus - Colorado

Browns
DE - Xavier Mitchell - U. Tennessee
QB - Craig Hormann - Columbia
RB - Tony Temple - Missouri
CB - Darnell Terrell - Missouri
WR - Lance Leggett - Miami (Fla.)
LB - Nick Moore - Baylor
K - Jason Reda - Illinois
RB - Austin Scott - PSU
DT - Brian Schaefering - Linderwood
OL - Robbie Powell - Purdue
CB - Jerrid Gaines - Miami (Ohio)
CB - Gerard Lawson - Oregon St.
TE - Ben Barkema - Iowa St.
WR - James Banks - Carson-Newman
LB - Jermaine Dias - Virginia
RB - Travis Thomas - Notre Dame
RB - DeShawn Baker - SC St.
DT - Kyle Lockett - Urbana
DT - Steven Friend - Central Michigan
P - Ben Woods - Buffalo
OT - Brian Stamper - Vanderbilt

Chargers
OL - Tyler Luellen - Missouri
FB - Mike Tolbert - Coastal Carolina
WR - Gary Banks - Troy
OG - Andrew Crummey - Maryland
DL - Erik Bakhtiari - San Diego
WR - Greg Bracey - Missouri
WR - Billy Pittman - Texas
CB - Josh Bell - Baylor
P - Billy Vinnedge - Wyoming
S - Brian Bonner - Texas Christian
CB - Stanley Franks - University of Idaho
TE - John Tereshinski - Wake Forest
FB - Roy Betschart - Wyoming
OG - Brandyn Dombrowski - SDSU
DT - Lamar Divens - Tennessee State
DT - Keith Shologan - Central Florida
WR - Brandon Jackson - North Texas

Chiefs
LB - Steve Octavien - Nebraska
K - Connor Barth - North Carolina
QB - Ricky Santos - New Hampshire
DL - Derek Lokey - Texas
RB - Kalvin McRae - Ohio
WR - Sean Bailey - Georgia
OG - Chris McDuffie - Clemson
WR - Jabari Arthur - Akron
FB - Mike X. Cox - Georgia
LB - Sir Darean Adams - Michigan State
WR - Luke Swan - Wisconsin
DT - Johnny Dingle - West Virginia
LB - James Terry - Youngstown St.

Cowboys
DE - Marcus Dixon - Hampton
WR - Danny Amendola - Texas Tech
FB - Julius Crosslin - Oklahoma St.
OG - Brandon Hale - Sam Houston St.
P - Jay Ottovegio - Stanford
TE - Drew Atchison - William & Mary
OT - Andrew Brecher - Alabama
RB - Keon Lattimore - Maryland
WR - Daniel Polk - Midwestern State
SS - Dowayne Davis - Syracuse

Jets
RB - Danny Woodhead - Chadron State
SS - Nate Lyles - Virginia
DE - Bryan Mattison - Iowa
CB - Alfred Phillips - Wagner
FB - Justin Valentine - Minnesota
LB - Brandon Renkart - Rutgers
RB - Jehuu Caulcrick - Michigan State
WR - Prechae Rodriguez - Auburn
LB - Rodrick Johnson - Oklahoma St.

Falcons
LB - Brandon Miller - Georgia
P - Jimmie Kaylor - Colorado State
RB - Jamar Brittingham - Bloomsburg
OL - Mike Butterworth - Slippery Rock
FS - DJ Wolfe - Oklahoma
CB - Glenn Sharpe - Miami
SS - Ike Brown - Central Michigan

Giants
OL - Digger Bujnoch - Cincinnati
DL - Wallace Gilberry - Alabama
S - Nehemiah Warrick - Michigan State
DE - Antonio Reynolds - Tennessee
OT - Dylan Thiry - Northwestern
OG - Andrew Bain - Miami
OT - Carnell Stewart - Louisiana State
P - Owen Tolson - Army
DT - Josh Muse - Louisiana Tech


49ers
WR - Cameron Colvin - Oregon
LB - Ezra Butler - Nevada
WR - Robert Jordan - California
TE - Joe Jon Finely - Oklahoma
DL - Louis Holmes - Arizona

Packers
TE - Michael Peterson - NW Missouri St.
LB - Danny Lansanah - UConn
RB - Kregg Lumpkin - Georgia
WR - Taj Smith - Syracuse
P - Ken Debauche - Wisconsin
LS - J.J. Jansen - Notre Dame
LB - Marcus Riley - Fresno State
C - Brennen Carvalho - Portland St.
LB - Durell Mapp - North Carolina
TE - Joey Haynos - Maryland
RB - Justin Beaver - Wisconsin-Whitewater

Bears
WR - Curtis Hamilton - Western Kentucky
QB - Nick Hill - Southern Illinois
CB - Leslie Majors - Indiana
QB - Caleb Hanie - Colorado St.
OT - Cody Balogh - Montana
CB - Trey Brown - UCLA
DL - Joe Clermond - Pitt
DL - David Faaeteete - Oregon
DL - Nick Osborn - San Diego St.
K - Shane Longest - St. Xavier

Bills
QB - Luke Drone - Illinois State
WR - Jason Jones - Arkansas Pine-Bluff
DT - Teraz McRay - Miami
LB - Jon Banks - Iowa St.
LB - Joe Brockington - Notre Dame
FB - Mike Viti - Army

Vikings
LB - J Leman - Illinois
S - Husain Abdulla - WSU
DE - Martail Burnett - Utah
DT - Leger Douzable - UCF
S - Marcus Griffin - Texas
K - Steven Hauschka - NC St.
WR - Nate Jones - Texas
CB - Travis Key - MSU
C - Tim Mattran - Stanford
T - Drew Radovich - USC
WR - Darius Reynaud - WVU
CB - Brandon Sumrall - Southern Miss
CB - Marcus Walker - Oklahoma
QB - Kyle Wright - Miami
RB - Albert Young - Iowa
FB - Tom Busch - Iowa
OC - Matt Roan - Southern Utah
OT - Brandon Joyce - Illinois St.
LB - Erin Henderson - Maryland
LB - AJ Raebel - Wisconsin - Whitewater
TE - Jeff Fielder - Minnesota St.

Jaguars
QB - Paul Smith - Tulsa
TE - Chris Brown - U. Tennessee
C - Drew Miller - Florida
WR - Adam Bishop - Nevada
DE - Alex Boston - Florida State
FB - Anthony Catrone - Maine
WR - Clyde Edwards - Grambling State
CB - Isaiah Gardner - Maryland
CB - Michael Grant - Arkansas
WR - Jeron Harvey - Houston
DT - Theo Horrocks - Vanderbilt
LB - Lamar Myles - Louisville
CB - Brian Witherspoon - Stillman

Lions
WR - Darrell Blackman - NC St.
LB - Tyrone Pruitt - BC
FS - Bobbie Williams - Bethune Cookman
RB - Allen Ervin - Lambuth
QB - Mark Nicolet - Hillsdale
LB - Brian Bradford - Towson
FS - Vince Gliatta - Youngstown St.

Panthers
DL - Brandon Jenkins - Mississippi
WR - Damon Morton - Colorado St.
CB - Courtney Grixby - Nebraska
DL - Darwin Walker - Bears
FB - Breyone Evans - Mass
FS - Joe Fields - Syracuse
DL - Casper Brinkley - South Carolina
QB - Taylor Tharp - Boise St.
CB - Darren Toney - Ark St.

Saints
QB - T.C. Ostrander - Stanford
S - Rocky Schwartz - Houston
DL - Jeremy Geathers - UNLV
OG - Nate McManus - Georgia
OT - Adam Millington - Illinois
LS - Ryan Sener - Ohio
P - Waylon Prather - San Jose St.
OT - Jason Boone - Utah
FB - Olaniyi Sobomehin - Portland St.
WR - Todd Blythe - Iowa St.
DB - David Roach - TCU
WR - Evan Moore - Stanford
LB - Jolonn Dunbar - BC
RB - Lynell Hamilton - SDSU


Seahawks
S - Jamar Adams - Michigan
CB - Donovan Alexander - North Dakota
WR - Travis Brown - New Mexico
OG - Dustin Dickinson - Houston
WR - Michael Bumpus - Washington State
LB - Matt Castelo - San Jose State
CB - DeMichael Dizer - Grambling St.
LB - David Hawthrone - TCU
S - Kelin Johnson - Georgia
WR - Anthony Russo - Washington
OT - William Robinson - SDSU
S - Eric Wicks - WVU

Steelers
WR - Micah Rucker - Eastern Illinois
C - Doug Legursky - Marshall
K - Julian Rauch - Appalachian State
WR - Dorien Bryant - Purdue
CB - Travis Williams - East Carolina
QB - Mike Potts - William & Mary
DL - Patrick Bailey - Duke
LB - Donovan Woods - Oklahoma St.
OT - Floyd Headen - West Texas A&M

Cardinals
QB - Anthony Morelli - Penn State
OT - Hercules Satele - Hawaii
OT - Thaddeus Coleman - Mississippi Valley State
DT - Keilen Dykes - West Virginia
FS - Dennis Keyes - UCLA
OT - Carlton Medder - Florida
LB - Ali Highsmith - LSU
CB - Marcus Brown - McNeese St.
WR - Lance Long - Miss St.
DL - Bryan Robinson - Wesley
FB - Dionte Johnson - Ohio St.
OT - Peter Clifford - Michigan St.
DE - Jason Banks - Grambling


Raiders
TE - Chris Wagner - South Dakota State
LB - Shane Simmons - Western Washington
RB - Louis Rankin - Washington
LB - Malik Jackson - Louisville
CB - Derrick Brown - Southern Utah
OL - Brandon Rodd - ASU
LB - Ronnie Pentz - San Diego
TE - Darrell Strong - Pitt
QB - Brian White - Portland St.


Rams
FB - Brandon McAnderson - Kansas
OG - Stephen Sene - Liberty
RB - Yvenson Bernard - Oregon St.
WR - Joshua Hyman - VT
LB - Mark Magro - WVU
LB - Vince Hall - VT
DE - Rodney Hardeway - Louisiana-Lafayette
CB - Justin McKinney - Kansas State

Ravens
LB - Jameel McClain - Syracuse
QB - Brad Roach - Catawba
DL - Lorenzo Williams - Missouri
TE - Scott Kuhn - Louisville
OL - Isaiah Wiggins - Illinois State
K - Piotr Czech - Wagner
P - Benjamin Dato - Fordham
OG - Sean Dumford - Eastern Kentucky
OG - Adam Kraus - Michigan
OG - Brandon Burns - Pearl River
C - Joe Reitz - Western Michigan
WR - Ernie Wheelright - Minnesota

Redskins
OG - Kerry Brown - Appalachian State
OT - Shannon Boatman - Florida State
OT - Devin Clark - New Mexico
S - Kevin T. Mitchell - Illinois
WR - Horace Grant - St. Olaf
OT - Darren Marquez - S. Illinois
DL - Wallace Gilberry - Alabama
QB - Bret Meyer - Iowa St.
LB - Bryan Wilson - Morgan St.
WR - Edward Williams - Lane

Dolphins
WR - Davone Bess - Hawaii
LB - Kelly Poppinga - BYU
QB - Jayson Foster - Georgia Southern
TE - Mike Mulligan - Maine
K - Dan Carpenter - Montana
OT - Darren Heerspink - Portland State
CB - Scorpio Babers - Sam Houston St.
OL - Dan Gore - Boise St.
TE - Kris Kasparek - Akron
DE - Titus Brown - Miss St.
WR - Selwynn Lymon - Purdue
DT - Anthony Toribio - Carson-Newmann

Texans
WR - Ryan Grice-Mullen - Hawaii
LB - Ben Moffit - South Florida
TE - Cole Bennett - Auburn
WR - Darnell Jenkins - Miami
DE - Jessie Mading - CSU
DT - Gabe Long - Utah
LB - Marcus Richardson - Troy

Titans
WR - Jason Rivers - Hawaii
OL - Eric Scott - Kentucky
RB - Omar Cuff - Delaware
SS - Tony Joiner - Florida
C - Fernando Velasco - Georgia
OL - Brock Pasteur - Stephen F. Austin
LB - Jerrell Freeman - Mary Hardin-Baylor

Eagles
OT - Franklin Dunbar - MTSU
LB - Justin Roland - KSU
WR - Terrell Golden - PSU
WR- Frantz Hardy - Nebraska
FB - Jed Collins - WSU
CB - Kyle Arrington - Hofstra
WR - Shaheer McBride - Delaware St.

Colts
DT - Don Davis - UCONN
WR - Samuel Giguère - CFL
DE - Curtis Johnson - Clark Atlanta
DB - Jaime Silva - BC
WR - Rudy Burgess - ASU
CB - Brandon Foster - Texas
DE - Eric Foster - Rutgers
DL - Colin Ferrell - Kent St.
WR - Rudy Burgess - Arizona State
LB - Anthony X. Adams - Grand Valley State
RB - Chad Simpson - Morgan St.

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NFL Draft: Kevin O'Connell

While Tom Brady won't be involved, there will be a QB controversy this year in Patriots training camp. Matt Cassell and Kevin O'Connell of SDSU will go head-to-head to be Brady's backup. Matt Guttierez could still be the number three, but he or Cassell will either get traded or released during camp.

O'Connell (6'5", 225) is a great QB prospect that is light on his feet and has good vision to go along with a good arm. His speed (4.6) and agility is so good in fact, that speculation has already started that Belichick may use him as a H-back or WR/TE that is a threat to throw at times.

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Patriots Draft Shawn Crable

With the 78th pick in the draft, acquired from the New Orleans Saints on day one, the Patriots selected Shawn Crable (LB, Michigan). Shawn is a versatile player that can play with his hand down and rush or stand up off the line in the 3-4. A relentless player, Crable is never found loafing. He often makes plays pursuing from the backside where some players would have given up. Hopefully Shawn will join a long line of DE/LB hybrids from college (Bruschi, Vrabel, etc...) that have come in to Gillette Stadium and made plays.

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NFL Draft: Mayo on Sale

Looking at the salary cap implications of moving down from number seven to number ten, Patriots fans have to be very happy with their team's savvy moves on day one of the NFL Draft. Last year, these are how the surrounding picks made out in terms of money.

• 7 - Adrian Peterson - 6 years / 40.5 million
• 8 - Jamaal Anderson - 5 years / 31 million
• 9 - Ted Ginn - n/a
• 10 - Amobi Okoye - 6 years / 15.4 million
• 11 - Patrick Willis - 5 years / 16.65 million

Willis will probably be the closest proxy for Mayo, as he plays the same position. If we can expect a five percent increase from last year, we are looking at a contract somewhere in the vicinity of 5 years for 20 million dollars. A number seven pick is looking at a 6 year, 42 million contract this year, so the Patriots got quite a deal. Many people wonder why Belichick had to throw in a 5th round pick to get the deal to work, as the points chart says the 3rd round pick they received from New Orleans is a fair deal. Well, the salary cap says it all.

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Patriots Bread & Butter: Wheat-ley and Mayo

To go with the linebacker they drafted at number ten, Jerod Mayo, the Patriots selected Terrence Wheatley (S, Colorado). Wheatley is a quick-twitch athlete that is in the in the same mold as former Patriot Asasnte Samuel -- small, agile, great ballskills and an average tackler. That being said, Wheatley has some durability issues with his wrist, as he has had multiple surgeries. His size and strength will probably relegate him to nickel coverage, at least to start his career.

Wheatley is a solid pick that will start to fill a need at cornerback. Expect the Patriots to revisit the defensive backfield during round three, as there are multiple quality DB's still available. Charles Godfrey, Dajuan Morgan, Reggie Smith, and Justin King are all still on the board. With two picks in the third round, expect one of them to be on another CB/S.

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Patriots D: Extra Mayo Please

With the 10th pick, the Patriots picked Jerod Mayo (6-2/230) from the University of Tennessee. Mayo combines athletecism with good football instincts, and should be able to start for a starting job inside right away. He has shown fluidness in coverage that will be a welcome addition to the linebacking corps. He struggles at times to fight off guards in the running game, but Vince Wilfork should be able to protect him. He can and will deliver the big hit, as well as being a very reliable tackler.

Bill Belichick stated that he liked his versatility, as he has played all three positions for the Volunteers: weak-side, strong-side, and middle. Belichick also praised his football IQ and work ethic.

The New England Patriots received the 78th pick from the New Orleans Saints for moving down from seven to ten. The Patriots also sent their fifth round pick to the Saints.

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Patriot Puzzle Pieces: 3rd Down D

Following the look at the base defense starters, NE Patriots Draft will now project the starters for the 3rd down defense, including nickel, dime, "frisco", and "cali" packages.

Defensive Line

Saying Vince Wilfork isn't a prototypical pass-rusher is an understatement. On obvious passing situations on 3rd down, Jarvis Green and Mike Wright will often replace Wilfork. Seymour will move inside if Green comes in, and stay outside if Wright enters the game. Green really emerged has a sack artist during the past two seasons, posting an average of seven during limited playing time. Expect Warren and Seymour to man the trenches if Belichick only calls for two down-lineman.

Linebackers

When the Patriots employ their nickel defense with the "frisco", or three down-linemen, front, Rodney Harrison moves to linebacker. Expect Victor Hobson, who is better in a short zone than Bruschi, to join Rodney inside. Adalius Thomas and Mike Vrabel will rush from the edge. When switching to the dime, Hobson will rotate out for our nickel cornerback, who will be Fernando Bryant or a player who has yet to be drafted. Pierre Woods could develop into a Tully Banta-Cain mold where he becomes an edge-rusher to spell Thomas and Vrabel., and would be a perfect fifth linebacker for the 2-5 "cali" package.

Defensive Backs

With Rodney Harrison at linebacker, Brandon Meriweather and James Sanders will provide over the top support for Ellis Hobbs and Fernando Bryant. Most people to expect the Patriots to address the cornerback position often during the draft, and if that is the case, the Patriots brass would hope that the newcomer will be able to start and push Bryant into the nickel/dime role. When Rodney stays at safety, expect Brandon Meriweather to man the nickel duty, with James Sanders at free safety.

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Patriot Puzzle Pieces: Base Defense

Here is the first of two installments projecting the starting defense for the 2008 New England Patriots. We will project the current starters prior to the draft, and detail which positions need attention in April's draft. Base defense is up first and then we will look at third down defense, including the nickel, dime, and "Cali" packages.

Defensive Line

The strongest part of the Patriots defense starts at the point of attack. Barring injury, Ty Warren, Vince Wilfork, and Richard Seymour will man the trenches for New England. None of the Patriots defensive linemen put up incredible numbers, but they allow the linebackers to fly around the field untouched by pesky guards and tackles. Vince Wilfork has really blossomed into a force and the Seymour/Warren combination is well above average. Unless we end up getting Sedrick Ellis or Glenn Dorsey in the mid-teens, don't expect us to address the defensive line depth until late in the draft, as Jarvis Green, Mike Wright, and Le Kevin Smith have proven to be excellent role-players.

Linebackers

The much-maligned portion of the defense, our linebackers are getting up in age. Tedy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel, and Adalius Thomas are all over 30, but each is still productive. We are projecting that Bruschi will start inside with the newly-acquired Victor Hobson. Hobson played outside for the Jets, but will fit better inside in the Patriots 3-4 and is good in short-zone coverage. This allows Vrabel and Thomas to display their rushing abilities off the edge. Pierre Woods, T.J. Slaughter, and Eric Alexander bring some depth to the linebacking corps, but none are ready to start. Expect the LB position to be addressed often during the draft, although perhaps not as high as many think. Good value seems to be available at this position in the 2nd-4th rounds.

Defensive Backfield

With the loss of Randall Gay and Asante Samuel, the Patriots are searching for bodies. Prior to the draft, we expect the adequate but not spectacular Ellis Hobbs and Fernando Bryant to start at corner, with a chance of Brandon Meriweather switching in from safety. Rodney Harrison will once again be delivering punishment from the strong safety position, and expect James Sanders and Brandon Meriweather to battle for the free safety spot. If Meriweather moves to corner, expect Sanders to easily beat out the rest of the competition. Lewis Sanders, Jason Webster and Tank Williams bring experience, but they are not enough from preventing the Patriots from spending at least one first-day pick on a d-back, and more likely two picks in the first three rounds.

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New CB Impact

It isn't getting a whole lot of press, but the Fernando Bryant signing has a huge impact on the draft and season as a whole. Bryant is a solid corner who while he isn't known for making big plays, doesn't give them up either. He will struggle in the Red Zone against bigger, stronger receivers, but few corners don't.

Off the field, what Bryant brings is flexibility for the Patriots on draft day. Before Bryant, we only had one option for starting CB opposite Ellis Hobbs, and that was talented, but unproven, Brandon Merriweather. We no longer have to reach for a CB, and we can take a project like Cromartie without hurting our present. At this point, I think picking a CB at #7 would be out of the question.

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We'll Miss You.

Troy Brown is going elsewhere next year, and the man is still such a Patriot that he won't sign with a team that is scheduled to play against his former team. Troy, as Randy Moss himself said, "Randy Moss is the 2nd best WR from Marshall." Good luck in the future Troy, you were a true Patriot, on and off the field.

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