Underoath

With the cap we have this off-season, we could get everyone we need to reload for next year, there's no excuse.

NEPatriot

I agree with your thinking. While we all want to upgrade every aspect of our team, we need to prioritize and spend money and draft picts in those areas that are most in need.

VJCPatriot

If you're looking for receivers outside the first round a couple of underrated guys that could be available are Jason Hill and Steve Smith.

http://www.nfldraftcountdown.com/sco...jasonhill.html

Hill has some good characteristics, has good size at 6-1, runs good routes, but is coming off a disappointing senior season. He also reportedly has good reliable hands.

http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings...php?pyid=15701

Steve Smith has been overshadowed by Jarrett at USC but the bottom line is this guy makes big plays when you need them. He only measures to 5'11" 195 lbs but the Pats have not been shy about drafting smaller receivers.

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JoeSixPat

Rookies are rookies - and the free agent WRs aren't all that much to get excited about.

Who knows who is available via trade. Derrick Mason seemed frustrated in Baltimore it seemed.

While WR is A priority I'm not sure if its is the top priority. Once Gaffney and Caldwell got their routes and timing down halfway through the season they were adequate.

Adequate isn't really good enough for me - but as a team we were one play away from the Super Bowl even with the ragtag WR corps - so I don't want to go overboard in slamming the WRs as I did with Caldwell earlier in the season (though I consistently believed Gaffney was a good WR).

Still - a #1 WR who stretches the field takes pressure off Brady, keeps the Safties in the secondary, takes pressure and coverage off of Watson and opens the short receiving and running games.

In effect, a legitimate deep WR has an impact far beyond his catch and yardage total. We should try to remember that moving forward.

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VJCPatriot

Very good point. New England's wide receivers performed adequately in 2006. But not well enough to pull safeties off the line who were stacking to stop our run game. A legit #1 wide receiver will affect the game in ways that the stat line does not reflect. Even a second tier #1 like Deion Branch who commands a double team - even if he can't beat that double team, that means that someone else is getting single coverage. That's gotta help Brady and everyone else on the offense.

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Triumph

NE should bring in a proven FA WR. They have the cap money.

The draft is a crap shoot regarding WR's and then they take time to develop.

The_Dragon

I'd be happy with the wide receiver situation as is at the moment. The one concern I would have is that Indy still spent a lot of time with 8 people in the box against us and we struggled to counter it. From what I remember we didn't call a lot of deep passing plays that may have stretched out the defense - see the contrast on our D where we played not to give up the big play, allowing a lot intermediate plays as a result.

I'd expect that a full training camp for Brady and Gaffney, Caldwell, Jackson, Childress, Kight and hopefully Brown would sort a lot of this in terms of familiarity and recognising when to go deep. It won't take an awful lot more for our passing game to really improve and, in theory, this would lead to the running game also benefitting.

MDPATSFAN

Wes Walker of the dysfunkphins is a FA this year. He's a good, scrappy player.

Triumph

He would be perfect. A FA can step in and virtually play immediately assuming he can learn the offense. Derrick Mason or Javon Walker would have been sweet.

To me, Caldwell was a replacement for Givens since NE knew they would have to give the big money to Branch since Givens would be leaving.

primetime

Welker's a fine #2, and with Reche, Gaffney, CJ, and hopefully Troy would make a decent wide receiving corps. Welker is also explosive on returns too, and if Maroney is going to be the everydown back, he'd be a more than adequate replacement (and good in the anemic punt return game, a far cry from 5 yards and tackled Faulk).

I'd still like to see them get a true number 1 though. Randy Moss, maybe... though his attitude is too much. Jarrett doesn't impress me (I'm wary of PAC-10 and Big 10 players), but Calvin Johnson does. Unless the Patriots swing a huge deal (Asante and the firsts?) for a high pick, though, they'll get neither of them. Maybe a lesser #1 will be available for trade, such as Mason. An SI article mentioned Larry Fitz but I think that's a huge pipedream.