This is a great post. We obviously know their view on tight ends - they kept churning through them constantly until they found Gronk and Hernandez, and have been churning the 2nd spot since Hernandez was cut. Bennett's the most promising of all since, fingers crossed here. Recently we've seen Belichick's obsession with safeties, and I believe it's because he views them as the defensive tight ends. McCourty is the "move-TE" safety, but they're still looking for their Gronk. Too bad Brandon Meriwether had a 2 cent head, because physically he could have been that guy.
I haven't been able to find it, but you had a thread last year where you listed all the running backs the Pats checked out, and noticed they all fit the same mold - big backs who seemed quick. We were hoping Todd Gurley could slip last year to fill that role, but Malcom Brown is a good consolation (thanks Indy!). Anyway, after all that looking they didn't select any running backs. Either the guys they liked were gone (maybe Gurley?) or upon further inspection they just weren't impressed (more likely to me).
A running back of that mold is the queen of the chessboard, like tight end, safety, and certain linebackers. Sounds like they spent a lot of time on Procise. Seems like they're still looking for this type of guy; maybe they found him this time?