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KC Joyner listed his most improved defense and offenses based on draft picks. He has the Pats at #1 in the defensive category. Here is what he wrote:
NFL- Improvement expected from drafting on one side of the ball - ESPN
1. New England Patriots: -600 yards
Key additions: DE Chandler Jones, LB Dont'a Hightower, CB Tavon Wilson, DE Jake Bequette
This is a case where a two-pronged approach will likely be used to solve the Patriots' biggest issue: stretch vertical pass defense. New England allowed a whopping 1,265 stretch vertical yards last year, second-highest in the NFL. Jones and Bequette should help beef up the pass rush and the Patriots' sack numbers. But the defense really needs a boost in the bad decision rate (BDR) metric, a stat that tracks how defenses capitalize on offensive mistakes. The dynasty Patriots teams always ranked at or near the top in this category, but last year's unit finished 24th, with a 2.2 percent BDR. If this group can raise its BDR to the 3 percent mark, it would equal about eight more interception opportunities. If four of those chances are indeed intercepted, using a formula that has an interception equaling about 50 yards, that trims off 200 yards of total defense. Throw in 10 more sacks, at about 8 to 10 yards per sack, and that's about another 100 yards. And with those 18 plays factored in, that could also remove roughly 300 yards in stretch vertical passes.
NFL- Improvement expected from drafting on one side of the ball - ESPN