As I've said before, I kind of want two DE in the first 3 rounds. We have - none - that I want to count on right now.
Brace has some potential. Tiny may be back to his old self but a 30 year old DE coming off season ending hip surgery gives me doubt. Deaderick ? Love ? Weston ? Backups.
I'm not so sure. Look at what is already on the roster on the DL:
Base
NT Wilfork 6'2", 340
DE Warren 6'5", 300
DE Stroud 6'6", 310
DE Brace 6'3", 330
Sub
DT Pryor 6'1", 310
DT Wright 6'4", 295
Backups
NT Love 6'1", 310 (Wilfork)
DE Deaderick 6'4", 305 (Warren)
DE Weston 6'5", 315 (Brace/Stroud)
DT Richard 6'4", 290 (Wright)
Before the Stroud signing, there was a natural home for a top pick replacing GWarren. Now I'm not sure the urgency is there. Stroud and Warren aren't long-term answers, but they both have a couple of productive years left if they aren't forced to take every snap.
Belichick has been pretty consistent with getting taller/heftier DEs in the base 3-4. If Wilkerson grades out well with the Pats scouts, he would fit the bill. He just seems to be rising too far, too fast without playing any games. Jenkins is another good fit physically if he proves he is athletic enough and can give consistent effort.
Watt and Jordan are a different physical makeup. Not better or worse, just different. Either could certainly displace Wright on the roster, but you don't do that with a top pick. To justify getting either of them, I think they need to prove them can stay on the field by playing a variety of roles. Certainly possible and I would be interested in seeing Jordan line up all over the Pats front 7, but still risky.
Unfortunately I see all of the players mentioned (Watt, Jordan, Wilkerson, Jenkins) going before the Pats are willing to draft them. I think the Stroud signing is an acknowledgement of that possibility.
So to me, the best match of priority and opportunity is OLB. Considering the lost of Neal and likely loss of Kaczur without any attempt to sign replacements, I wouldn't be surprised if you see multiple higher picks used on the OL. Not my choice since in general I don't like the OL candidates in this draft class. Carimi and Boling seem like good fits, but I would be nervous about plugging in just about anyone else.