Some news and notes on this Monday morning:<\/p>\n
1) It’s finally NFL Draft week, which sets up what should be an interesting weekend for a New England Patriots<\/strong><\/a> team that is heading into what’s arguably one of the more important drafts in recent memory.<\/p>\n For a team that is in need of getting younger and faster on the defensive side of the football, the Patriots are going to need to have similar success to what we saw last April when they landed defensive lineman Christian Barmore, who became an impact player in 2021.\u00a0 The question now is what position they’ll target, with how round one plays out likely deciding what direction they’ll take.<\/p>\n Defensive back and linebacker feel like the two most glaring needs, with New England facing plenty of uncertainty at both positions heading into 2022.<\/p>\n The former feels like the bigger priority, as the Patriots secondary is extremely thin and that’s where the club definitely can’t afford to miss.\u00a0 Given the cost of the position in free agency, it’s obvious that teams understand the significance of having impact players in their secondary since the top teams in both Conferences are a reminder of what a pass-dominated league the NFL has evolved into.<\/p>\n Being able to draft someone at cornerback who can immediately contribute would be remarkable, as the Patriots haven’t been that fortunate since they selected Devin McCourty in round one back in 2010.<\/p>\n The only issue was his success outside was short-lived.\u00a0 McCourty had a phenomenal rookie season, leading the club with 7 interceptions, which tied him for 2nd in the NFL that season with Pittsburgh’s Troy Polamalu and had him just one behind the league leader, which was Baltimore’s Ed Reed.<\/p>\n But issues in his sophomore season saw him take a step back, as he struggled to repeat the success he saw in year one, finishing with two interceptions while enduring some frustrating moments.\u00a0 Fortunately, the club utilized his skills and moved him to safety, where he obviously went on to become an impact player.\u00a0 He’s now heading into his 13th season with the club, which could be his final one.<\/p>\n Most of the big-name defensive backs appear to be likely gone long before the Patriots have an opportunity to make a selection, with Cincinnati’s Ahmad Gardner, Washington’s Trent McDuffie, and LSU’s Derek Stingley Jr. all showing up in various mocks as players who could be taken in the top 15.\u00a0 Clemson’s Andrew Booth Jr. has been a frequent name that has appeared on quite a few mocks going to New England, with most experts feeling like he’ll be a good player in the league who could be among the guys available in their draft slot.<\/p>\n Patriots fans likely would love to see Stingley Jr. end up here, with Mel Kiper Jr. recently speculating on a podcast with Phil Perry that should he fall out of the top 10, depending on if\/how far he drops, we could see Bill Belichick potentially move up to get him.<\/p>\n That would certainly be poetic, to a certain extent.\u00a0 Stingley Jr. is the grandson of former Patriots receiver Darryl Stingley, who was paralyzed and became a quadriplegic following a vicious hit to the head by Jack Tatum during the 1978 preseason.<\/p>\n Stingley’s son – and Derek’s father – Derek Sr. said in a recent interview that the former Patriots player had a hard time adjusting to paralysis, with his Derek Sr. once having a heart-to-heart as his father explained the frustration he dealt with.<\/p>\n \u201cI asked him, \u2018Dad, why are you yelling so much?\u2019 he said \u2018Derek just imagine you want to get up and walk away from a situation if something bothers you, to take a ride, take a walk, clear your head. I can\u2019t do that anymore. So I\u2019m more frustrated than I\u2019ve ever been in life, that I can\u2019t do that anymore. I don\u2019t mean to be that way toward any of you, it\u2019s just how I\u2019m feeling.\u2019\u201d Derek Sr. said<\/strong><\/a>. \u201cI think after that, but much later, he accepted the body he had to live in.\u201d<\/p>\n Stingley passed away in 2007, when Derek Jr. was just five years old.<\/p>\n For him to land in New England would be pretty incredible, albeit it feels like a longshot.\u00a0 Injuries had seemed to see his stock drop, but whether or not it would be far enough to put him within reach of the Patriots will be the one side notes to watch on night one.<\/p>\n 2) From there, linebacker seems to be the other most likely option.\u00a0 I’ve lost count of how many mocks have Utah’s Devin Lloyd as the candidate many believe the Patriots might target, but that seems to be the consensus among the majority of them.<\/p>\n The Patriots reportedly met with Lloyd back at the Combine and it sounds like they didn’t pull any punches as they tried to get a feel for how he might fit into their defense.\u00a0 Lloyd said via the Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan that during the meeting<\/strong><\/a>, the club was “very intentional with the questions they ask[ed]”, which tells you that there is interest and New England clearly did some significant due diligence on him.<\/p>\n Georgia’s Nakobe Dean remains the other name that could be interesting to watch, as Dean has been a late-round pick in several mocks.\u00a0 The highly athletic linebacker has been someone who seems like he could potentially fit in whatever scheme the Patriots are beginning to adapt to, with speed seemingly being a key attribute given what’s beginning to happen in the AFC with opposing offenses.<\/p>\n Dean’s size (he’s only 5’11, 229lbs) might be the only potential issue, but he’s a guy who doesn’t shy away from contact and is extremely intelligent, both of which are traits Belichick tends to look for.<\/p>\n Another player who could end up being on their radar appears to be Dean’s teammate, defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt.\u00a0 CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson has the Patriots taking him with the 21st overall pick in his latest mock<\/strong><\/a>, adding another big body to compliment Barmore.\u00a0 Building a formidable group upfront to disrupt offenses would be another great way to go, and at 6’3″, 307lbs, Wyatt was dominant in that role during what was a terrific season for his club in 2021.<\/p>\n What direction they decide to go is obviously the big question and it’s going to be fascinating to see how they approach it.\u00a0 Seeing them trade out also wouldn’t be a surprise, since most believe this year’s draft is somewhat deep with talent defensively in round two and beyond.<\/p>\n As has been written here recently, it sort of feels like if they don’t move up, they could move back into early round two.\u00a0 While Wilson didn’t propose a trade, he does have the Patriots selecting Auburn cornerback, Roger McCreary with the 54th overall pick in round two.<\/p>\n Somewhere within Gillette Stadium there’s a map of how it will go.\u00a0 Thankfully, we’re only a few days away from finally finding out what that plan might be.<\/p>\n 2b) Interesting nugget from Ben Volin of the Boston Globe on the Patriots having the 21st overall pick in round one.<\/p>\n