Patriots Roster Breakdown & Draft Needs

Here is Patriots' current depth chart as I see it.


OFFENSE


QB:
Tom Brady
Brian Hoyer
Ryan Mallett


RB:
Stevan Ridley
Shane Vereen
Danny Woodhead


FB:
Spencer Larsen
Tony Fiammetta
Eric Kettani


WR:
Brandon Lloyd
Wes Welker
Donte Stallworth
Deion Branch
Anthony Gonzalez
Chad Ochocinco
Julian Edelman
Matthew Slater
Tiquan Underwood
Britt Davis


TE:
Rob Gronkowski
Aaron Hernandez
Daniel Fells


OT:
Matt Light
Nate Solder
Sebastian Vollmer
Marcus Cannon
Matt Kopa
Kyle Hix


OG:
Logan Mankins
Brian Waters
Robert Gallery
Donald Thomas


C:
Dan Connolly
Dan Koppen
Nick McDonald
Ryan Wendell


DEFENSE


DT:
Vince Wilfork
Kyle Love
Marcus Harrison
Myron Pryor
Ron Brace


DE:
Jonathan Fanene
Brandon Deaderick
Alex Silvestro


OLB:
Rob Ninkovich
Trevor Scott
Jermaine Cunningham
Markell Carter
Aaron Lavarias
Jeff Tarpinian
Tracy White


ILB:
Jerod Mayo
Brandon Spikes
Bobby Carpenter
Niko Koutouvides
Dane Fletcher
Mike Rivera


CB:
Ras-I Dowling
Devin McCourty
Kyle Arrington
Will Allen
Sterling Moore
Marquice Cole


SS:
Patrick Chung


FS: 
Steve Gregory
Sergio Brown
Josh Barrett
Malcolm Williams
Ross Ventrone


Here's what I think we should do for the draft. First of all, I'd be very disappointed if Belichick used any picks on offensive players in the first two rounds. We have the best quarterback of all time and the quarterback of the future in Mallett; we have running back depth for the next 5+ years with Ridley, Vereen, and Woodhead, in addition to the new fullback options; we have two of the top five TEs in the league in addition to a top-20 as backup; we have three WRs more than we can carry on the roster; and we have enough depth at offensive line to field two starting units (Light-Mankins-Koppen-Waters-Vollmer and Solder-Thomas-Connolly-Gallery-Cannon). I wouldn't mind a late-round pick on a young WR to build depth for 3-4 years down the line, but other than that we really shouldn't be drafting offense in rounds 1 and 2. 


Defensively, here's what we need:
(1) Safety. Chung is solid at SS and hopefully Gregory will be solid at FS, but after that we have a whole lotta nothing, leaving us vulnerable to the same sort of catastrophe that we experienced last year when Chung missed games. Brown-Barrett and below simply cannot see significant playing time this year. Furthermore, Gregory has a lot of upside as a potential slot corner in nickel packages, giving us further reason to look for another safety. I would grab Mark Barron immediately if he falls to No. 27. Even though a FS would be ideal, Barron plays well in coverage. He would be a great #2 on the depth chart behind Chung, providing competition and insurance in case of another Chung injury. Or, he could transition to FS and potentially start over Gregory. Either way it would be a huge boon for the Pats if he were to drop to 27. That said, such a drop is unlikely, and so the Patriots need to take a good look at a guy like Harrison Smith as well. 
(2) Defensive Line. Wilfork needs to play fewer snaps this year for his own sake. Love has looked solid behind him, and maybe Myron Pryor can step up. I think the best thing would be to add a big boy who can play 3-4 DE, stop the run and get after the passer occasionally. Fletcher Cox or Michael Brockers would be ideal, but more realistically Devon Still or Kendall Reyes would work too. Any of these guys could play end with Wilfork/Love in the middle or tackle with Wilfork on the sideline. 
(3) Pass Rush. The Pats need to get a rush going from the OLB position. Courtney Upshaw would be a dream prospect to play across from Rob Ninkovich, making for a third-down line of Ninkovich-Mayo-Spikes-Upshaw. Wow. Other options to fill this role would be Melvin Ingram, Andre Branch, or Nick Perry. 
(4) Cornerback. Less of a need than safety. Dowling has the potential to play a shutdown corner and I think McCourty should stay at corner after the promise of his rookie year. But further insurance and competition is always a good thing. Janoris Jenkins in particular could be a steal if he drops far enough. Trumaine Johnson out of Montana would be another good late-round pick. 


All in all, the Patriots need to come out of this draft with some significant help in the front seven as well as some significant help in the secondary. They need help in both areas to contend for the Super Bowl again in 2013.