The Hangover 2

Before I dive into my Patriots season summary, I have to give it a little more time after Sunday's EXTREMELY depressing loss to the Jets. I can't even bring myself to think about it, which is surely the feeling among the majority of Pats fans. Lets for now leave it as a continually distancing nightmare, and wait for the Steelers to murder New York so we can regain some sense of self-worth before exploring the playoff loss, the disgusting play of the whole team, and the disappointing season that was full of "woulda-shoulda-coulda's".
A lesser disheartening topic in relation to the Patriots would be the upcoming draft, as we look ahead to 2011. Now that the Patriots are a solid 6 years removed from their last Super Bowl victory, an extreme sense of urgency must be acknowledged by the team. Brady's window is closing, and it seems that every year there are specific positions on this team that aren't addressed properly. So below I have listed a few players that the Patriots will hopefully target, as they each address a need and depth that the Patriots not only lacked in 2010, but over the past few season as well.

• A Pass Rushing DE - Obviously the lack of a true passing rushing defensive end or outside linebacker is the most glaring weakness of this team. As great as it was to watch Rob Ninkovich, TBC, Brandon Deaderick, Kyle Love, and Gerard Warren, and their feeble pressure on opposing QB's, it is time to overhaul the pass rush. The Pats finished 4th to last in total sacks on the season with 25, a far cry from league-leading Chicago whom had 56. The sack leader on the Patriots was Mike Wright with 5.5, and he missed half the season due to injury. Losing Ty Warren was a huge loss early in the season, but even with Ty the team lacked a pass-rush good enough to be a Super Bowl team. Here are a few players that could possibly make an immediate impact on this team:

1. Robert Quinn, UNC - Quinn will probably be long gone by the time the Patriots pick at 17, but there is always the option to trade up. Quinn was suspended for the entire 2010 season but racked up 11 sacks and 19 tackles for a loss in 2009. Certainly his combine performance will have much to do with where he is picked, but at 6'5, 270 pounds, he has dimensions much like some of the elite defensive ends in the NFL. He has top-3 DE speed in the 2011 class, and would easily be a consensus top-5 pick if it wasn't for his suspension. Although it is important to mention Quinn as a top draft target, it would cost too much for the Patriots to snag him, and I would much rather see them use draft picks to trade for veteran pass rushers.
2. Da'Quan Bowers, Clemson - Bowers was a monster in 2010, totaling 15.5 sacks and establishing himself as the top non-suspended defensive end. He has almost the exact same dimensions of Quinn, and very similar speed. His combine performance will ultimately decide which of the two are drafted first. Unfortunately for the Patriots, the same applies to Bowers as with Quinn, as he will be virtually unreachable at pick 17.
   
3. J.J. Watt, Wisconsin - If you have seen Kiper or McShay's mock drafts, you will notice they both like the Patriots taking Watt in the middle of the first round. After the top 2 defensive ends, the position has plenty of possible stars, but they all lack exactly what the Pats need, which is explosiveness off the edge. J.J. Watt could fall into this category, but his size makes up for it. Watt had 36.5 tackles for a loss over the past 2 seasons, as well as 11.5 sacks. At 6'6, 292 pounds, he is the largest end in the draft, and would seemingly team up perfectly with Wilfork and Warren in the 3-4 defensive alignment. If an explosive end isn't available through the draft, Watt would be an excellent addition to an already elite defensive line. Imagine the run-stuffing ability of the 6'2, 325 pound Wilfork, 6'5, 300 pound Warren, and Watt. If the Patriots are able to draft or acquire more athletic outside linebackers, this would be the perfect defensive line to wreak backfield havoc.

• Athletic Outside Linebackers - I'm skipping the projected top-2 OLB's, simply because they will not be on the board by pick 17. The consensus top-2 are Von Miller of Texas A&M and Akeem Ayers of UCLA. Both are excellent backers, but I really only have one OLB in mind that could be an amazing pass-rusher for this team.

1. Dontay Moch, Nevada - Moch is a fifth year senior, after receiving a medical red shirt his freshman year. He has had 5 years in an excellent Nevada program to develop his skills, and falls somewhere in the middle of the top ten in terms of OLB rankings. He is certainly obtainable with the Pats second 1st-round pick, but probably could be had in the second round. What makes Moch so appealing is his play-making ability. I guarantee if you watched a single Nevada game this year, you noticed the speed he has coming off the edge. He runs a reported 4.25 40-yard dash, almost unheard of for an OLB. His speed led to 71 tackles for a loss and 28.5 sacks in his four seasons as a starter. Another impressive aspect of Moch is that for such a quick player, he doesn't lack ideal size. Tully Banta-Cain and Rob Ninkovich are both 6'2 and about 250 pounds, and Moch is about an inch shorter and at 245 will easily reach 250+ with an off-season of NFL workouts. I firmly believe the Patriots will look to acquire a decent veteran outside backer, but of all the OLB's in the draft that fit their needs, Moch hits the nail on the head.

• Cornerback Depth - Devin McCourty was unbelievable in his rookie season, making his way to a Pro-Bowl. If Leigh Bodden hadn't missed the season, the defensive backfield would have had a much different look. But because he was missing, the Patriots were forced to use Darius Butler, Kyle Arrington, and Jonathan Wilhite as their second starter. Unfortunately for all three of them, they showed zero consistancy and I have little faith that the Patriots could ever win a Super Bowl with any of them starting. In fact, the Patriots need another corner just for the nickel defense, assuming Bodden comes back full strength. There are two elite corners in this draft - Patrick Peterson of LSU and Prince Amukamara of Nebraska. Unless the Patriots unwisely trade into the top-10, neither will be available.
  

1. Aaron Williams, Texas - I haven't seen any mock drafts with Williams going in the first round, and I also agree that would be a long-shot. But if he can show his speed at the combine, to go along with his excellent coverage skills, he could weasel his way into the late first round. Williams is a big, coverage-corner, measuring 6'1 and 195 pounds. His 4.5 speed isn't exactly ideal in the NFL, but he could be compared to Antonio Cromartie's skill set. Williams is the type of corner that matches up well with the Braylon Edwards / Mike Williams / Randy Moss's of the world, as long as he can stick with them. I like him as a second or third corner, possibly a strong safety. But Williams, just as almost any defensive back would, certainly improves the Pats' pass-coverage.
2. Brandon Harris, Miami - If the Patriots keep and use both of their first round picks, I would rank Harris in the top 5 most-likely-to-be-drafted-by-the-Patriots list. Although Meriweather made his second Pro Bowl this year, the Patriots know he doesn't always perform like a top safety. But because of his flashes of success, Belichick probably won't hesitate to take a flyer on another Randy Shannon DB. Harris would've stayed at Miami if it wasn't for Shannon's firing, so he is still young as a true junior. He has ideal size at 5'11, 190 pounds, and is quick, running a sub-4.5 forty. The only reason his stats were down across the board this year was teams were throwing his way less, thanks to his excellent coverage skills. Harris is the third-ranked CB in this draft, and is the front-runner of the second-tier of CB's (after the elite Peterson and Amukamara).

The Patriots could also use help at WR, running back, and a few other spots, but the needs listed above are the most glaring. It is more hard this year than ever to try and predict what the Patriots will select because of the new CBA not being in place yet, but once it is and free agency begins, a clearer picture will be available on what the Patriots will be targeting in this VERY important upcoming draft.