| RD(PK) | PLAYER | POS | SCHOOL |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2(29) | Cyrus Jones | CB | Alabama |
| 3(15) | Joe Thuney | OG | North Carolina State |
| 3(28) | Jacoby Brissett | QB | North Carolina State |
| 3(33) | Vincent Valentine | DT | Nebraska |
| 4(14) | Malcolm Mitchell | WR | Georgia |
| 6(33) | Kamu Grugier-Hill | CB | Eastern Illinois |
| 6(39) | Elandon Roberts | ILB | Houston |
| 6(46) | Ted Karras | OG | Illinois |
| 7(4) | Devin Lucien | WR | Arizona State |
2016 Outlook
Coaching Staff
HC: Bill Belichick
OC: Josh McDaniels
DC: Matt Patricia
ST: Joe Judge
Projected Depth Chart
Offense
QB. Tom Brady, Jimmy Garoppolo
RB. Dion Lewis, LeGarrette Blount
WR. Julian Edelman, Nate Washinton
WR. Danny Amendola, Malcolm Mitchell
WR. Chris Hogan
TE. Rob Gronkowski, Bryce Williams
TE. Martellus Bennett, AJ Derby
LT. Nate Solder, Marcus Cannon
LG. Shaquille Mason, Joe Thuney
C. Bryan Stork, David Andrews
RG. Jonathan Cooper, Tre Jackson
RT. Sebastian Vollmer, LaAdrian Waddle
Defense
DE. Jabaal Sheard, Chris Long
DT. Terrance Knighton, Joe Vellano
DT. Malcom Brown, Alan Branch
DE. Rob Ninkovich, Trey Flowers
OLB. Jamie Collins, Rufus Johnson
MLB. Dont’a Hightower, Jonathan Freeny
OLB. Shea McClellin, Kevin Synder
CB. Malcolm Butler, Justin Coleman
SS. Patrick Chung, Duron Harmon
FS. Devin McCourty, Jordan Richards
CB. Logan Ryan, Darryl Roberts
NB. Cyrus Jones
Special Teams
K. Stephen Gostkowski
P. Ryan Allen
Breakdown
Offense:
Brady will miss the first four games of the season but it won’ t matter because we all know he’s going to dominate the minute he gets back. In the meantime, we’ll get to see my favorite QB from the 2014 draft class, Jimmy Garoppolo. I expect him to play well in Brady’s absence. The Patriots will look to recreate the success they had a few years ago with the double tight end sets back before Aaron Hernandez ….. well we won’t get into that.
Anyway, Rob Gronkowski is the star of the barrage of weapons Brady has to work with and the best TE in the NFL. The Pats added another talented tight end in Martellus Bennett to the mix to pair with Gronk. At receiver, the Pats still lack a true deep threat but Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola are still two of the best pure route runners and possession receivers in the NFL. Chris Hogan was also added to the receiving core.
At running back, Pats fans and coaching staff are foaming at the mouth for a full season of Dion Lewis after what he showed in a small sample size before getting hurt a year ago. They also have the big hammer that is LeGarrette Blount in the mix at RB.
“Can the Patriots protect better in 2016?”, will be one of the biggest questions entering this year for the Pats. The answer is simple. If they have better luck avoiding injuries, absolutely. Nate Solder and Sebastian Vollmer are one of the better tackle duos in the league when healthy. At guard, there is a lot of potential but it’s unproven. Left guard Shaq Mason showed some good things in his rookie season last year but the 4th-rounder still needs to show more and be more consistent. At right guard, Jonathan Cooper was thought to be a stud coming out of college but his career has been plagued by one injury after another since being picked and we simply don’t know what he can do on the NFL level.
Due to all the injuries, one of the Pats better and most consistent performers on the offensive line a year ago was sophomore center Bryan Stork, who looks to play even better in his third year. Overall, Brady proved last year he doesn’t even need an O-line to be great. They will need to play a lot better to help Garoppolo out through the first four games but once Brady returns, it won’t matter. All will be well and right with the Patriots offense.
Defense:
Defensively, there is no reason why the Pats can’t do what they did last year. They don’t quite have the pieces to be elite but they can still be really good. The defensive line has some question marks but there is potential there. It all starts with defensive end Jabaal Sheard. He was a stud player last year for the Pats and one of the reasons they felt comfortable letting Chandler Jones go. At the other end, we’ll most likely see a combination of Rob Ninkovich and free agent pick-up Chris Long.
The interior is where the real question lies. Their 2015 first round pick Malcolm Brown looks to be the top guy in the middle. He had a decent rookie year and will look to hopefully take it up another notch in his second year. Veteran run stopper Terrance Knighton will fill the other defensive tackle spot but one has to wonder how much he has left in the tank. The best of the Patriots defense is their linebacker core, featuring two elite players in Jamie Collins and Dont’a Hightower.
Free agent acquisition Shea McClellin looks to take over the third starting spot. He had the best season of his career last season and can play both as an edge backer or off line backer. The secondary is also very strong. Both Malcolm Butler and Logan Ryan thrived in their first seasons as the primary starters. The safety duo of Patrick Chung and Devin McCourty is also one of the best in the league.
