Countdown To The Draft Begins

Jan 20, 2013; Foxboro, MA, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick during the fourth quarter of the AFC championship game against the Baltimore Ravens at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

This is around the time most NFL fans start to get a little more excited because of the potential their team has after the NFL Draft. It has become very quiet regarding free agency not just for Patriots fans, almost every team hasn’t heard too much news as of late.  This is all about to change because we’re starting to hear a little news about teams bringing in players for visits to learn more about them and to see if they’ll be a good fit with their franchise.  A name that is starting to become very familiar with Patriot fans is Tyrann Mathieu, he made it obvious in a interview with NFL Network that the Patriots are interested in him. That’s probably not what their organization wants to hear through the media but I’m not sure they really care for it because regardless if he’s available come draft day they’ll definitely be thinking of drafting him just like a lot of other teams will.

Defense has been an area of concern for this team for quite some time. They have had trouble through free agency and the draft trying to fix that problem. Last year, they might have caught a break by getting a steal in Alfonzo Dennard, who was a projected 1st round pick if not for the off the field issues that he had. As a rookie, he had a sensational rookie campaign, he did struggle in the playoffs but that is to be expected from a rookie. Could this be the sign that they may know what they’re doing finally when it comes to drafting corners? It’s a short sample but they are truly just a few players away from possibly being able to have a potent offense and a defense that can help out Tom Brady.

A lot of people believe this draft is huge to determine if this team is ready to make the leap they need on defense, while that may be the case it all depends on the growth of the rookies from last season. Some names that need to take the next step include Chandler Jones, Dont’a’ Hightower, and Alfonzo Dennard. The issue with Dennard will be is how much time will he have to improve if he indeed has to spend the majority of this off-season in prison?

Time will tell, but regardless this team will continue to dominate the AFC with Brady at the helm. The key is that in order to win the big game that they’ve struggled to do in the past few years he’s going to need some support from his defense.

The discussion on who each team will draft will continue for a little bit longer, but one thing for sure is that the countdown has begun as it’s finally April!

The NFL Draft starts Thursday, April 25th which is only a few short weeks away.