Following the Patriots' Super Bowl XLVI loss to the New York Giants, the Patriots' position in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft was set, with the team picking at 27 (from Saints) and 31. That being said, SB Nation recently released their latest mock draft, and they have the Patriots going defense with both of their picks.

At 27, they have the Patriots going with Alabama safety Mark Barron:

New England was one Lee Evans dropped pass away from sending Baltimore to the Super Bowl. Their safeties struggle in coverage, more so than their corners. Barron does a number of things well, and has a natural instinct for the game. He'll fit nicely under Bill Belichick.

The Barron pick is one that a lot of Patriots fans are happy with. He's got great size, strength, and instincts for a safety. Unfortunately, he projects as more of a strong safety due to his less than stellar man cover skills and if the Patriots drafted him, it would likely restrict Pat Chung to the free safety spot. Still, Barron is a very talented player and is the best safety in the draft - he would certainly help the Patriots at the position.

With the 31st pick, SB Nation has the Patriots selecting Illinois defensive end / outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus:

2012 is shaping up to be the year of the scheme versatile pass rusher. That probably sets up some teams for disappointment. Mercilus does not look like a prospect who will disappoint. He has the speed and power to get around blockers and get to the passer, something he did with regularity last season. If he had more than one year of starting experience under his belt, he might get picked higher. Tweener or not, he's the kind of player the Patriots will find a way to use.

Mercilus has the typical size-weight-speed the Patriots look for in their 3-4 outside linebackers, as he stands at just under 6'4" and 265 lbs, and will likely run the 40 yard dash between 4.6 and 4.7 seconds at the combine. Mercilus has the type of burst you'd want and has the ability to line up at multiple spots and relentlessly get after the quarterback. However, he was a one year wonder at Illinois (had just two sacks prior to his 16.0 sack junior season) and he is still a bit raw. Still, the Patriots could benefit from drafting a project pass rusher - and Mercilus would be just that.

Over the next two weeks, we'll be looking at each Patriots free agent and projecting whether or not they will re-sign with the Patriots this offseason;

Shaun Ellis

Age: 34

Position: Defensive End

Status: Unrestricted Free Agent

2011 Stats: 14 games played; 10 games started; 14 tackles; 1 sack

Overview: Shaun Ellis is certainly a name that should generate some interesting discussion. There's no doubt that Ellis had a disappointing 2011 campaign with the Patriots, after signing a one year, $4 million deal in August. Ellis' stats weren't impressive, but he seemed to develop more of a role for himself late in the year as the Patriots switched to the 3-4, and also came up big in the playoffs - picking up a sack against the Broncos and making several stops against the run in Super Bowl XLVI. It would be hard to see Ellis back at a high cost, but if he were willing to take a significant pay cut, I could see Ellis coming back real cheap to compete for a job in training camp. He could form a nice rotation at right end with Brandon Deaderick. But again, the price has to be right, and I'm not sure if Ellis will even want to return if the Patriots don't offer a good deal.

Prediction: Is offered a $1 million contract, but chooses to sign elsewhere / retire

Ian Rapoport points out the Patriots have had three seasons of 10-or-more wins, two number one seeds and a Super Bowl appearance all while rebuilding the defense.

"I like that they’re winning games," said [former Patriots VP Scott] Pioli, when asked what he likes about how the Patriots have changed on defense. "They’re still in transition. They’re developing players. The toughest thing to do is to win games while developing players. They’re doing that. They’ve got a very young team, particularly on defense. They’ve got a number of other guys they’ve kinda plugged in. But the impressive part is they’re developing players and winning while it’s going on."

"They’re rebuilding on the fly now," Pioli said. "What I know Bill is thinking is not only rebuilding it for the now, but making sure it sustains."

Christopher Price puts signing Wes Welker at the top of his laundry list of things to address in the coming months.

The wide receiver is the No. 1 priority this offseason, and while the franchise tag remains a possibility (a cost of roughly $9 million), you would have to think that Welker’s camp would love to lock down a multiyear agreement, something in the three to four-year range. Many people around the league believe that unless some team offers him a ridiculous deal, Welker will ultimately return, as he is more valuable in the New England offense than anywhere else. Welker’s reps als understand how good he has it with the Patriots. (One important thing to remember -- Welker changed agents to David Dunn and Athletes First in 2009, a group that represents other Patriots like Aaron Hernandez and Zoltan Mesko, and historically has had a good working relationship with New England.)

Continue reading this post »

Over the next two weeks, we'll be looking at each Patriots free agent and projecting whether or not they will re-sign with the Patriots this offseason;

Matthew Slater

Age: 26

Position: Wide receiver / safety / special teams

Status: Unrestricted Free Agent

2011 Stats: 16 games played; 3 games started; 24 tackles; 1 reception, 46 yards

Overview: Matthew Slater, the jack-of-all-trades player for the Patriots, who made the Pro Bowl in 2011 for his work on special teams, will more than likely be resigned by the Patriots, as I believe the team values him more than any other team will. Of course, if some team hands him a big offer, the Patriots probably won't match, but I don't see that happening. Slater is a great leader, great special teams guy, and is the type of versatile player all coaches would like to have in their locker room. He'll probably never put up big stats, but the 2008 5th round pick out of UCLA has become rather indispensable for the Pats.

Prediction: Re-signs on 4 year, $6.5 million deal

Over the next two weeks, we'll be looking at each Patriots free agent and projecting whether or not they will re-sign with the Patriots this offseason;

James Ihedigbo

Age: 28

Position: Safety

Status: Unrestricted Free Agent

2011 Stats: 16 games played, 12 games started, 69 total tackles, 1 pass defensed

Overview: When the Patriots first signed Ihedigbo in August, the thought was that he had the chance to compete for a roster spot in a special teams role. Because of injuries and other personnel moves, Ihedigbo got forced into the starting lineup early on and ended up being a pleasant surprise. Ihedigbo ended up finishing fourth on the team in solo tackles, and also picked up 20 tackles and a sack in the playoffs. While Ihedigbo put together a solid for the Patriots in 2011, the team will know not to overpay for him, as he has his limits. Ihedigbo is very good against the run and is also a good blitzing safety. However, he can be a liability in coverage, which means that he's only a two down player. The Patriots will likely want to bring him back, and I see him wanting to return as well, probably along the lines of a two year deal.

Prediction: Re-signs on 2 year, $2.9 million deal

Bill Belichick is asked about how proud he is of his team.

Real proud of them. I thought they worked hard all year, they competed well all season. We won a lot of games and even the ones we didn't win, we fought right to the end and played very competitively. We did that last night, just came up a little bit short. I have all the respect in the world for the team and all the players and what they've done for over six months. It's not about one game or one play or anything, it's the whole body of work. I really, really enjoyed coaching this team and have a lot of respect for them.

Michael Rosenberg (SI) Brady's performance in Super Bowl adds a lot to his legacy. Really.

But overall, these facts should not be in dispute: Brady took an otherwise nondescript Patriots team to the brink of a championship, and he played well Sunday. At the end of the first half, he completed 10 of 10 passes and drove the Pats 98 yards for a touchdown. He broke the Super Bowl record for consecutive completions. ...

Did Eli Manning outplay Brady Sunday? Well, Manning was great, and his numbers (30 of 40 completions, 296 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions, no intentional grounding penalties that led to a safety) were better. But Manning also had an easier task than Brady in almost every way. ...

True, Brady only led his team to 17 points. But New England had the worst field position I can ever remember for a Super Bowl team. The Pats started on their own 6, their 29, their 20, their 2, their 21, their 17, their 20, their 8 and their 20. The Patriots played the entire game uphill. ...

Did Brady complete a bunch of passes downfield? No, he did not. But have you seen his roster? His leading receiver is 5-foot-9 Welker, a possession receiver. His second-leading receiver is a tight end. His third-leading receiver is another tight end. His fourth-leading receiver is another 5-9 guy, Branch, who is 32 years old.

Good players, all of them. But who in that group seems like a deep threat to you? Bill Belichick answered this question last summer: Nobody. That is why he acquired Chad Ochocinco -- he was supposed to be that deep threat. Unfortunately Ochocinco is neither deep nor a threat.

I'm not saying Brady was better than Manning or that this was the greatest performance of his life. But he played very well in a Super Bowl, for a team that, top to bottom, is not as talented as the Giants. Yes, I know the Pats won 13 regular-season games and the Giants won nine. But that was largely a function of schedule (New England didn't beat a team with a winning record until the playoffs) and the greatness of Brady and Belichick.

Continue reading this post »

Shortly after the conclusion of each season, NFL teams often sign players to "future contracts" for the upcoming season. Often, these players are first year guys or players that were on the team's practice squad. Today, the Patriots have announced the signing of seven players to future contracts. These players were:

OL Matt Kopa

DE/LB Markell Carter

DE/LB Aaron Lavarias

DB Ross Ventrone

WR Tiquan Underwood

LB Mike Rivera

WR Britt Davis

The big names here are obviously Underwood, Ventrone, and Carter. Underwood and Ventrone will get a chance to compete for a spot on the 53 man roster - it's tough to say if they will secure those spots but they do look like slightly longer shots at this point.

As for Carter - I'm feeling optimistic about him. The second year player was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL Draft, and has really bulked up since, while winning numerous "practice player of the week" honors. He could compete for a role on the team at either outside linebacker or defensive end. While he still is likely a bit raw in his technique, a full offseason could really help him capitalize on his potential. In terms of outside linebackers, I also think that Aaron Lavarias could have some potential, based on what I saw from him moving in space during training camp.

Tight ends Carson Butler and Dorin Dickerson were the lone players from the practice squad not signed to future contracts (Dickerson ended the year on practice squad injured reserve).

We're officially onto NFL Draft season, with the NFL Combine surprisingly only two short weeks away. That being said, the NFL has officially announced the 2012 Draft Order (although we already knew where the Patriots would be picking after they lost to the Giants in Super Bowl XLVI on Sunday). It's important to note that the 8/9 picks (Dolphins and Panthers) and the 11/12 picks (Chiefs / Seahawks) still will have to be decided by coin toss. Here are the Patriots picks:

2012 NFL Draft Order: Round 1

1. Indianapolis Colts

2. St. Louis Rams

3. Minnesota Vikings

4. Cleveland Browns

5. Tampa Bay Buccanneers

6. Washington Redskins

7. Jacksonville Jaguars

8. Miami Dolphins or Carolina Panthers

9. Miami Dolphins or Carolina Panthers

10. Buffalo Bills

11.Kansas City Chiefs or Seattle Seahawks

12. Kansas City Chiefs or Seattle Seahawks

13. Arizona Cardinals

14. Dallas Cowboys

15. Philadelphia Eagles

16. New York Jets

17. Cincinnati Bengals (from Oakland)

18. San Diego Chargers

19. Chicago Bears

20. Tennessee Titans

21. Cincinnati Bengals

22. Atlanta Falcons

23. Detroit Lions

24. Pittsburgh Steelers

25. Denver Broncos

26. Houston Texans

27. New England Patriots (from Saints)

28. Green Bay Packers

29. Baltimore Ravens

30. San Francisco 49ers

31. New England Patriots

32. New York Giants

Patriots draft analysis after the jump!

Continue reading this post »

The last time I wrote one of these was after a loss to the Giants in Week 9. It wasn't fun to write then and it's even less fun to write now.

I'm no miracle worker. If I was, I would have a lot more money and I would be typing this article from a beach somewhere as I sipped some girly tropical drink and adjusted my gut so I tanned evenly and didn't have pale white lines across my stomach that made me look like some weird, out-of-shape version of Freddy Kreuger. I'm under no impression that I have the answers or know much about anything. I also don't think that I'll be able to make anyone feel any better this morning, no matter what I say here. I even debated not even bothering with this article, as I was worried that it might come across as empty and meaningless. But I've had a lot of time to think over the past two days, as I lay awake in bed staring at the ceiling all night, and the truth is that there is still plenty of reasons for optimism around New England - although it may not seem like it at the moment.

What I have to offer is not going to take the pain away. But hopefully I can at least help some of you realize that once we get through this initial hurricane of sadness, there is actually some light on the horizon. A fair number of you expressed optimism in the comments section of yesterday's Fan Notes, and there were some very good points to be made. I've taken some of them, added a few of my own, and come up with six things that might help to get you through what promises to be a long, long offseason.

I figure since it was a slightly bigger loss than the last time, we could use one extra.

Continue reading this post »

I don't really know what I'm supposed to say here.

The Giants' pass rush was nonexistant. There were points to be had on almost every drive. New York put the ball on the ground three times. The defense played as well as you could have possibly asked for. The running game was good enough to keep the defense honest. There were players open. The Patriots had chance after chance to put the game away. But they couldn't get it done. And once again, the Giants came through in the clutch and scored the game winner late after a ridiculous circus catch. That's pretty much all there is to it.

I don't have it in me to say much more than that. Fan Notes after the jump.

Continue reading this post »