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With the New England Patriots' 28-13 loss last night against the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship, they have solidified their position in the 2013 NFL Draft: they will pick 29th.
Currently, the Patriots hold the following picks:
1st round, 29th overall
2nd round, 59th overall
3rd round, 91st overall
7th round, from Buccaneers
7th round
The Patriots pick 59th and 91st because two teams, the Saints (bounty allegations) and the Browns (supplemental pick Josh Gordon), have forfeited their second round choices.
The Patriots traded away their 4th, 5th, and 6th round picks in trades for cornerback Aqib Talib, defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth, and wide receiver Chad Ochocinco. Obviously, that's not a huge crop of picks for the team, and you'd think that they'd like to fill in some of those slots between the third and seventh round.
A record 73 underclassmen declared for this year's draft, which means there is bound to be some young, solid depth in this class. The Patriots have some considerable needs to fill, and I don't think they'll be satisfied with just the three picks in the first five rounds.
We'll start delving into the draft over the next few days, but for now, feel free to discuss your initial thoughts below!