The Patriots made a slew of moves across the first week of NFL free agency, but the spending spree hardly answered all of the offseason questions in New England.
Mike Vrabel, Eliot Wolf and company didn’t do much to to improve the offense last week. Sure, Morgan Moses and Mack Hollins should help the group progress this season, but neither veteran falls into the “game-changer” category. The Patriots need to add players of that variety if Drake Maye is going to take serious steps forward as an NFL sophomore.
Of course, New England has a chance to find difference-makers in the draft late next month. And based on the moves the Patriots recently made, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer believes New England could feel pressured to take a certain prospect with its top pick.
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“The New England Patriots’ splurge was great, because to me, it’s just like what the Commanders did last year, leveraging connections to their coaching staff to investigate and land Robert Spillane, Carlton Davis III, Morgan Moses, Marcus Epps and Harold Landry III,” Breer wrote. “That said, I think it’s hard to grade how New England did without knowing the rest of the plan for protecting Drake Maye. They planned to take a swing on Ronnie Stanley before he re-signed in Baltimore, and did swing hard on Dan Moore Jr., Will Fries and Drew Dalman. Moses is a really nice addition, but the Patriots have work to do. And might have to take LSU’s Will Campbell at No. 4.”
Campbell probably is the best offensive lineman in the entire draft class, but New England must determine if the LSU product actually is worth the No. 4 overall pick. The Patriots might view Abdul Carter or Travis Hunter as better options for that selection, and if neither is available, New England apparently “would love” to trade back.
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Drafting strictly for need in the first round has gotten the Patriots in trouble before. And while Campbell very well could turn into a great pro, New England must think long and hard about how it wants to utilize its highly valuable asset.