Taking stock

The Patriots have a dozen picks in this month's NFL draft. How many of them will Bill Belichick actually use? That's the $64,000 question. The thinking is that the team should use all of them to fill the many holes on the roster. A quick look at the position-by-position depth chart shows, to me, that this is still a top five AFC team without too many glaring weaknesses. OK, pass rush is a big one. But other than that ...

QUARTERBACK
Tom Brady: The future hall of famer is now a full season removed from his knee being blown out at the start of '08. He looked very ordinary in the team's playoff disaster against the Ravens, but he's still Brady. I'll take #12 at the QB position for as long as he can stand. I don't care how many mansions he builds. Backups: Fill in name of rookie/journeyman here.

RUNNING BACK
Laurence Maroney/Fred Taylor/Sammy Morris/Kevin Faulk: Missing among those four names is the stud back that can control and flat-out win games for you. That said this is still a very solid group. The Pats, despite lacking that lead back, have been a very good running team the past few years. If the team added a solid fullback and put Maroney or Taylor behind him and pounded the ball... well I'd sure be happy. But that's unlikely. If Taylor and/or Morris can stay healthy the Pats ground game will be fine. Backups: BenJarvis Green-Ellis and Chris Taylor.

WIDE RECEIVER
Randy Moss/Wes Welker/Julian Edelman: Welker's injury is the big question mark here. As is who will play the other wideout spot opposite Moss. Edelman seems more than capable of holding down the slot position till Welker returns. The verdict is out on whether we will see the '07 Moss who was unstoppable or the one of the last two seasons when he was merely unreliable. My fantasy team's name is Moss Racing. I'm not changing it. The team needs to add some depth here and hope for a return to form by Moss. I expect both to happen. Backups: David Patten, Sam Aiken, Matthew Slater, Brandon Tate, Darnell Jenkins.

TIGHT END
Alge Crumpler: The team has a veteran tight end who hopefully won't have bad drops or fumbles. That's good enough at this position. Backups: Like I said, one tight end is plenty. (See: http://tjtailgatetales.blogspot.com/2010/06/tighten-up.html)

OFFENSIVE LINE
Matt Light (LT), Logan Mankins (LG), Dan Koppen (C), Stephen Neal (RG), Nick Kaczur (RT): This starting five is so strong that LT Sebastian Vollmer -- maybe Belichick's best draft pick of the past several years -- is a backup. They protect the quarterback very well. When your quarterback is Tom Brady that is job one. If given the chance to pin their ears back I think they would be a solid run blocking line too. Backups: Vollmer, Dan Connolly, Mark LeVoir, Rich Ohrnberger, Ryan Wendell.

DEFENSIVE LINE
Ty Warren (LE), Vince Wilfork (NT), ???????? (RE): It still seems weird to not write Richard Seymour on that list. Maybe it won't feel as weird after the Pats come away with a top 10 pick from the Raiders next year. Wilfork and Ty Warren make this still one of the best D lines against the run. Wilfork alone does that. With the loss of Jarvis Green the Pats will be looking for someone to play right end. Hopefully someone with a motor who can get after the quarterback. Who fills that spot should be a focus of the draft and will be a key to the team's success on '10. There's also some solid talent in the reserves with Mike Wright and Ron Brace. Backups: Wright, Brace, Myron Pryor.

LINEBACKERS
Jerod Mayo, Tully Banta-Cain, Gary Guyton, Derrick Burgess: Oh how the names have changed. No more Bruschi, McGinnest, Vrabel, Johnson. That was a foursome that won three Super Bowl titles. One of the best ever. You can't replace guys like that quickly. It's a process that the Pats are probably at the midpoint of entering this season. Mayo's injury was a large reason for the Pats 10-6 record last year. A return to the way he was playing down the stretch of his rookie season should be expected. Banta-Cain, Guyton, and Burgess (if and when he re-signs) are all solid players but the linebacking corp needs another young potential star like Mayo. A drafting priority. Backups: Pierre Woods, Eric Alexander, Shawn Crable, Rob Ninkovich, Tyrone McKenzie.

CORNERBACK
Leigh Bodden, Darius Butler: The veteran Bodden brought back some consistency to the cornerback spot. Butler showed flashes as a rookie, but just flashes. This is another position where a young impact player who exceeds expectations and plays for a low salary for five years is sorely needed. No more Shawn Springs-type players need apply. Backups: The young duo of Terrence Wheatley and Jonathan Whilhite may step to the fore this season. The potential is there.

SAFETY
Brandon Meriweather, Brandon McGowan: Meriweather made it to the Pro Bowl in just his third season with the team. When he is good he's very good. He's just not that good often enough yet. McGowan played better than the journeyman he had looked like his first three years in Chicago. I'd prefer to see backup James Sanders as the starter. Backups: Sanders, Pat Chung.

SPECIAL TEAMS
Stephen Gostkowski: The team has no punter at the moment but there are always veteran legs out there you can rent for a season. Gostkowski is the best young kicker in the game. Almost makes me a little less bitter about letting Vinatieri go to Indy.

Scanning the depth chart two things stand out. First, the players at the offensive skill positions are not a young group. Brady, Faulk, Moss, Taylor, Patten. The team is in need of one or two young skills guys who can be the playmakers for years to come. Dez Bryant or Golden Tate maybe? The second thing? No pass rush. Those two issues will have to be priorities on April 22.