Reader’s Mock Draft: New England Patriots Are On the Clock

Oct 27, 2013; Foxborough, MA, USA; A New England Patriots logo is seen on a helmet during the first quarter against the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL draft will be here before we know it.  Now that Free Agency has settled down, team needs have come into focus.  That could mean only one thing – it’s time for another mock draft!  But rather than us sitting back and throwing darts at the wall, we thought we’d let you join in the fun.  We’ll roll through the draft order and give each team choices based on team needs and the best players available and you’ll vote on the picks for each team. On with the countdown…

29. New England Patriots (12-4)

Ho hum.  Just another winning season and playoff appearance for the Patriots.  They have made the playoffs in 11 of the last 13 seasons and the last five straight.  The last time they had a losing season was in 2000.  That’s the standard to which all teams aspire.

What’s the key to their success?  Is it Brady?  Is it Belichick?  Is it the combination?  Maybe in the next few years we’ll find out.  Brady is 36, so there can’t be too many more seasons, can there?  For all the success the Patriots have had in recent years, they haven’t won a Super Bowl since the 2004 season.  It’s been a decade, so look for the Pats to pull out all the stops to make another Super Bowl run before Brady and Belichick’s time runs out.

The Patriots overcame the Aaron Hernandez scandal, continued injury woes for Gronk and a new stable of unproven wide receivers to get to the AFC Championship game.  They’ll need a good draft to get over the hump and get past the powerhouse Broncos in the AFC.