Here is a list of the picks the Patriots made in this weekend’s draft:

Well in my preview of the draft I said the Patriots needed to get players at DT, CB, WR and OL in the early rounds of the draft.  They got 2 DTs, 2 CBs, and a WR in the first four rounds, but no OL, so I’m somewhat disappointed there.  Here’s my review of the picks:

• DT Ty Warren - He should be a good player but I think the Patriots were really hoping to get DeWayne Robertson or John Sullivan.  This should be a good pick though.
• CB Eugene Wilson - The Patriots traded their number 19 pick down to number 36 for a 1st round pick from Balitmore next year.  This was a good trade.  They still got one of the top 4 CBs in Wilson and they get a 1st rounder in next year’s draft which should be very deep.  As for Wilson, this was a player I wanted them to take.  I predicted the Pats would pick Wilson in the 2nd round, and that was the only Patriots prediction I got right.  The Pats really need a CB to go across from Ty Law so this pick I really like.
• WR Bethel Johnson - This pick confused me.  When the Pats made this pick, WR Kelley Washington and WR Tyrone Calico were still available.  Most teams had Johnson as more of a 4th round pick.  But he is one of the fastest receivers in the draft although his hands are suspect.  He seems hard working and dedicated, so hopefully this will be a good pick.  I don’t know about the round he was picked, but if he turns into a top three receiver on the team then it will be a great pick.
• DT Dan Klecko - Dan Klecko is a great pick.  He has ridiculous upper body strength and a great work ethic, he is just smaller than your normal DT.  I think he will end up being a great pick.
• CB Asante Samuel - Another good pick.
• C Dan Koppen - Koppen followed Woody at BC and now he’s back with Woody again.  For now he’ll take over Ruegamer’s role as backup C/G, but perhaps he could eventually becoming a starting center and Woody could move to guard.
• QB Kliff Kingsbury - I’m not sure about this pick.  He threw for over 5,000 yards in college in a run and shoot offense at Texas Tech.  Plus we have some good QBs.
• TE Stephen Nead - Another odd pick since we have Christian Fauria and Daniel Graham.  But maybe the Patriots know something I don’t.
• DE Tully Banta-Cain - This is another good pick.  Many teams had this player a few rounds higher and he could turn into a great defensive end.
• DT/OL Ethan Kelly - This player was a defensive tackle his last two years of college, but before that was an offensive lineman.  The reviews I read said he would be better in the pros as an OL than a DT so maybe the Pats are planning to use him as an offensive lineman.

Draft Evaluation:

I think that this was a very good draft.  My only big questions are why they drafted Bethel Johnson when they did and why they didn’t draft an offensive lineman with one of their early picks.  In a few years, we’ll be able to look at this draft and see if the Pats really know something about Bethel Johnson that we don’t and he’ll be a star.  When we look at this draft a few years from now, hopefully we’ll see some starters in Warren, Johnson and Wilson and maybe some sleeper starters in the late rounds as well, possibly Klecko and Banta-Cain.  This draft added some extra defensive lineman and added youth and speed to the defense overall.  Plus we got a couple of draft picks for next year, which should be a deep draft.  Overall Grade: A-

The Patriots have 13 picks overall and 5 picks in the first 3 rounds. Their most outstanding needs are DL, WR, OT, and CB. In their first five picks I hope the Patriots will pick a player from each of these positions, and then another player, most likely a second defensive lineman, but you never know. Who they pick first depends on who is available. Here is a list of the top 10 players at each of these positions:

For the Patriots first round picks, they could expect to see the players from 2-5 on these lists availabe. For their second round pick, the players ranked 5-10 could be available. In the first round, it looks like they will have a choice of (best available at each position): DT Jonathon Sullivan and DT William Joseph, DE Michael Haynes, WR Kelley Washington, OT Kwame Harris, and CB Andre Woolfolk. If available, I think the Patriots might take DT Sullivan and WR Washington. If Sullivan is not available, then they might take DT Joseph or OT Harris. So until I look at who the teams ahead of them might pick, I’m going to say Sullivan and Washington, with Harris a close third. For their second round pick, these players might be available: DE Antwan Peek, WR Brandon Lloyd and WR Tyrone Calico, OT Jon Stinchbomb and OT Tony Pashos, and CB Eugene Wilson. If the Pats took Sullivan and Washington in the first round then I’d look for them to take CB Wilson or OT Stinchbomb here if available. Who is available at this point, 50 picks into the draft, is hard to tell though.

Here are my predictions for the Patriots picks in the draft and the first round of the draft:

I think the Patriots really want to take DT Johnathon Sullivan with their first pick. The Jets are probably going to take him though. However, if Boss Bailey falls down to the Jets as he does in my mock draft, then they really have no choice but to take Bailey. That would leave Sullivan for the Pats. For their second pick, I think the Patriots need to get an offensive lineman. There is some debate here whether it should be OT Kwame Harris or OG Eric Steinbach. I think the Pats need an OT more since they have no one on the right side and they at least have three decent OG’s. I would really love to see them use this pick to take WR Kelley Washington. He’s big and fast and would make a huge impact on the offense. So Washington is the exciting pick, but Harris is probably the smart pick. If Harris is gone, I’m not sure if you go Steinbach or Washington, I’m hoping Washington. In the second round, if CB Eugene Wilson is around, I’d like to see them take him. If he’s not around, then who knows who they’ll take, it really depends on who they got in the first round. WR Tyrone Calico could be a possibility if he’s available and they didn’t take Washington and DT Rien Long could be a possibility if the other two are out. As for the last 5 rounds of the draft, it’s really impossible to tell who will be available and what needs the Patriots will still have. I put down some random possibilities above, but the chances of any of those guys getting picked by the Pats is probably pretty low.

OK, my last comment is that for the two first rounders I expect the Pats to get two of these players: CB Marcus Trufant, OT Kwame Harris, OG Eric Steinbach, DT Johnathon Sullivan, or WR Kelley Washington. If the Patriots end up trading into the top 5 then they would take DT DeWayne Robertson or CB Terence Newman.