What To Expect From The Patriots In The Draft

The NFL Draft weekend starts on Thursday and will continue on Friday and Saturday.

For some teams, the Draft is the one weekend of the year when they give their fans hope.  Teams like the Buccaneers and Jets will add a few players that will make their fan bases believe they can finally compete but come the regular season those hopes will disappear more quickly than Hillary Clinton's e-mail files.

As a Patriots fan, the Draft has become just one small step on the way to another AFC East title and a legitimate chance at competing for the Super Bowl.  Bill Belichick and his staff - especially Nick Caserio - will make their picks according to the master Patriots plan.  Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't.

Looking at the current roster, the Patriots seem to have several needs.  Depth on the offensive line, especially at guard, is one area the team is expected to address.  Cornerback and defensive line also will be likely targets for the defending champions.

Here are a few players that have caught my eye, either after watching them play or in reading over some of the scouting reports that have been accumulating all over the internet since the Super Bowl ended.

Guards

Laken Tomlinson, Duke, 6-3, 323-pounds

A.J. Cann, South Carolina, 6-3, 313-pounds

Ali Marpet, Hobart. 6-4, 307-pounds

Tre' Jackson, Florida State, 6-4, 330-pounds

Arie Kouandjio, Alabama, 6-5, 310-pounds

Josue Matias, Florida State, 6-5, 309-pounds

Defensive Tackle

Eddie Goldman, Florida State, 6-4, 336-pounds

Carl Davis, Iowa, 6-5, 320-pounds

Gabe Wright, Auburn, 6-3, 300-pounds

Tyeler Davison, Fresno State, 6-2, 316-pounds

Kaleb Eulls, Mississippi State, 6-3, 305-pounds

Defensive End

Preston Smith, Mississippi State, 6-5, 271-pounds

Mario Edwards, Jr., Florida State, 6-3, 280-pounds

Henry Anderson, Stanford, 6-6, 294-pounds

Anthony Chickillo, Miami, 6-3, 267-pounds

Kristjan Sokoli, Buffalo, 6-5, 290-pounds

Cornerback

Byron Jones, Connecticut, 6-1, 199-pounds, 4.43 40-yard dash

Marcus Peters, Washington, 6-0, 197-pounds, 4.47 40-yard dash

Eric Rowe, Utah, 6-1, 205-pounds, 4.37 40-yard dash

Jalen Collins, Louisiana State, 6-2, 203-pounds, 4.44 40-yard dash

Josh Shaw, Southern California, 6-0, 200-pounds, 4.34 40-yard dash

Alex Carter, Stanford, 6-0, 196-pounds, 4.50 40-yard dash

Justin Cox, Mississippi State, 6-1, 191-pounds, 4.30 40-yard dash