The initial wave of free agency has come and gone. While the Patriots will continue making moves, for the most part their roster should be set heading into the NFL Draft.

Based off the moves the team made (and didn’t make) in the last week, their draft projections have certainly changed – as is usually the case this time of year. At the same time, some new questions have emerged as well.

From the first round pick to rounding out Day 3, here are some draft-related observations and further questions based on the first week of free agency.

There’s a new ‘biggest need’ in the draft

Is two years enough time to call something a draft pattern or trend? For a moment, let’s just say it is.

Both of the Patriots’ first-round picks of the post-Nick Caserio era (Mac Jones in 2021 and Cole Strange in 2022) have had one very notable thing in common. When disregarding positional value (ex. tackles are generally valued more than guards by NFL teams, cornerbacks more than safeties, wide receivers more than running backs, etc.) the Patriots have used their last two first-round picks to fill the most glaring hole on their depth chart at the time.

In 2021, quarterback was the biggest need and they took a quarterback. After trading away Shaq Mason and losing Ted Karras last year, guard was the spot they needed to fill the most, even though they may have had other, lesser needs at more ‘impactful’ positions.

What happens if we apply that line of thinking to the 2023 Patriots and this draft? For a long time, it looked like tackle was going to be that need. But between signing Calvin Anderson and Riley Reiff (more on those signings in a bit), and releasing Jalen Mills, the needle has swung more in the direction of cornerback – specifically a big boundary cornerback.

That’s hardly bad news for the Patriots in what is one of the strongest cornerback drafts in recent memory, and most of the top players are boundary players. While the Patriots probably won’t get their choice of the top three cornerbacks (Christian Gonzalez of Oregon, Devon Witherspoon of Illinois, and Joey Porter Jr. of Penn State) at 14, it would be more surprising if all three were off the board at that point. All three are Patriots fits as well, so while they may certainly have their preferences, they should be able to make a solid pick at the position however the board falls.

What’s the plan at tackle?

If cornerback is the plan in the first round, then what’s the plan at tackle? Even if it’s not the biggest need it’s still surely a need, right?

It is, but the position was also addressed heavily over the last week. Trent Brown is still with the team, which means the left tackle spot should be accounted for. At right tackle the Patriots gave Riley Reiff a mostly-guaranteed $5 million dollar contract, which signals they plan on him at least competing for the starting job on that side.

Putting the pieces together it’s possible the Patriots are ready to start the season with two veteran tackles. Instead of drafting a plug-and-play player at the position in the first round, they could draft a player who may be ready later in 2023 or in 2024 to take over when needed.

If that’s the plan, they will have options. Darnell Wright from Tennessee and Dawand Jones from Ohio State are fringe first-round/top-40 tackle talents who they could trade up on Day 2 to acquire. Staying with their own picks, Jaelyn Duncan from Maryland, Matthew Bergeron from Syracuse, Blake Freeland from BYU, and Tyler Steen from Alabama are the players to know.

A change in focus at wide receiver

With Jakobi Meyers a pending free agent and so much talk about players like DeAndre Hopkins and Odell Beckham Jr. being available in the veteran market, when looking at the wide receiver position for the Patriots in the draft it made sense to focus more on slot receivers. With it being a strong slot receiver draft, things seemed to line up.

Yet the team has since signed a slot receiver in JuJu Smith-Schuster, a hybrid tight end/big slot in Mike Gesicki, and done nothing to address the boundary receiver position. Adding an ‘X’ receiver in April now makes a lot more sense.

Of course, the Patriots could still add a veteran between now and the draft. But even if they don’t, the group of Smith-Shuster, Gesicki, Kendrick Bourne, DeVante Parker, and Tyquan Thornton is relatively deep. It’s not top-heavy, but no player in this year’s draft class, a weak one for wide receivers overall but especially on the boundary, is going to change that. Rather than burying a top-100 draft pick, it’d make more sense to take a high ceiling, upside player on Day 3 who can develop and step into a bigger role when Bourne, Parker, and Gesicki become free agents next year.

If that’s the plan, some players Patriots fans should be aware of are Ronnie Bell from Michigan, Bryce Ford-Wheaton from West Virginia, Michael Jefferson from Louisiana-Lafayette, Justin Shorter from Florida, and Joseph Ngata from Clemson.

Revisiting the tight end position

When it comes to top-50 picks, the idea is to get players who ideally will contribute immediately as rookies. After Jonnu Smith’s release, it seemed like the Patriots could take a tight end high in a draft strong at the position, and get a player that would make an impact in 2023. Has that changed after the signing of Gesicki.

Yes and no. Taking a tight end may still be in play high in the draft, but with two pure receiving tight ends already on the roster any similar style player would probably get buried on the depth chart. If the Patriots want to invest a premium asset at the tight end position look for them to target a player who will be as much or more of a boost as a blocker in the running game as in the passing game. In terms of this class, the player in the top 50 fitting that description is Darnell Washington from Georgia.

At the same time, with Gesicki and Hunter Henry in contract years, a tight end of any makeup projects to be a need for 2024. With the depth of this class, the Patriots could take a high-upside player on Day 3 that might typically be a Day 2 pick, have that player develop behind the two veterans for the year, then step into the starting role in 2024. Some players who could be targeted in that sense are Cameron Latu from Alabama, Davis Allen from Clemson, Payne Durham from Purdue, Zack Kuntz from Old Dominion, and Brayden Willis from Oklahoma.

After cornerback, where’s the focus on defense?

While the Patriots haven’t made any major additions on defense yet, they haven’t had any major losses either. Mills, as discussed above, is one. The only other is Devin McCourty, who

Everyone in NE wants a big name signed for safety but Dug Pep and AP have played GREAT BALL. LET THEM COOK!!!!!

— Devin McCourty (@devinmccourty) March 18, 2023?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stressed on Twitter himself over the weekend that he believes the team has the players in-house to replace him.

Now, it’s possible the player personnel staff might disagree. This isn’t a great safety class, but there are some players that stand out as Patriots fits. That includes Brian Branch of Alabama in the first round, Chris Smith of Georgia, Jordan Battle of Alabama, and Jammie Robinson of Florida State on Day 2, and DeMarcco Hellams of Alabama, Gervarrius Owens of Houston, and Jordan Howden of Minnesota on Day 3.

Edge rusher is also a spot they team could look to. They had taken a defensive end or outside linebacker in the top 100 in three years in a row before ending that streak last year. The last time they went back-to-back years without top 100 edge picks was 2013 and 2014. With Josh Uche and Anfernee Jennings in contract years, and Matthew Judon, Deatrich Wise, and Lawrence Guy up after the 2024 season, adding long-term affordable depth would make sense. In terms of Day 2 edge rushers, Felix Anudike-Uzomah from Kansas State, Adetomiwa Adebawore from Northwestern, Zach Harrison from Ohio State, DeMarvion Overshown from Texas, and K.J. Henry from Clemson all seem like Patriots-type players.

Punter still needed

In the Bill Belichick era, the Patriots have almost exclusively added punters through the draft. So it didn’t come as much of a surprise that they didn’t sign a punter during the first wave of free agency, when most of the top players available at the position got new deals.

When it comes to the draft, there are three punters to know. Michael Turk worked with the Patriots at the Shrine Bowl, and had a great week in front of special teams coordinator Cam Achord and assistant Joe Houston. At the Senior Bowl, Adam Korsak of Rutgers and Bryce Baringer of Michigan State both impressed.

Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at abarth@985TheSportsHub.com.