The Patriots have their own first-round pick at No. 31, and own the Saints’ pick at No. 27 after a trade last year.
“There’s a lot of teams, including the Patriots, that want a track meet every week, which means you’ve got to rush the quarterback and you’ve got to defend on the back end,” Mayock said. “And I think those are the two areas of need that cry out for some help in the draft for the Patriots.”
Would a back-end player be a cornerback or a safety?
“The way I see it is who’s the best player available in those slots? Because you need help everywhere,” he said.
And if New England were to try to bolster its offense, Mayock agrees with many a Patriots fan: stretch-the-field receiver.
“Probably at wide receiver. (Wes) Welker has had career years and those two tight ends (Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez) are exceptional, which has kind of changed the way a lot of people look at offense in this league. And I think you have to give Bill and his coaching staff a lot of credit for crafting what they’ve crafted with that offense.
“However, having said that, Welker and the tight ends, they’re based in the middle of the field more than they are vertically, and I think a vertical wide receiver could really help them.”
