With The First Pick
Fansided

AFC East: Team Needs for the 2019 NFL Draft

By Thomas Welte

FOXBOROUGH, MA - DECEMBER 23: Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills and Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots meet on the field after the New England Patriots defeated the Buffalo Bills 24-12 at Gillette Stadium on December 23, 2018 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MA - DECEMBER 23: Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills and Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots meet on the field after the New England Patriots defeated the Buffalo Bills 24-12 at Gillette Stadium on December 23, 2018 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
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FOXBOROUGH, MA – DECEMBER 23: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots reacts during the second half against the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium on December 23, 2018 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MA – DECEMBER 23: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots reacts during the second half against the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium on December 23, 2018 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

New England Patriots

Team Needs: WR, TE, S, QB

The perennial AFC East champions New England is a hard team to predict as their entire offseason plan hinges on the future of Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski’s decisions. The Patriots will look to stay atop the AFC East with solid drafting.

If Tom Brady does retire, which Brady has given no indication of but it is always a possibility at his age, the Patriots will be forced to find his replacement. Look for the Patriots to roll the dice on a quarterback like Will Grier from West Virginia or Boise State’s Brett Rypien.

The Patriots will likely be picking too late to snag Noah Fant, the drafts premier tight end prospects. However, a player like Irv Smith Jr. from Alabama should be available at New Englands pick in the first round, or if the Patriots looked to trade down they could likely snag Smith in the early second round.

The 2019 NFL draft is deep at wide receiver, so New England could have their pick of talented playmakers at the end of the first round. Riley Ridley from Georgia, Deebo Samuel from South Carolina, and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside from Standford all make sense for the Patriots.

Patrick Chung and Jason McCourty are both aging safeties, and while they have both been above average starters they could be upgraded. Taylor Rapp from Washington would be an interesting addition to the New England secondary, offering a degree of physicality that the Patriots secondary does not currently possess.

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