Prior to this month's draft, 1SBD's Mark Hogan takes an in-depth look into each team's current projected starters and identifies strengths and lingering team needs after the first waves of free agency.
Player stats collected from Pro Football Reference. Base salary information per Over The Cap.
TAKEAWAYS
PROS
- Trading for defensive end Michael Bennett does a good job filling the hole left by Trey Flowers (who went to the Lion for big money in free agency). It should help take the focus off Deatrich Wise Jr. who will still need to step up during an important third year in the league.
- With Devin McCourty realising he was too young to retire, New England doesn't have to chase a starting cornerback for 2019. They may want to add some depth - cornerback Eric Rowe moved on this off-season - but the Patriots' strong defensive backs unit frees up some picks that can be spent elsewhere on the roster.
CONS
- Replacing tight end Rob Gronkowski should be the Patriots biggest priority in the draft. His versatility - even in a down year in 2018 - transformed the Patriots offense. Finding an All-Pro talent might not be necessary, but the Patriots will hope to find a high-impact player in a deep tight end class.
- The Patriots foresaw offensive tackle Trent Brown's departure in this year's free agency so selected Isaiah Wynn in the first round of last year's draft. What they didn't foresee was Wynn sitting out his rookie year with an ankle injury. With that history and LaAdrian Waddle's departure to the Bills, the Patriots need to consider adding some depth on the offensive line. The unit gave up the third-fewest sacks (21.0) last year.
- Presuming wide receiver Josh Gordon won't be with the team, the Patriots are relying on a group of wide receivers with expiring contracts. With an aging Julian Edelman as the only bona fide starter, the position needs to be addressed. That said, it's the Patriots; don't be shocked if the team sticks with Maurice Harris and gets him over 1,000 yards...
Projected Starters
NOTE:
NAME, Draft Round.Overall Pick (TEAM, year). Starts/Games Played. Age. Cap Hit 2019
QB has an additional 'total yards, number of attempts (yards per attempt)' figure.
RB, WR and TE have an additional ‘total yards / number of touches (yards per touch)’ statistic
Age as of Sunday September 8, 2019 (Week 1)
QUARTERBACK
TOM BRADY, 6.199 (NE, 2000). 267/269. 70,514 yards/ 9,375 attempts. (7.5 y/a). 42-years-old. $27,000,000
RUNNING BACK
SONY MICHEL, 1.31 (NE, 2018). 8/13. 981 yards/ 216 touches (4.5 ). 24-years-old. $2,187,885
WIDE RECEIVER
PHILLIP DORSETT, 1.29 (IND, 2015). 11/57. 1,300 yards/ 105 touches (12.4). 26-years-old. $2,600,000
MAURICE HARRIS, undrafted (WAS, 2016). 7/28. 442 yards/ 42 touches (10.5). 26-years-old. $962,500
JULIAN EDELMAN, 7.232 (NE, 2009). 71/115. 5,754 yards/ 547 touches (10.5). 33-years-old. $5,410,949
Average: 172nd overall pick. 89 starts/ 200 games played (44.5%). 7,496 yards/ 694 touches (11.1). 28.3-years-old. Total cap hit: $9.0M
TIGHT END
AUSTIN SEFERIAN-JENKINS, 2.38 (TB, 2014). 29/43. 1,160 yards/ 116 touches (10.0). 26-years-old. $805,000
OFFENSIVE LINE
ISAIAH WYNN, 1.23 (NE, 2018). 0/0. 22-years-old. $2,600,434
JOE THUNEY, 3.78 (NE, 2016). 48/48. 26-years-old. $2,218,357
DAVID ANDREWS, undrafted (NE, 2015). 57/60. 26-years-old. $3,500,000
SHAQUILLE MASON, 4.131 (NE, 2015). 55/60. 26-years-old. $7,275,000
MARCUS CANNON, 5.138 (NE, 2011). 54/100. 31-years-old. $7,456,250
Average: 101st overall pick. 214 starts/ 268 games played (79.9%). 26.2-years-old. Total cap hit: $23.0M
DEFENSIVE LINE
DEATRICH WISE JR., 4.131 (NE, 2017). 8/32. 25-years-old. $790,140
LAWRENCE GUY, 7.233 (GB, 2011). 50/99. 29-years-old. $4,466,666
MIKE PENNEL, undrafted (GB, 2014). 15/69. 28-years-old. $2,150,000
MICHAEL BENNETT, undrafted (TB, 2009). 100/141. 33-years-old. $7,200,000
Average: 219th overall pick. 173 starts/ 341 games played (50.7%). 28.8-years-old. Total cap hit: $14.6M
LINEBACKERS
DONT'A HIGHTOWER, 1.25 (NE, 2012). 84/87. 29-years-old. $10,945,313
ELANDON ROBERTS, 6.214 (NE, 2016). 30/44. 25-years-old. $2,050,089
KYLE VAN NOY, 2.40 (DET, 2014). 37/66. 28-years-old. $6,291,668
Average: 93rd overall pick. 151 starts/ 197 games played (76.6%). 27.3-years-old. Total cap hit: $19.3M
CORNERBACK
JASON MCCOURTY, 6.203 (TEN, 2009). 116/138. 32-years-old. $4,250,000
STEPHON GILMORE, 1.10 (BUF, 2012). 95/97.28 -years-old. $9,170,833
Average: 107th overall pick. 211 starts/ 235 games played (89.8%). 30-years-old. Total cap hit: $13.4M
SAFETY
PATRICK CHUNG, 2.34 (NE, 2009). 110/140. 32-years-old. $4,175,000
DEVIN MCCOURTY, 1.27 (NE, 2010). 139/139. 32-years-old. $13,435,000
Average: 31st overall pick. 249 starts/ 279 games played (89.2%). 32-years-old. Total cap hit: $17.6M
Comments