The Pats Pulpit staff weighs in on the team’s options."Happy draft day Youth Tedy Bruschi Jerseys , folks! The first round of the NFL’s annual college player selection meeting — click here for all you need to know about it — will take place today and the New England Patriots have plenty of options at the end of round one: they have the deep roster to go after the best available player, the perfect spot to trade down to acquire additional picks, and the ammunition to move up the board for one of their targets.That’s what the reigning world champions could do, but what should they do? Pats Pulpit’s staff has some answers to this question.Bernd BuchmasserTeams like first round picks because of that sweet, sweet fifth-year option — and the Patriots should take advantage of this and swing a trade. Think about it: the draft is deep in the second round, and New England might also be able to pick up an additional high choice for next year (and a stronger quarterback group) by moving down today. Of course, it always takes two to tango so if a trade-down doesn’t materialize I would go for either a player like defensive tackle Jerry Tillery or offensive lineman Chris Lindstrom.Rich HillI think the Patriots should take the best lineman that’s on the board. If that’s an offensive lineman, like Dalton Risner or Greg Little, that’s great. If it’s a blue chip defensive lineman like Jerry Tillery, that’s great, too. Games are won in the trenches and there are plenty of receivers that will be available in the second and third rounds. What do I think will happen? Get ready for another defensive back in Foxboro...Alec ShaneI’d love to see the Patriots package their first rounder and one of their seconds to move up and grab an EDGE defender, especially if there’s a run on other positions and someone like Josh Allen falls to them in the middle of the round. That said, I look forward to welcoming an interior offensive lineman or a DB onto the team with open arms.Oliver ThomasNo. 36 overall is the highest the Patriots have driven for a wide receiver since Bill Belichick took the keys. But if New England’s war room stays parked at No. 32 overall — and if the D-line likes of Clelin Ferrell, Jerry Tillery and Dexter Lawrence are off the board — it might be time to shift gears. Ole Miss’ A.J. Brown isn’t a shiny hood ornament of a wideout. He also didn’t play tight end at Iowa under Kirk Ferentz. That’s all right. There’s a translatable, big-slot game with Brown that I could see New England valuing more than most at his position.Matthew RewinskiSince all of us have been Mossed by our own draft predictions vs. what Bill actually thinks is important year after year, here’s my best guess at where Belichick’s going to zag when we all expect him to zig: I’m calling off-ball linebacker early. You’ve seen the difference on this defense with Dont’a Hightower on the field vs when he’s in the tub, correct? For as good as Kyle Van Noy’s become once Bill unlocked his true skills, there’s just nothing that makes a Belichick defense tick like the Hightowers, the Mayos, and the Bruschis. And Jerod Mayo wound up retiring at 30 years old once his body finally realized how brutal making 200 tackles a year and shedding hundreds of blockers can be on a man.And really, if we’re being honest, there isn’t a single position group on this defending championship team that WOULDN’T be improved with a shot of prime blue-chip talent. Think about it. Yes, even the secondary, especially if the NFL keeps pushing the game towards Madden scoring levels. If that sounds like a Kool-Aid copout, then, well, it wouldn’t be the first time, and it won’t be the last time.Michael McDermottIdeally they go in the trenches with either a quality OT or DT. Players to watch will be Montez Sweat and Dexter Lawrence, both of whom have considerable flags with Sweat’s heart condition (less of an issue than with Maurice Hurst a season ago) and Lawrence having limited pass rush upside. If those guys are available past 25, go get them. Otherwise NE should look at staying put and going after Jerry Tillery, Greg Little Tedy Bruschi Jerseys Stitched , or Kaleb McGary (trade back from 32 if McGary is the target) unless they love A.J. Brown. Brown reminds me of Anquan Boldin a lot as a physical Z/slot receiver who had a knack for getting big catches when it mattered most (ask Cardinals or Ravens fans about that). If the players I all mentioned are gone by 32, Patriots should trade back and try to add a pick for next year (ideally a 1st, would be OK with a 2nd). As for predictions, I’ll probably never come as close as I did 3 years ago. That was just a lucky guess. Mark SchofieldIf one of the Iowa tight ends falls into the 20s or so, then I would explore moving up a few spots to grab either Hockenson or Fant. Absent that happening, I think the move is to address either the offensive line or the defensive front. Jerry Tillery, Dexter Lawrence and even Jeffery Simmons make sense on the defensive side of the football, and Dalton Risner or Chris Lindstrom would make sense as versatile players on the offensive line for them at 32. There is value to be had on Day Two at both tight end and wide receiver. I don’t see them drafting a quarterback at 32, even Will Grier. I still think he’d be available for them on Day Two. Slot Machine PlayerSorry, but I’ve been wrong enough for the year. I’m way ahead of my quota. I will say that if I watch the first round, they’ll trade out of it, and if I don’t they’ll pounce. The first year I missed the first round we got Boomtower and Jones. I’m planning on missing it this year....Ryan Keiran Trade up for Clelin Ferrell. He has all the makings of a perfect Trey Flowers replacement, he’s young, and he (should) be available in the range where the Patriots could realistically use their surplus of draft picks to get up to. They can’t leave this draft having made 12 or even 10 picks, and 8 would be a stretch as well. Be aggressive and go get the best fit to replace the star you lost. Otherwise, go get Jerry Tillery or AJ Brown. Same logic applies minus replacing Flowers.Pat LaneI don’t think the Patriots will be drafting at 32 at all. Either they’ll be trading up for a player they love, or they’ll be trading back for a team to go up and get someone they love. If they move up, my guess is either Hockenson or a defensive lineman like Clelin Ferrell, Montez Sweat, or Christian Wilkins drops to the mid-20s.Patriotic ChiefDL or OL or they get lucky and one of the only legit 1st round WR/TE projects slips. The biggest need is receiver but with two 2nd round picks and plenty of ammunition to move anywhere we dang well please in the 2nd round I don’t see any reason to reach for a receiver there and I am absolutely confident BB will not do that. My suspicion is we end up with a DT. I think the drafts deepest high quality talent is at edge talents and offensive line. That’s also a need for almost every teams. That pushes the DT down the board since it’s not quiet as pressing a concern for several teams. What I don’t want to see addressed is QB or DB but if that is the BPA then so be it. The Cleveland Browns entered the 2019 season with considerable hype on their side, in large parts because of the projected development of their offense behind former first-round draft pick Baker Mayfield at quarterback and offseason trade acquisition Odell Beckham Jr. at the number one wide receiver position. Together, the two were expected to help lift a team that ended 2018 with a 7-8-1 record into the playoffs for the first time since 2002.Seven weeks into the season, however, the team has had its fair share of miscues on the offensive side of the ball: Cleveland, which enters the game against the New England Patriots with a 2-4 record, ranks just 23rd in scoring offense after averaging only 20 points per game. Furthermore, the unit has suffered with ball security and has already given possessions away 14 times in six games — the second most in all of football.As they often do, the team’s problems start at the quarterback position. Mayfield has not taken the expected second-year jump, and has been erratic at times: the 24-year-old leads the NFL in interceptions at this point in the season with 11, and has also completed just 56.6% of his pass attempts (112 of 198) while throwing a mere five touchdowns. His passer rating of 66.0 currently ranks just 30th out of 32 qualifying quarterbacks.“There have been several contributing factors to it, and Mayfield is one of those factors Youth Steve Grogan Jerseys ,” Chris Pokorny, managing editor at Dawgs By Nature, told Pats Pulpit earlier this week. “He has 11 interceptions through six games, which is an unacceptable turnover rate. About half of those interceptions are passes that hit his receivers in the hands, but instead of them ‘just being dropped passes,’ the receivers are tipping them in the air for the defense to grab.”“The counter argument to that would be that Mayfield needs to throw a better ball. Yes, NFL-level receivers should still be making any catches in their catch radius, but Mayfield can also make their lives a lot easier with improved ball placement,” Chris continued when talking about the first-overall pick of the 2018 draft, and the struggles that have followed him so far in his second year in the NFL.As Chris also pointed out, however, the Browns’ offensive play-calling from head coach Freddie Kitchens and coordinator Todd Monken has not exactly helped him during the early portions of the season. Furthermore, Mayfield himself has often relied too much on his own athletic abilities to make plays. Both issues have been somewhat resolved as the season went along, but the offense is still struggling to get going.“The issues since then have been poor execution, with the aforementioned untimely drops-leading-to-interceptions playing a big role,” said Chris. “Against the 49ers in Week 5, the Browns were about to make it a 14-10 deficit heading into the half, but wide receiverAntonio Callaway tipped a touchdown pass up into the air for an interception, which instead made it a 21-3 deficit.”“In Week 6 against the Seahawks, the Browns were in prime position to go up 27-12 just before halftime, but Cleveland inexplicably rushed to the line of scrimmage, tried forcing a pass to WR Jarvis Landry, and it was deflected into the air for an interception,” he continued. “The Browns then only led 20-18 at the half. Both situations are perfect examples of the frustration with this Cleveland team so far.”“They have been their own worst enemy, and after facing those adverse turning points in game that don’t go their way, the team is unable to rebound,” added Chris. Entering the game against the Patriots, ball security therefore needs to be on the top of the list of things to work on for the Browns: New England’s defense, after all, is the best in the NFL at forcing turnovers and has registered a whooping 18 interceptions in just seven games this year.While Cleveland has had its fair share of issues in the passing game, not all has been bad for the team offensively. After all Steve Grogan Jerseys Stitched , the Browns have gotten some impressive production out of second-year running back Nick Chubb: the 23-year-old has carried the football 114 times this year for 607 yards and six scores, while also catching 20 passes for an additional 128 yards — accounting for one third of the team’s offensive production.“The one consistent element the Browns have had in all six games is the running ability of Nick Chubb,” said Chris about the former second-round draft pick. “Even when the Browns have faced top-ranked run defenses, Chubb still comes out of the game averaging five yards per carry and close to a 100-yard performance. The Patriots have been so good in every facet defensively, so I’m curious how things will go especially since Cleveland is expected to make at least one change in the starting lineup of the offensive line.”The Patriots, of course, use a similar strategy each week when it comes to playing defense: make the opponent play left-handed by taking away what it does best. In Cleveland’s case, the running game seems like a logical choice as Chubb has been one of the league’s most productive backs seven weeks into the season, and the motor behind the little success the Browns have had on offense — all while the team’s aerial attack has struggled to find its rhythm.However, the Patriots could also opt to look elsewhere to find matchups to focus on as Chris pointed out: “Perhaps the Browns’ talented receiving tandem of Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry will continue to be the focal point of the Patriots’ game plan to eliminate — in other words, they might prefer to let Chubb have a decent day on the ground, as long as it means never letting Beckham and Landry beat them.”The two wide receivers, who have caught a combined 54 passes for 875 yards and a touchdown so far, are among the most talented one-two punches in the NFL. Patriots fans should also have another name on their radar, however, as Chris said: slot receiver Rashard Higgins. He has only two catches for 46 yards on his 2019 résumé after missing the previous five games, but might have the best chemistry among the Browns’ weapons with the team’s quarterback.“His return to action has been frustrating because the belief was that he was ready to go for the past two to three games, only to be scratched,” said Chris about the fourth-year man, who has not played since the season opener. “Higgins was vocal about his frustration too, but head coach Freddie Kitchens excused it by insinuating that they wanted Higgins to be 100% back instead of just 90% back (my words, not his).”“The best way to describe Higgins is that he’s just a solid player,” he continued when talking about a player that will likely go against Patriots slot cornerback Jonathan Jones. “He runs good routes, knows how to move with his quarterback, doesn’t drop passes, etc. He won’t light up the stat sheet, but if he finally returns to action, he will do a lot of the little things to be the security blanket that Mayfield has lacked much of the season.”