The New Look, New England Patriots

So this past weekend, the NFL wrapped up another chapter with the Draft.

Biggest shocker of the draft was Tim Tebow taken by the Broncos in the first round.

The Patriots didn't particularly take care of their pass rushing needs, but they definitely got better. If you hadn't payed close attention to the draftees, here they are:

1st Round: Devin McCourty; Defensive Back/Special Teams; Rutgers

Now Patriot fans, I guarantee 80% of you were befuddled when Commish Goodell made this announcement for the Patriots. Don't be disappointed though, this guy is a top notch athlete. He adds some fresh legs to our rebuilding defense, and he is also a special teams monster. He returns kicks and he's blocked a total of 7 kicks in his time as a Rutger. Look for this rookie to add some fire to our below average special teams unit, and become a solid 2nd slot cornerback in a couple of years. But for now our starting two are Leigh Bodden and Darius Butler. Apparently behind all the trading picks to get farther back in the draft, Bill Belichick had his eyes on McCourty as his first round selection from the getgo. Trust me, with our secondary last season, we'll need as many players to experiment with as we can.

2nd Round: Rob Gronkowski; Tight End; Arizona

This man right here was a big pick up for the Patriots in the second round. You can compare him to a Daniel Graham/Jason Whitten type of tight end. He's got great hands and a hell of a blocker. This was a big need for them after not resigning Benjamin Watson. Look for some big plays from Gronkowski, him and Algie Crumpler will most likely be in the starting lineup to be available for Tom Brady. Speaking of Tom, he's going to love this guy. He'll be such a big target in the middle of the field, and he'll add more pass protection so he can relax more in the pocket. He'll probably platoon with the later round draft pick, Aaron Hernandez, from Florida. But he'll more likely see more snaps. Can't you picture New England in the redzone, and this guy lining up and running a slant route..ahh, so much success could come out of this rookie. Since I'm not a follower of college football, I took all of the rookies and watched youtube highlight videos of them. In an interview back in March, he was asked, 'if he could be paired up with a quarterback to play with, who would he choose.' Fortunately, he'd Tom Brady. Good call my friend.

2nd Round: Brandon Spikes; Inside Linebacker; Florida

There's nothing more to say about this man, other than a straight up beast. Look for Brandon Spikes to team up with Jerod Mayo in the Middle Linebacker spot. He did cause some trouble last season trying to poke a players eyes out while going for a fumble, but if you're a Boston sports fan you're used to crazy attitudes. Also he ran a 5 flat in the NFL Combine, so he might not be up to speed. But he goes hard every down. You remember Pepper Johnson or Bryan Cox in the middle linebacker position, this is him. He'll most likely aid Wilfork to stop the run, and hopefully add some pass rushing. Another teammate of his was drafted in the later 2nd round, Jermaine Cunningham (Defensive End). Cunningham and this monster, Spikes, will be looked at to help out the missing pass rush the Patriots were absent from in 2009. Look for Tyrone Mckenzie, a 2nd round draft pick last year who was out all year with an injury, to cover Adalius Thomas' spot in the outside linebacker position. With Brandon Spikes, you get a player(s) who are used to winning with Urban Meyer.

So like I said, the New England Patriots are in a rebuilding process. But if you aren't satisfied with how this season turns out, no worries. The Patriots are probably one of the best positioned teams in the 2011 NFL Draft. There are plenty of top notch defensive players, so expect Belichick with his handful of picks in the 1st and 2nd rounds to turn this defense back to the top of the league.

How about the Jets? They're stacked up. And this isn't going to shut Rex Ryan up. You thought they had the best secondary in the NFL? They draft a cornerback in the first round, a pretty solid corner too. Jeez, it's going to be a long season.

Also I'll be excited to see Brandon Marshall when we play Miami, and rookie phenom C.J. Spiller when we play Buffalo.

It looks to be a big year for the NFL.