Five players the Patriots need in 2012
Not surprisingly, three of those players are on defense. This Patriots defense has got to improve if they want to even get as far as they did last year. We all know that this is possible but it's going to take some of the draft picks of the last couple years to do it.
Everyone's excited about the players from this year's draft. They have every reason to be. However, it will be tough to rely on rookies to be the stars of this defense in their first year.
Instead, the Patriots are going to need some of the maturing players to step up. McCourty has to return to his rookie pro-bowl form. Spikes and Chung really just need to stay healthy.
On the offensive side, Nate Solder has big shoes to fill as he slides into Matt Light's spot at left tackle. Solder had a solid rookie year and you would expect him to hopefully make that transition seemless. Still, he'll need to prove that he can do it consistently as he was never a full time player last year. Given the situation, one year later Solder looks like a great pick for the Patriots. Imagine where that offensive line would be right now without him.
Brandon Lloyd is obvious, not much really needs to be said here. The Patriots haven't had a deep threat receiver since trading away Randy Moss. Lloyd makes an already prolific offense more dynamic.
