This is the time of year on the NFL calendar when fans are fueled on hope. There are no games to obsess over, no weekly matchups to digest. The Super Bowl is two months in the rear view, and training camp is more than three months away. Even for the die-hards who study the offseason transaction wire, there isn't much left to get excited about. The splashiest free-agent signings are out of the way, meaning the majority of most rosters around the league are set.
All that's left for the football lovers is the hope that their teams can find contributors in the draft.
As far as the Patriots are concerned, there aren't all that many opportunities for players to come in via the NFL's annual crap shoot and make an immediate impact. Bill Belichick and Nick Caserio have been busy this offseason, filling needs both through free agency and trades, but there are some long-term and immediate needs that remain.
One could argue that the order of our Five Biggest Draft Needs piece, published just last week, could afford to see a bit of a shakeup after the Patriots signed free agent defensive lineman Terrance Knighton. But even taking that large addition into consideration, the Patriots could still use help at defensive tackle as well as offensive tackle, running back, corner, receiver and linebacker.
Pinning down where the Patriots will turn on draft weekend is always unpredictable. That they have 11 picks -- but none in the first, fourth or fifth rounds -- makes it even more difficult. But in order to have a sense of which players might be available when the Patriots are first on the clock late in the second round, we've opted to put together a full two-round mock draft.
Stick with us. Why? Because regardless of how it shakes out, there will be good players remaining at picks No. 60 and 61 overall, meaning even Patriots supporters -- still reeling from the Deflategate punishment -- have a right to be hopeful as the draft approaches.