The New England Patriots have 12 picks in the 2020 NFL Draft, which gives head coach Bill Belichick plenty of opportunities to plug the holes on his roster entering next season.
There are plenty of positions on the Patriots roster to address after free agency hit the team hard. Not only did the Patriots lose starting quarterback Tom Brady, many key defensive players also left New England as free agents, including Kyle Van Noy, Jamie Collins and Danny Shelton. Veteran safety Duron Harmon was traded to the Detroit Lions in a move that opened up salary cap space. Longtime starting kicker Stephen Gostkowski was released, too, creating a need on special teams.
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With several positional needs on both sides of the ball, it's not easy to predict whether the Patriots will go offense or defense with their first-round pick. Oddsmakers, however, are leaning one way.
Here are the latest odds on if the Patriots will choose offense or defense with their first pick (via DraftKings Sportsbook):
Offense: -134
Defense: +110
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Experts are pretty divided on which area the of the field the Patriots will target in Round 1. For example, our most recent 2020 NFL mock draft roundup had six experts predicting the Patriots would take a offensive player at No. 23, while five experts predicted an defensive player.
NBC Sports Boston Patriots insider Phil Perry has Baylor wide receiver Denzel Mims going to the Patriots in his latest first-round mock draft. Wide receiver is among the areas of need for New England, and the 2020 class of wideouts is being labeled as historically good by many experts.
There's always a chance the Patriots could trade down out of the first round and acquire more picks. It's hard to get a read on Belichick, which makes predicting whether the Patriots go offense or defense with their first pick harder than it would be for most other teams.