NFL Notebook: Where does Pats draft board stand after deals on cutdown weekend?

Taking a Sunday-morning trip around the NFL with a focus on the Patriots...



1. With the trades over cutdown weekend, several people asked if we could offer a reset of where the Patriots are when it comes to draft picks next spring. According to a team spokesman, at this point, New England has picks in the first, second, third and sixth rounds next spring. The Pats’ fourth-round pick was traded for Eric Rowe (more on that in a second), while fifth- and seventh-rounders went to Seattle for Cassius Marsh. In addition, New England picked up a seventh-rounder in the deal that sent Justin Coleman out west, but also traded one to Cincinnati for Marquis Flowers. One positional situation to watch that could have a sizable impact in New England come draft weekend is at corner. Currently, the Eagles own the Patriots’ fourth-round pick because of the Rowe trade. However, if Rowe plays 50 percent or more of New England’s defensive snaps in 2017, that selection becomes a third-rounder. According to the official gamebook, Rowe played 37 snaps on Thursday against the Chiefs, seeing 54 percent of the action. It’s worth keeping a close on Rowe’s playing time as the season plays out, as the Patriots dealt away multiple draft picks on cutdown weekend, and could use all the draft capital possible come next spring.

2. Speaking of snap counts, we’ll keep a running tally in the race to become the team’s iron man for the 2017 season. Last year, offensive linemen Joe Thuney and David Andrews came the closest on offense, playing a whopping 99.64 percent of the possible snaps. On defense, it was Devin McCourty leading the way, having played 97.99 percent of the snaps. In the opener, there were 10 guys who took every snap possible: on offense, Nate Solder, Marcus Cannon, Shaq Mason, Thuney, Andrews and Tom Brady. On defense, it was Kyle Van Noy, Stephon Gilmore, Malcolm Butler and Trey Flowers. The biggest surprise? How little the rest of the inside linebackers played: Elandon Roberts was on the field for just nine snaps, and David Harris for just two. Regardless if it was matchups (the Patriots likely wanted a faster, lighter lineup on the field to combat Kansas City's speed) or health or whatever the case it might be, that’s certainly something worth monitoring as the season rolls along.

3. The fact that Dion Lewis saw his personal win streak in a New England uniform come to an end this week at 17 got us thinking if this was a record. A quick check of the Bill Belichick/Brady era revealed six names that were able to one-up Lewis: Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Donte Stallworth, Adalius Thomas, Brandon Meriweather and Chris Hanson all started their careers with the Patriots with 18 straight wins. The common thread? All of them arrived in New England prior to the 2007 season, and all were involved in the 18 wins to start that season.

4. So, Akeem Ayers, anyone? The linebacker, who is still on the market, has worked out for the Patriots, Giants and Saints, and could be close to making a decision soon. Ayers was a part of the team in 2014, and earned the respect of the locker room and coaching staff in part because he was able to accept a reduced role. The 28-year-old was cut loose by the Colts earlier this month, and while it’s unclear right now how much of his workout was because of legitimate interest in Ayers or just due diligence, if he has anything left, his return could deliver a jolt of depth in the middle for New England.

5. With the Patriots needing depth at wide receiver with the injuries to Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola and Malcolm Mitchell, here are four relatively realistic short-term possibilities at wide receiver they could add going forward.

A) Marquess Wilson: The Washington State product has worked out for New England already, and probably has one of the best resumes of any available receiver out there. The 24-year-old is a 6-foot-3, 194-pounder who has 56 catches for 777 yards and three touchdowns in four years in the NFL, all with the Bears. His best season came in 2015 with Chicago, when he had 28 catches for 464 yards and a touchdown.

B) Jordan Payton: The UCLA product also had a workout for the Patriots last week. The 24-year-old is a 6-foot-1, 209-pounder who spent last season in Cleveland, and had one catch for three yards in four games. He was suspended four games last year for violating the NFL’s policy on performance enhancing substances

C) Marc Mariani: The 30-year-old Mariani is a 6-foot-1, 190-pounder who has played for the Titans and Bears, with his finest season coming in Chicago in 2015 when he had 22 catches for 300 yards, most of which came out of the slot. He also has special teams experience, as he returned both punts and kicks. He’s averaged 9.2 yards per punt return with a pair of returns for touchdowns, and has averaged 24.5 yards per kick return with one touchdown. A long shot, but he’s someone with experience as a receiver and returner.

D) Griff Whalen: The former Colt is a 6-foot-1, 185-pounder who has 47 catches for 509 yards and three touchdowns in five years. He had a cup of coffee with the Patriots, spending a week with New England last year before being released.

6. Looks like former Patriots third-stringer Jacoby Brissett is settling in with the Colts — as expected, the unflappable youngster has rolled with the punches since the trade to Indy. Penciled in as the backup quarterback to Scott Tolzien for Sunday’s opener, he’s taking the whirlwind of the last week or so in stride.  “You’ve got to continue to learn and grow,” he said when asked about the change of going from a third-stringer to backup with the Colts. “(I’ll) definitely dive into the playbook and be ready to do whatever I have to do. I understand it’s a process and take it day by day.” Would he be shocked if he ended up playing Sunday against the Rams? “It’s the NFL,” he said. “After the last 48 hours, nothing is surprising.”

7. Everyone knows about the looming contractual questions facing the Patriots when it comes to Malcolm Butler and Jimmy Garoppolo. But who are some of the others players who will see their contracts come up at the end of the 2017 season? Here’s a list of some of New England’s more notable players are currently scheduled to hit free agency at the end of the year: Nate Solder, Malcolm Butler, Rex Burkhead, Danny Amendola, Matthew Slater, Dion Lewis, Nate Ebner, LaAdrian Waddle, Cassius Marsh, Marquis Flowers and Brandon King.

8. Some leftover quotes from my conversation with Stallworth earlier this week.

A) On Brady and the passing game: “I think the most interesting thing about Tommy is that he has said something to the effect of ‘Nothing good happens when I have the ball in my hands.’ His goal is to get it out as soon as possible to the guys who can do something with it. He’ll continue to find the best possible matchup on any given play, on any given series, and that’s what will make them successful. Josh McDaniels does a great job of calling the right plays at the right time and giving Tommy the ability to audible within the framework of the personnel.

B) On the loss of Julian Edelman: “When I look at the potency of this offense, and that will change now that Julian is no longer in there, but there’s still plenty of depth at all positions. The thing that Brady will be able to do with those guys is that he can continue to find that mismatch and exploit that mismatch. Inevitably, there will be someone left one-on-one. But the bottom line is that you have to find a way to get open and catch the ball, and if you don’t do that, Bill will find someone who can. It seems almost like clockwork — every year, there’s an offensive guy who comes out of the woodwork, someone who has been waiting for an opportunity. That will happen this year with the loss of Edelman.”

9. After starting the season 0-1 (in the interest of full disclosure, I had New England over Kansas City in the opener), here’s how I see the rest of the week shaking out: Bills, Eagles, Titans, Texans, Lions, Steelers, Falcons, Ravens, Rams, Niners, Packers, Cowboys, Vikings, Broncos.

10. The Patriots have the weekend off, and will be back in the facility on Monday, and get back to the business of practice on Wednesday. They’ll practice Thursday and Friday, and are schedule to leave for New Orleans on Saturday before their first road game against the Saints since 2009 on Sunday afternoon.