With Sony Michel entering his third season as a former first-round pick and Damien Harris on mothballs after being a third-round selection last year, the Patriots wouldn't seem to have many needs at running back in this year's draft.
But with James White, Rex Burkhead and Brandon Bolden all entering contract seasons, the Patriots could be heading for a continued rebuild in this group. Ideally, White gets signed to a contract extension to be the wise-old hand, Bolden sticks around on a cheap deal to bring leadership and special teams, the rest of the Patriots backfield stays young and looks for dynamic playmakers out of the draft each year.
This year's draft has some top headliners, but even among our best of the rest, there are names that are going to become known pretty quickly to NFL fans because they are used to playing in space and speed is the name of the game in college.
I wasn't overwhelmed with the top-level talent in this class — it drops off pretty quickly after DeAndre Swift and J.K. Dobbins — but the depth was impressive and value can be found.
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