5 Things to Know About the Patriots Heading into the 2018 NFL Draft
Thursday, April 26, 2018
From significant players leaving in free agency to players skipping offseason workouts, New England’s 2018 draft is shaping up to be a critical one.
“There have been a few changes to the roster on and off. That’s pretty common; I mean, it’s going on throughout the league. I’m sure there will be more of it over the course of the next four months, and we’ll continue to do whatever we can to try to help and improve the football team in whatever way that is. You know, it’s an exciting time of year, really. You know, we had free agency. I’d say there’s a little bit of a lull in that, although it hasn’t ended,” said Patriots head coach Bill Belichick during his pre-draft press conference on Friday, April 13 at Gillette Stadium.
The 2018 NFL Draft is set for Thursday, April 26 at 8 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN.
Patriots Off-Season So Far
After losing the Super Bowl to the Eagles, the Patriots saw key offensive players such as Nate Solder, Danny Amendola, and Dion Lewis leave via free agency, while New England traded away Brandin Cooks and tight end Martellus Bennett.
To replace them, the Patriots signed wide receivers Jordan Matthews and Cordarrelle Patterson, as well as, running back Jeremy Hill.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Patriots lost cornerback Malcolm Butler to free agency and released linebacker Shea McClellin.
New England has signed defensive end Adrian Clayborn, defensive lineman Danny Shelton and defensive back Jason McCourty to strengthen the defense.
So what does all this mean for the Patriots and their 2018 NFL Draft?
See everything you need to know in the slides below
Related Slideshow: 5 Things to Know About the Patriots Heading into the 2018 NFL Draft
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