Never too early.
Try talking about this without mentioning Tim Tebow. It CAN'T be done.
The Pats have a first and three 2nds. That's good. Not only that, but they're all I think #17 or higher.
Honestly I think they should go 100% offense with those picks
In theory the defense is still getting better. Wilhite, Butler, Merriweather, Chung, and God help us Wheatley should get better.
The young LBs should get better and we get back two years worth of draft picks from injury there in the form of Ty McKenzie and Crable.
Hopefully the young Dlinemen Brace, Pryor, and D Richard grow too.
Add some late round picks and maybe a free agent to that as well as performing some chemo on Adalius Thomas and at the very least talent wise they shoul be better on defense, which isn't saying much
But on offense I figure you go something like
1 WR....Dez Bryant? Brady HAS to have someone other than Moss and Edlemen to throw too. Our TEs aren't good. Our backups are Aiken and Isiah Stanbeck so the rookie doesn't have to be great to help. They've struck out on free agents like Joey Galloway and 2nd rounders like Bethel Johnson.
2. Tobey Gearhart. Hard runner. Tough dude.
3. A TE maybe. But Belichek has never seemed to evaluate TEs all that well. None of his TEs have ever really worked out to help. Not D Graham. Not B Watson. Not C Baker. Not Kyle Brady. Not the kid from Texas whose name I can't remember. Not Garret mills.
Maybe best available. Maybe OLB Sean Lee from Penn State (yeah I know what I said)
Orrrrrrrr.....juuuusssssttt maaayyyyybbeeee TIM TEBOW! Don't even tell me you wouldn't be excited.
4. A nasty guard. Stephen Neal is a free agent and had a tough year I think. I'm not sure Rich Olhenberg is ready. He might be better suited as depth.
Make Vollmer starting left tackle. Consider moving Light to right side. Consider cutting him. Consider drafting another tackle.
That would conceivably give the Pats a better D, and Tom someone to throw to, someone to hand it to, and someone to protect him, which is a lot more than you can say for this year.
Then load up with LBs, and DLs in the later rounds. I don't think the Pats have a 3rd rounder. I'm not sure if we'll get compensatory picks
Also if the pick isn't there with the 17th pick trade down. I'm as tired of this as anyone, but if it's not there it's not there.