NBC Sports Boston

If the Patriots had to play a game tomorrow, they could. Luckily for them, they don't have to. But they are in a spot where typically they like to be this time of year, which is to be mostly devoid of eye-poppingly glaring needs headed into the draft. When that's the case, they don't have to over-extend in order to fill a gaping void on the roster. Instead, they can get into late April and simply take the best player available whenever it is they're picking.