New England Patriots 2011 Draft Top 50 Big Board

Even though the Patriots are still in the playoffs, I can't help but look towards the draft, where the Patriots own six of the first 96 selections, and three in the first 33. The Patriots have needs at some positions (offensive line, defensive line, outside linebacker, running back) and are well off at other positions (inside linebacker, cornerback, quarterback), which affects which players I place on my draft board. Here's my list of draft needs:

1. Defensive End - The prototypical Patriots DE is over 6-3 and weighs no less than 295 lbs, in order to have the mass to watch two gaps.
2. Offensive Guard - The Patriots have no idea at the current strength of their guard position. Logan Mankins could walk and that leaves Dan Connolly and Ryan Wendell as the two guards on the roster; an upgrade is needed. They must be between 6-2 and 6-4 so they have the size, but they don't block Brady's throwing motion, and be between 290-315 lbs.
3. Offensive Tackle - Matt Light's contract is up, but the Patriots might sign him to a short term deal, much like the deal they gave guard Stephen Neal. Nick Kaczur will be returning from injury, but there's absolutely room for improvement. They must be 6-4 or taller and weigh between 305-320 lbs.
4. Outside Linebacker - The Patriots may have found a gem in Eric Moore, but they could always have room for a dominant pass rusher. Jermaine Cunningham has promise, Rob Ninkovich is a quality cover outside linebacker, and Tully Banta-Cain can generate pressure. Still, none of these players are dominant and a game changing OLB could make the defense even stronger. They must be between 6-2 and 6-5 and weigh between 250-270 lbs.
5. Center - Dan Koppen is still the field general and he's gotten better as the year's grown older, but it's unknown how long he can remain in a Patriots uniform. A center of the future could be drafted in the middle rounds (unlike Ted Larsen who was drafted at the end of the 2010 Draft) and they could be ready to take Koppen's spot in a couple years. They must be 6-2 to 6-4 and weigh between 290 and 310 lbs.

The least important positions are quarterback and inside linebacker where the Patriots have no room on their roster for additional players. Let's take a look at the Big Board after the jump!

Note: I give a place where the players would be worth a draft pick for the Patriots. Mark Ingram, for example, is a first round prospect, but I have him slotted a "Early Second" because that's what I believe the player's actual value is for the Patriots.

	Rankings		Position	Height	Weight
1	A.J. Green	E1	WR	6'4	205
2	Marcell Dareus	E1	DE	6'3	306
3	Patrick Peterson	E1	CB	6'1	218
4	Prince Amukamara	E1	CB	6'1	200
5	Julio Jones	M1	WR	6'4	210
6	Nick Fairley	M1	DE	6'4	299
7	Aldon Smith	M1	OLB	6'5	260
8	Cameron Jordan	M1	DE	6'4	290
9	Derek Sherrod	M1	OT	6'6	305
10	Ryan Kerrigan	M1	OLB	6'4	263
11	Brandon Harris	M1	CB	5'11	195
12	Anthony Costanzo	L1	OT	6'7	295
13	Cameron Heyward	L1	DE	6'6	287
14	Allen Bailey	L1	DE	6'4	288
15	Robert Quinn	L1E2	OLB	6'5	268
16	Mike Pouncey	L1E2	OG	6'4	310
17	Justin Houston	L1E2	OLB	6'3	258
18	Jonathan Baldwin	L1E2	WR	6'5	225
19	Mark Ingram	E2	RB	5'10	215
20	Stefen Wisniewski	E2	OC	6'3	306
21	Rodney Hudson	E2	OG	6'2	284
22	Gabe Carimi	E2	OT	6'8	320
23	Akeem Ayers	E2	OLB	6'4	255
24	Michael Floyd	M2	WR	6'3	220
25	Muhammad Wilkerson	M2	DE	6'5	305
26	Rahim Moore	M2	S	6'1	205
27	J.J. Watt	M2	DE	6'6	285
28	Jeremy Beal	M2	OLB	6'3	267
29	Demarcus Love	M2	OT	6'5	315
30	Davon House	M2	CB	6'0	185
31	Jared Crick	M2	DE	6'6	285
32	Brandon Burton	M2	CB	6'0	185
33	DeMarco Murray	L2	RB	6'1	208
34	Sam Acho	L2	OLB	6'3	260
35	Quinton Carter	L2	S	6'1	200
36	Mikel Leshoure	L2	RB	6'1	228
37	Benjamin Ijalana	L2E3	OG	6'4	320
38	Jabaal Sheard	L2E3	OLB	6'3	260
39	Titus Young	M3	WR	5'11	170
40	Leonard Hankerson	M3	WR	6'3	215
41	John Moffitt	M3	OG	6'4	323
42	Jake Kirkpatrick	L3	OC	6'3	305
43	Christian Ballard	L3	DE	6'5	296
44	Austin Pettis	L3	WR	6'3	201
45	Mark Herzlich	L3	OLB	6'4	245
46	DeAndre McDaniel	L3	S	6'1	210
47	Deunta Williams	E4	S	6'2	205
48	Curtis Brown	M4	CB	6'0	185
49	Tim Barnes	M4	OC	6'4	300
50	Kristofer O'Dowd	M4	OC	6'4	300

That's the top 50! If you have any comments, feel free to post them or shoot me your thoughts on Twitter.