Every year, the NFL Draft is an event that draws interest and critique, and it is also a chance for some of the lowest-ranking teams to shine. After all, it is the teams that did the worst the prior year that landed the highest draft picks. The New England Patriots, though, bucked that trend and made sure that they ended up with the top draft grades in the AFC East. This is in addition to finishing at the top of the AFC East in 2009 with a record of 10-6, just one game ahead of the New York Jets, who also made the playoffs with a wildcard spot.

One of the major reasons the Patriots were able to be so successful is that they were negotiating to give themselves the best pick positions in each round. For the first round, they grabbed pick No. 27 from the Dallas Cowboys. With it, they selected Rutgers cornerback Devin McCourty. On top of his potential as a defender, McCourty is also expected to be a top contributor on special teams. He will be one to watch for fans with New England Patriots tickets which can be found online.

The Patriots impressed again with their first pick in the second round, this one from the Chicago Bears through the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Oakland Raiders. They used the 42nd overall pick on Arizona tight end Rob Gronkowski. The team needed a tight end after they lost both Chris Baker and Ben Watson in the offseason. Gronkowski is expected to blossom into a top contributor.

They used their given pick in the second round, 53rd overall, to land Florida defensive end Jermaine Cunningham. Cunningham wasn’t one of the big names in the star-studded Florida lineup, but he has the skill set to be a top contributor. They had the third pick in the second round, the 53rd overall pick, which they got from the Minnesota Vikings through the Houston Texans. With it, they snagged another Florida star, linebacker Brandon Spikes.

In the third round, they picked up the 90th overall pick Kamagra jelly from the Cowboys and selected Ohio wide receiver Taylor Price, who could end up being a big playmaker. In Round Four, they used a pick from the San Francisco 49ers through the Denver Broncos to add another tight end, Florida’s Aaron Hernandez. They remained active in the later rounds, selecting Michigan punter Zoltan Mesko (Round Five), North Carolina State offensive lineman Ted Larsen, Vanderbilt offensive lineman Thomas Welch (Round Seven), Alabama defensive end Brandon Deadrick (Round Seven), Georgia defensive tackle Kade Weston (Round Seven) and Oklahoma State quarterback Zac Robinson (Round Seven). The Patriots have history of making good on their late-round choices, like when they selected now-legendary quarterback Tom Brady in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.

The Patriots could see challenges by both the Jets and the Miami Dolphins for the division this year. The Jets picked up Boise State cornerback Kyle Wilson in the first round and Massachusetts offensive tackle Vlad Ducasse in the second round. The Dolphins decided to bolster their defense and selected Penn State defensive tackle Jared Odrick in the first round and Utah defensive end Koa Misi in the second round.

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