Tom Brady showed how great he was last season when the Patriots got rid of all of his best receivers and he still almost drove the team to the Super Bowl.  Tom Brady is the best QB in football and he has the rings to prove it.  He doesn’t have the strongest arm in the league or the fastest feet, but he is the smartest QB (sorry Peyton Manning).  Brady’s drive to be the best has rubbed off on his offensive teammates as the Patriots still wound up with a good offense last season despite his lack of WRs.  That won’t be a problem this season with the additions of Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Dontae’ Stallworth and Kelley Washington.  Wait until you see the monster numbers Brady will put up this season for the Patriots.  Brady started all 16 games last season and he completed 319 of 516 (61.8%) passes for 3,529 yards with 24 TD passes and 12 INTs (87.9 QB Rating).  He also carried the football 49 times for 102 yards (2.1 ypc).  Brady has been a great football player ever since he got to the Patriots as a 6TH ROUND DRAFT PICK!  Brady has played in 96 games (94 starts) and he’s completed 1,896 of 3,064 (61.9%) passes for 21,564 yards with 147 TDs and 78 INTs (88.4 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 239 times for 435 yards (1.8 ypc) with 3 TD runs.

Matt Cassel will again be Tom Brady’s caddy.  Cassel doesn’t get to play much but he does a good job when he gets the opportunity.  He played in 6 games (0 starts) last season and he completed 5 of 8 (62.5%) passes for 32 yards with 0 TDs and 0 INTs (70.8 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 2 times for 4 yards (2.0 ypc).  Cassel was a backup QB at USC in college and the Patriots still drafted him which shows you how serious the Patriots are on Draft Day.  Cassel has played in 8 games (0 starts) in his career and he’s completed 18 of 32 (56.3%) passes for 215 yards with 2 TD passes and 1 Interception (84.8 QB Rating).  He also carried the football 8 times for 16 yards (2.0 ypc).

Mike Elgin is the classic Iowa offensive lineman as he’s versatile enough to handle a lot of positions along the line.  But, he’s not that good of a pass protector and he will need to improve on that if he wants to get on the field as a Patriot.  His body also is soft and he needs to tighten it up a little bit.  He should be able to add more bulk to his 6′3″, 291 pound frame.  He will likely struggle to make the team and will likely be placed on the practice squad as a rookie.

The Patriots were happy to see Oscar Lua available in the 7th round.  The only reason he was is because he had multiple injuries at USC that kept him out of games.  Lua is 6′1″, 245 and he runs a 4.9 40 so he is the classic type of inside linebacker.  Lua can’t make plays towards the sideline or cover a tight end because of his lack of speed, but he’s a really good run defender when teams try to run between the tackles.  Look for Lua to be a backup as a rookie and to help out on special teams.

Corey Hilliard is a big guy at 6′5″, 318 pounds and he’s quick for his size.  Hilliard is very strong and aggressive as he likes to take the fight to the defense.  He played against good competition at Oklahoma State and his weaknesses all can be worked on with good coaching and he certainly will get that in New England.  Look for Hilliard to be a backup tackle this season but he could eventually be a starter for the Patriots as long as he works hard on his game.

This was a sneaky good pick by the Patriots.  Hairston played his first couple of seasons at Rutgers and they he transferred to Central Connecticut so that he would get more playing time and he exploded.  Hairston carried the ball 277 times for 1,847 yards (6.7 ypc) with 20 TD runs!  Hairston isn’t much of a pass catcher as he only caught 5 passes for 58 yards (11.6 avg).  He often only plays on running downs.  Hairston also could pitch in on special teams for the Patriots as he returned 16 punts for 136 yards (8.5 avg) and he returned 7 kickoffs for 157 (22.4 avg).  Hairston is 6′2″, 222 pounds and he runs a 40 in 4.58 seconds.  Look for Hairston to contribute on the offense as a reserve and on special teams as a rookie.