Brief summary of what happened
After free agency, the Patriots had holes on the interior of both the offensive and defensive lines. After losing Vince Wilfork to the Texans and starting left guard Dan Connolly remaining unsigned, the Patriots are in need clear starters at both positions. Following those primary needs, the Patriots were also looking for a linebacker depth, a long snapper, and defensive end and linebacker depth that is under team control past 2016.
The Patriots started off by initially preparing to trade down with the Houston Texans, assuming that the Colts would draft Malcom Brown with the 29th pick.