The New England Patriots already made it clear that they would be running a different style of defense when they let cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner walk via free agency.
They hammered that point home when they spent seven of their 11 draft picks on the defensive side of the ball, including five draft picks on defenders for their front seven (three edge defenders, one defensive lineman, one stand-up linebacker).
Most Patriots observers were expecting that head coach Bill Belichick would prioritize the cornerback position. Belichick has spent early draft picks on the position plenty of times in the recent past, and after losing two players of such a high caliber, there appeared to be a precedent that he would invest in the secondary once again.