Considering the Patriots current needs, the talent available and the impact of each position, who would you prioritize with their first-round pick in the 2025 draft: a left tackle or a pass rusher? Given the value each could bring to the team, which position do you think would have the most immediate impact on the Patriots performance? – Marcelo Schilling

I don't necessarily look at it as which position would make a more immediate impact. It should be more about which player, regardless of position, is better and therefore will help the team more – both in the short and long term. Last season when the Patriots were badly in need of a young quarterback it made the most sense to select Drake Maye, who fit both in terms of position and talent. But this time around the position shouldn't be as big of a factor, because unfortunately the team needs help in a number of spots. I would put tackle at the top of the list, but if there's a big gap in talent between the top tackle and a player at another spot, wide receiver included, then I would take the player at the other spot. It should be all about acquiring the most talented players that are available.

Hello, just a quick question, should the team tank the remainder of the season? A No. 1 pick could be traded for a lot of draft capital. – David Phillips

I don't see any need to tank to improve draft position nor do I see the team interested in doing anything like that in the first place. The Patriots already drafted their quarterback of the future in Maye so there's no need to position themselves to grab another one at the top of the draft. The Patriots have needs at many positions and assuming the pick winds up high in the first round they will have the opportunity to fill one spot with a quality player. If trading down becomes an option, then it's possible the Patriots could move and add some picks. It's early in the process so it's not clear yet which players might be the targets of the teams looking to move up, but at this point there doesn't seem to be a surefire quarterback option that might cause a team to overpay. A lot can change, and will change, over the coming weeks and it's certainly possible a trade will be made. I just don't think the Patriots need to tank in order to get involved in that wheeling and dealing.

Would drafting Travis Hunter be compelling because of his ability to play corner and wide receiver? At two positions of need, it would give us two cracks at hitting on this draft pick. If he doesn't show well at receiver, then you move him to corner. If he doesn't show well at corner, you move him to receiver. If he shows well at both, then that's a great problem to have. – Dan Kim

I love the entire premise of your post. Every point you made is valid and would make sense if any team were interested in taking Hunter. He's an elite talent at the college level at both positions and I will be curious to see how he is evaluated by teams as he heads to the draft. But like I said, your points about being able to cover bases at two huge positions of need makes adding him intriguing. I feel like tackle is the greater need, but I love your reasoning here.

Can you give me any real reason(s) I should be optimistic about this rebuild? I hear all this chatter here and other sites that we'll have a high draft pick and $135 million in cap space. GREAT! But I have very little faith in Eliot Wolf. – Badax Michaud

I can't really do much to change your mind and make you have faith in the operation. It's been one year with Jerod Mayo and Eliot Wolf in charge and I'm willing to give them some time to implement things the way they want them to run. I don't agree with everything that was done last offseason, but I also don't feel that means there's no reason to believe the rebuild can work. Drake Maye looks like he has the ability to give the team some stability at quarterback. Now it's up to the organization to give him some help. I feel like there's plenty of resources available to make that happen. Now it's up to the team to make sure it does.

Why wouldn't the Patriots consider bringing back Josh McDaniels as offensive coordinator. He's a proven top OC who has had great success with the team and might bring the best out of Drake Maye. Would he even consider returning? – Clark Williams

I'm not sure if McDaniels would be interested in returning to the Patriots, particularly if Bill Belichick gets another head coaching opportunity. If that happens, and many believe it will, I would be stunned if McDaniels didn't join him wherever that happens to be. I may be in the minority, but I believe Alex Van Pelt has done a great job with Maye thus far. The rookie has shown great strides since the spring with his footwork and decision making. Obviously, Maye has a ton of talent and athleticism and we've seen that on display. But during training camp we also saw a lot of questionable throws and sloppiness and we haven't seen nearly as much of that since he became the starter. From the Philadelphia preseason game when Maye first started to show flashes of his ability, his development has really accelerated and continues to improve each week. I have to give Van Pelt some of the credit for that improvement as it's his job to work with and nurture the young quarterback. There will always be individual play calls that we all disagree with and believe me no one disagreed with more play calls when McDaniels was here than I did. But overall, he did a nice job of putting the offense together, and I believe Van Pelt is doing a nice job of working with Maye so far as well.

Do the Patriots have enough salary cap space to take on Deshaun Watson, in a trade that also brings a draft pick(s) ... like the Brock Osweiler deal a few years ago? What do you think? – Herb Stocking

The Patriots definitely have the cap space to make that type of deal but why would they want to? Watson is owed a lot of guaranteed money and has played poorly the last two seasons when healthy. Even if he was at full strength, why would the Patriots want to pay him all that money to sit on the bench behind Drake Maye? The Browns made that trade in an effort to acquire draft picks, but they did not have to pay much for Osweiler beyond his $16 million salary. Watson is due $46 million in 2025 and 2026, fully guaranteed. That's too much for a backup quarterback, even if Cleveland was willing to give a first-round pick.

Why did we trade Josh Uche? I thought he was a good player for us. Did I miss something? Why to KC of all teams? – Karen Drake

Uche was headed toward free agency at the end of the season and hadn't really carved out much of a role in DeMarcus Covington's defense. Uche spoke at times of being frustrated with his usage, and rather than lose him for nothing the Patriots decided to trade him to Kansas City. More than likely Uche would have left for another team in free agency after the season anyway so at least they were able to get a sixth-round pick for him. I'm not aware of how many options the Patriots had but the Chiefs were one team that was in need of some pass rushing depth, so it makes sense that they were a willing partner.

Diligent reader, love the insights you all share. Here's a question for you: with Drake Maye recently clearing the concussion protocol, and the league purporting safety for players, why in the absolute hell is this kid's helmet shifting off of his head every time he gets hit? Am I the only one seeing this? Is anyone on the team or in the league responsible for watching for helmet security? Who is in charge of equipment like this for the Patriots? – Chris Tunkey

This is something I've commented on constantly over the last 10 or so years. So many players wear helmets that either don't fit properly or aren't properly secured with their chinstraps. It's a problem I see every week in every game I watch, including in college. I'm not sure if the helmet not fitting correctly is leading to problems with concussions but I'm with you in assuming that it can't be helping. Players should be required to wear helmets that fit and to have them properly secured in an effort to alleviate the problems that come from head injuries. Obviously, concussions are going to continue to be a huge problem in football and there is no way to alleviate that, but I agree with you that forcing the players to wear equipment that fits would at least help in some way.

We have managed to acquire a genuine talent at the quarterback position in Drake Maye. Should we not start building an offensive line around him right now to protect him? What are your thoughts on building around Maye now to protect him going forward for the last half of the season. – Mo Ijaz

I would expect building the offensive line to be a huge priority in the offseason. The Patriots figure to have a high pick in the draft and I wouldn't be surprised to see Wolf use the first-rounder on a left tackle to start that process. The Patriots also need to add a veteran or two to the mix. It's not realistic to expect those kinds of improvements to become available during the season, so instead Wolf has focused on finding young linemen and bringing them in to see if they're worth developing now for the future. That's how Trey Jacobs and Ben Brown came aboard – both were signed from elsewhere after the season started and both are currently starting. But in terms of finding permanent solutions to improve the state of the line, we're going to have to wait until the offseason for that.

I am trying to be patient with this team, but it only goes so far. If the Patriots end the season with only two wins does Jerod Mayo and Eliot Wolf survive until next season? – Don S.

I don't see any way Mayo and Wolf don't return for a second season. They inherited a roster that is in the midst of a rebuild and it will take time to get things situated the way they want. I don't think all the moves they've made to this point have been great, but I also don't think the record is overly surprising and has anything to do with the ability of Mayo and/or Wolf. The Patriots have struggled the last two seasons and this is a continuation of those struggles. Mayo and Wolf need some time to establish their culture and find the kinds of players they want to implement it moving forward. As long as the team doesn't suffer any unforeseen off-field issues in terms of players criticizing the coach or showing a lack of respect and effort, I feel Mayo and Wolf will be back and get a chance to continue toward righting the ship.

DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts expressed in this article are those of the writer and don't necessarily reflect those of the organization. Read Full Disclaimer