2012 NFL Draft: Brockers Appearance Suggests New England Patriots Might Trade Up

Published: 5^th Apr 12 9:08 pm

by Sean Rollins
seanrollins

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Crystal LoGiudice-US Presswire

The New England Patriots are going into the 2012 NFL Draft with two pressing needs: defensive line and defensive back. Over the last 24 hours, LSU star defensive lineman Michael Brockers has been spotted at Patriot Place and Gillette Stadium, home of the Patriots. So are the Patriots planning a move?

Michael Brockers is one of the top defensive lineman in the draft and by all indications, he will not be available when the Patriots make their first selection late in the first round. However, these reports seem to indicate that the Patriots are taking an interest in the lineman described as similar to Richard Seymour who the Patriots traded prior to the 2009 season. This would seem to be a possible move for the team as they have been unable to fill the void left by Seymour at right end since his departure.

With the 27th selection in the first round being the first selection for New England, chances are virtually non-existent that Brockers would be available that late. Most projections for the big lineman have him going about midway through the first round possibly as high as 11th and as low as 25th but it would be very surprising to see him go any lower than that. It’s possible that the Patriots could make a trade with one of those teams to acquire what the Patriots may see as an essential piece to the future of their defense.

Currently the Patriots interest level in Brockers is purely speculation as pre-draft visits are common in the NFL and in no way mean that a team is serious in pursuing a particular player or pick. However, with the potential of a player such as Brockers, there exists a real possibility that his skill set may convince the Patriots front office to make a move to grab one of the premier defensive linemen in this year’s draft.

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