Patriots Path: NFL Draft Boom or Bust; Who's Pick at 14?

Feels like the New England Patriots are at a crossroads in this weekend's NFL Draft. Select multiple starters - if not stars - and climb back into contention in the AFC East playoffs, or ... become merely uncomfortable, uncompetitive fodder on Super Bowl contenders' schedule for the foreseeable future.

Come to think of it, they've been here before.

In 1993 - in a galaxy far, far away - the Patriots were coming off a 2-14 record which capped a putrid 14-50 stretch dating to 1989. Coach Dick MacPherson was fired. CEO Sam Jankovich resigned. It was a total mess.

The Pats' saving grace was owning the No. 1 pick in the draft. Oh, and a new head coach named Bill Parcells.

Before mocking the early days of mock drafts - "My wife asks me and I won't even tell her" - Parcells shocked the experts by selecting a quarterback. Not Notre Dame's Rick Mirer, but instead Washington State's Drew Bledsoe.

The Pats jumped to 5-11 in Bledsoe's rookie year and made the Super Bowl four seasons later. Couple years later along came men named Belichick and Brady and ... voila, dynasty.

Now, 30 years and six Super Bowls later, the Patriots don't have the No. 1 pick and - at No. 14 overall - likely won't shock the experts by drafting a quarterback. But with the AFC East train gaining speed with the arrival of Aaron Rodgers in New York, New England has to "win" this draft or be left at the station.

The Patriots enter the draft with plenty of holes, but also ample ammunition to help fill them.

Their glaring priority positions of need are offensive lineman, cornerback and receiver, and various mock drafts have the Pats selecting everyone from Illinois' Devon Witherspoon, Northwestern's Peter Skoronski and Boston College's Zay Flowers.

Their staff coached the East-West Shrine Game. They attended the Scouting Combine. They held numerous Top 30 visits to Foxboro, including a surprise last-minute hosting of projected Top 10 quarterback Will Levis.

The Pats will be on the clock at No. 14. But with their other 10 picks for years to come they'll be on the hook.

New England's Top 30 visits:

CB Emmanuel Forbes (Mississippi State)

WR Jonathan Mingo (Ole Miss)

WR Jordan Addison (USC)

OL Cody Mauch (North Dakota State)

WR T.J. Luther (Gardner-Webb)

DT Scott Matlock (Boise State)

WR Zay Flowers (Boston College)

LB Viliami Fehoko (San Jose State)

S Jammie Robinson (Florida State)

OT Broderick Jones (Georgia)

LB Nolan Smith (Georgia)

WR Michael Wilson (Stanford)

DE Tyree Wilson (Texas Tech)

TE Dalton Kincaid (Utah)

DE Lukas Van Ness (Iowa)

OT Tyler Steen (Alabama)

RB Aidan Borguet (Harvard)

WR Ronnie Bell (Michigan)

S Marte Mapu (Sacramento State)

EDGE Myles Murphy (Clemson)

CB Isaiah Bolden (Jackson State)

QB Will Levis (Kentucky)

CB Mekhi Garner (LSU)

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