New England Patriots projected defensive starters

 Defensive Line: 

May 27, 2015; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft (left) and president Jonathan Kraft (right) pose with first-round draft choice defensive lineman Malcom Brown at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports

DT/NT : Malcom Brown, LDE: Jabaal Sheard, RDE: Chandler Jones 

The Patriots continuously switch their formation based on their opponents, but I decided to put them into a 3-4 defense. The Patriots expect Malcom Brown to have a direct impact on their team, and he definitely has the talent for it. Some people saw Brown as a top 10 pick, so the Patriots really got a steal at 32. Brown is extremely athletic and powerful and has the ability to wreak havoc on opposing offensive lines. Brown should be very solid in both run and pass defense. The Patriots will run into issues when trying to run a 4-3 defense as they are not very deep at defensive tackle. They hope either Dominique Easley, Alan Branch or Sealver Silgia can step up as a second DT.

While Jabaal Sheard could theoretically play a few snaps as the second defensive tackle as well, he is an outside rusher, and the Patriots will mostly use him as such. This will give the Patriots more rotation opportunities, as last year Jones and Ninkovich played almost every snap. Jones has been a standout for the Patriots on defense at times, but they will look for him to get more consistent pressure on the quarterback. His run defense was very good last year and that should continue this year. This year the Patriots must pressure the quarterback quicker, otherwise their secondary will get burned.

Next: Linebackers