The New England Patriots are entering the offseason with the sixth-most salary cap space in the NFL, which means they could wind up being pretty active on the open market in free agency.

Of course, they also have some key players they need to bring back and holes across their roster.

Patriots fans want to know about a recent first-round pick, biggest needs and how the team can approach the 2023 NFL Draft.

@TTMBrian
OBJ to Patriots ? 👀

Yes, the Patriots are expected to be in attendance for Odell Beckham Jr.'s workout on Friday in Arizona, according to a source. It would be surprising if the Patriots made a serious run at Beckham. It seems like New England will be there more to do some due diligence.

But if Beckham impresses, you never know what will happen. And that's why New England will show up.

@Duke0fHampshire

How do we like the Cole Strange pick after one year? Did we overreact?

It’s actually a pretty complicated topic given all of the factors.

It was definitely a major surprise around the league when the Patriots drafted Cole Strange 29th overall. That was evidenced by the reaction from Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay and general manager Les Snead laughing and joking about it in a post-Round 1 news conference. I reached out to people around the league, and they were relatively shocked, as well.

Strange was fine as a rookie. He was seemingly benched in two games against the Indianapolis Colts and New York Jets, struggled as a run blocker, let up five sacks but actually finished pretty strong down the stretch.

He played decently for a rookie. Given the surprise that came with the pick, the Patriots would have looked smarter if he had come out of the gate as one of the NFL’s best guards, especially since he’ll already be 25 years old in July.

But you also have to consider that he was coached by Matt Patricia, who was doing double-duty unqualified as offensive line coach and offensive play-caller. The offensive line in general was a mess outside of center David Andrews and right guard Michael Onwenu.

So, to answer your question, I don’t really know! I still don’t love the idea of taking a 24-year-old guard out of Chattanooga with a first-round pick. But if he turns into an All-Pro then it barely matters about the perception of the pick. It still kind of does, though, because draft value is important. If Strange wasn’t being taken before the third round, the Patriots drafted him in the first round and could have got him in the second round, then they should have done that. Or if he wasn’t going to be selected until the middle of the second round, then they should have traded down and grabbed him later while picking up additional capital.

@David11tn
With Rodgers potentially coming to the division, does that put CB over OT and WR with the 14th pick?

I can see that argument, but I could also argue that the the Patriots should also be focused on scoring as many points as possible to keep up with Aaron Rodgers. I can see trying to adjust to what divisional or conference rivals are doing through free agency or trades a little bit more than the draft, though.

The Patriots should be looking for an elite-level cornerback, especially if they lose Jonathan Jones in free agency.

@nepatriotstalk1
Going through the OT’s in this draft class who do you think would be the best long term for the Patriots?

I think Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski, the No. 8 prospect on NFL Media draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah’s Top 50, is probably the best long-term fit since New England doesn’t typically require ideal length out of their tackles, and that’s really the one knock on him.

Tennessee’s Darnell Wright, Ohio State’s Paris Johnson and Georgia’s Broderick Jones are also in Jeremiah’s top 20. Johnson and Jones are better fits since they’re viewed as left tackles. Wright is more viewed as a right tackle, and that’s been a position New England has valued a little lower through the years.

@ffootballbum
I feel like it's a no brainer to go OT if Paris Johnson or Skoronski are available at 14. Thoughts? For once, I'd support trading down if they aren't on the board…although I love JSN

The Patriots could definitely use a franchise left tackle. But they do currently have Trent Brown on the team, so if they need to, they could wait one more year to add a left tackle and go after a right tackle option this offseason.

If they get Skoronski, Johnson or Jones, then Brown could always shift over to right tackle.

@TheOrigCatfood
Is there anything to the Mac Jones to Las Vegas rumors?

I think there’s something to the Las Vegas Raiders considering Mac Jones as an option, but that doesn’t mean the Patriots would be willing to trade him.

From what I’ve heard, New England would only consider if if they were guaranteed an upgrade at quarterback, and that’s a difficult guarantee.

The Patriots did meet with Anthony Richardson at the NFL Scouting Combine, so it appears they’re keeping some options open.

@CcVibez
Everybody is talking about OT, WR and CB as our biggest needs. I really only agree with OT…

What are we going to do at LB and S? Especially if DMac retires?

The Patriots had a top five defense in EPA per play, so while the linebacker corps doesn’t look overly impressive on paper, they were effective in 2022. They will either need to re-sign or replace Raekwon McMillan and Mack Wilson, who are free agents, but that doesn’t seem overly difficult to do on either front.

The cornerback and safety needs are tied together. Cornerback Jonathan Jones and safety Devin McCourty are free agents. If both players leave, then New England suddenly needs an outside cornerback and free safety. If only McCourty leaves, then Jones could actually take over at free safety, which creates a need at cornerback. If only Jones leaves, then another cornerback is needed. If both players stick around, I actually still think they need a high-upside cornerback.

The Patriots’ defense was effective last season, but the unit really did miss a top-tier outside cornerback against elite wide receivers. Jalen Mills isn’t that type of player, Jonathan Jones and Marcus Jones are both better in the slot, and Jack Jones appears to have that upside, but he’s still young.

Honestly, the Patriots have a need for good players. It’s not an overly talented roster right now, which is why they missed the playoffs.

Featured image via David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports