NFL DRAFT: Patriots hope to reverse history of poor draft picks at wide receiver and secondary

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Patriots have some familiar needs in the NFL draft as they try to improve the secondary and at wide receiver.

Maybe Bill Belichick will choose better than he did in his other 13 drafts with the team.

Unless he makes a trade, he'll have only five picks, so there could be increased emphasis on signing rookie free agents once the three-day draft ends on Saturday.

But drafted players have a better shot at productive careers, although that often hasn't been the case with the Patriots. Five of the eight defensive backs they drafted in the first four rounds during the past six years are no longer with the team.

At wide receiver, the Patriots have chosen four in the last seven years and only one remains.