The Patriots lost tight end Rob Gronkowski to retirement, saw wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson sign with the Bears and wide receiver Chris Hogan remains a free agent, so those spots look like areas that could be addressed via the draft even with wideout Philip Dorsett back and other free agent signings at both positions.
Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports the team is visiting with a few potential additions on Thursday. Pelissero reports that former Ole Miss wide receiver A.J. Brown, former South Carolina wide receiver Deebo Samuel and former Iowa tight end Noah Fant are in New England.
Fant and his college teammate T.J. Hockenson are often ranked at the top of the tight end group and the Patriots might need to navigate up from No. 32 if they want to land one of them in the first round.
Brown is also generally considered to be a strong candidate to go in the first round while Samuel, who caught 11 touchdowns last season, is expected to be a second-day pick.