WEEI.com is the place to be for everything you need to know about the 2010 NFL Draft. We’re kicking off the draft coverage by going through the Patriots’ depth chart, position by position, and highlighting the players the Pats could target come late April.
Previous positions:
Cornerback

SAFETY
State of the position: Brandon McGowan (1 year remaining), Brandon Meriweather (2 years remaining), James Sanders (2 years remaining), Patrick Chung (3 years remaining)

Meriweather, 25, is perhaps the brightest spot in the entire secondary, and with the continued development of Chung, the Patriots appear to have a couple of hard-hitters capable of holding down the fort at strong safety. Free safety is a question, though far from pressing. The likes of James Sanders and Brandon McGowan look more average when playing alongside Meriweather, but between the former Hurricane seeing some time at free safety and Chung fighting for playing time any way he can get it (he played a more versatile safety in his senior year at Oregon) the Patriots have enough viable bodies at safety and won’t need to make a splash at either position early in the draft.

Potential free agents of note: Darren Sharper, Nick Collins, Antoine Bethea, Roman Harper, Tyvon Branch

The Patriots are unlikely to take a safety in the early rounds, but if they do, keep an eye on LSU's Chad Jones. (AP)

SAFETIES IN THE DRAFT TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

[Note: Many of the draft’s top prospects (Eric Berry, Taylor Mays, and Earl Thomas) are safeties, but the chances of the Patriots taking a safety in the first round — let alone moving up for one — are so minimal that the draft’s top safeties have been left out.]

Chad Jones: Junior, LSU, 6-foot-3, 214 pounds
2009 Stats: 73 tackles, FF, 3 INT

What he brings: Hands, speed, size, return capabilities

Where the Patriots could get him: Second round

Yes, this is the same Chad Jones that throws a low-90s fastball as a left-handed pitcher and was a part of LSU’s College World Series championship team as a reliever/outfielder. Other sports aside (videos of him dunking are out there, too), Jones would essentially make James Sanders useless, and though his very high ceiling at free safety would be tempting to the Patriots, it’s hard to justify upgrading a position so early that doesn’t need it.

Kam Chancellor: Senior, Virginia Tech, 6-foot-4, 220 pounds
2009 Stats: 65 tackles, 0 FF, 2 INT

What he brings: Size, versatility to play any position in the defensive backfield

Where the Patriots could get him: Fourth round

Chancellor is definitely a natural strong safety (a high school quarterback if we’re nitpicking), but he played free safety in his final two years and spent time at cornerback as a freshman. He wouldn’t threaten anybody’s playing time out of the gate, but he would provide excellent depth behind Meriweather, Sanders and Chung. The Pats have four picks on Day 3 (that will take some getting used to), so while it would be the height of insanity to go safety early, Chancellor in the fourth would be a little less controversial.

Late-round safeties:
Barry Church: Senior, Toledo, 6-foot-2, 219 pounds (rounds 5-6). Four-year starter with hands.
Myron Rolle: Senior, Florida State 6-foot-1, 220 pounds. If Maurice Clarett and Mike Williams were taken seriously after a year off, why shouldn’t Rolle, who was a top recruit?