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 telling you which players the Pats could target come late April.

Previous positions:

Cornerback

Safety

Outside Linebacker

Inside Linebacker

DEFENSIVE END

State of the position: Jarvis Green (free agent), Derrick Burgess (free agent), Ty Warren (4 years remaining).

This is the one to pay attention to. It is hard to imagine the Patriots were satisfied with Burgess’ efforts at outside linebacker and defensive end and would want to bring him back. Green disappointed in his efforts to fill the big shoes of Richard Seymour, and it is looking less and less like the Patriots will ever see the Ty Warren they saw in 2006 again. The offseason will be very interesting for this defensive line, as the Patriots need to significantly upgrade one of the end positions while also trying to retain free agent nose tackle Vince Wilfork. Julius Peppers would cost a pretty penny and Aaron Kampman was a disaster in a 3-4, so free agency might not be the best route for the Pats. Most of the players below would better suit the Patriots as a pass-rushing outside linebacker (arguably their biggest need), so they may need to dip into the defensive tackle pool for someone to put next to whoever plays nose next season.

Potential free agents of note: Julius Peppers, Aaron Kampman (DE/OLB),  Marcus Spears.

DEFENSIVE ENDS IN THE DRAFT TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

Carlos Dunlap: Junior, Florida, 6-foot-6, 290 pounds

2009 stats: 34 tackles, 9 sacks

What he brings: Size, speed.

Where the Patriots could get him: Top 15 (Trade)

Though opinions seem to be mixed on Dunlap, his combination of speed, size, and more size will make scouts gaga. His DUI will obviously turn some evaluators off, but that doesn’t mean some team won’t deem him worth reaching for. After all, it takes just one team—as it did in 2008 with fellow Gator and eighth overall pick Derrick Harvey— to be in love with his potential for Dunlap to be off the board by the time the Pats pick. Dunlap plays well enough against the run and is hard to move, though questions about his work ethic might scare the “motor”-loving Patriots away.

Ricky Sapp: Senior, Clemson, 6-foot-4, 240 pounds

2009 stats: 54 tackles, 5 sacks, FF

What he brings: Pass rush

Where the Patriots could get him: No. 22

Sapp is a hell of a pass rusher but he’ll need to go out and buy himself a cart full of pasta if he wants to stay on the line in the NFL. Despite his lack of bulk, the Patriots could take a look at him as a pass-rushing outside linebacker who occasionally sees time at end, much like the role they envisioned for Derrick Burgess.

Jason Pierre-Paul: Junior, South Florida, 6-foot-6, 265 pounds

2009 stats: 42 tackles, 6 sacks

What he brings: Pass rush, speed

Where the Patriots could get him: Second round

Pierre-Paul must really think NFL scouts are high on junior-college production, because his decision to declare for the draft with another year of D-1 eligibility is a head-scratcher and a half. The talent and potential is there, but it remains to be seen how much stock teams are willing to put into seven starts in the Big East. When thinking of the outside linebackers that the Patriots passed on last year one would have to think that they could be interested in Pierre-Paul in that role based on his size and speed, but how high of a pick would you want to spend on a guy who, on top of being just one year removed from junior college, would be learning a new position? After having it easy for two years at Fort Scott Community College, this may be a lot to throw at one guy, especially someone as raw as Pierre-Paul. Like many here, he seems a better fit for a 4-3 team.

Greg Hardy: Senior, Mississippi, 6-foot-4, 265 pounds

2009 stats: 16 tackles, 5 sacks

What he brings: Pass rush

Where the Patriots could get him: Second round

Hardy, in addition to bringing the above-mentioned pass rush the Patriots have been looking for, brings injury concerns. He has missed at least three games in each of his last two seasons and was most recently hampered by a fractured wrist. Even when Hardy has been on the field, he has been known to be very inconsistent. Hardy’s decision to stay at Ole Miss rather than declare for last year’s draft will prove to cost him, as he likely would have been a first-rounder.

Corey Wootton: Senior, Northwestern, 6-foot-7, 270 pounds

2009 stats: 21 tackles, 4 sacks

What he brings: Size, solid play versus both the pass and the run.

Where the Patriots could get him: Second round

That is a very questionable 270 pounds that Wootton is listed as in our database, so it will be interesting to see his weigh-in at the Combine. Those 2009 numbers aren’t very pretty and they come as a result of injuries. Wootton had offseason surgery to repair a torn ACL and missing the season opener was brought along slowly. He later missed two more games with a high ankle sprain, so it is hard to tell if Wootton was ever playing at 100 percent in his final season. For a better idea of what he’s capable, take a look at his junior year, in which he had 42 tackles and 10 sacks. None of the ends in this year’s class have the size the Patriots lost in the Seymour trade, but Wootton, who may weigh closer to 280, comes closer than most.

Omitted:

Derrick Morgan: Junior, Georgia Tech, 6-foot-4, 270 pounds (projected top 5 pick). It’s extremely hard to imagine the Patriots would trade up that high for someone whose talents would be put to waste in a 3-4.

NEXT: Defensive tackles