Are the New England Patriots on their way back down to the pack in the AFC? While last season might have given us a glimpse of exactly that, they're going to be contenders every single season Tom Brady suits up. 

That being said, there is a lot of work to do here and the Patriots are in uncharted waters. They only have five picks in next week's draft and will have to get creative (water from a rock) in order to make a dramatic impact in the annual event. 

Here is our full seven-round Patriots' mock draft. 
 

First Round:   Da’Rick Rogers, Wide Receiver, Tennessee Tech

It’s pretty obvious that New England has to find a wide receiver or two before it hits training camp in the summer. The Patriots missed out on Emmanuel Sanders when the Pittsburgh Steelers matched their restricted free-agent offer to him. While Rogers isn’t ranked this high by most mainstream experts, his upside is nearly unprecedented when it comes to wide receivers in the draft.

While Rogers played last season at a small school against less-than-stellar competition, he has experience dominating opposing defenses in the SEC. In reality, Rogers could easily turn into a No. 1 wide receiver for the Patriots within a season or two.

Second Round:   Sam Montgomery, Defensive End, Louisiana State

I am nowhere near as high on Montgomery as some are. I see issues with character, motor, passion and technique. That being said, there is one thing that you cannot discount when it comes to this youngster; he has a tremendous amount of talent.

With the switch to more of a 4-3 defensive front, New England will have to find a defensive end opposite Chandler Jones to fit that bill. It gets “first-round talent” here.

Third Round:    T.J. McDonald, Safety, Southern California

Will McDonald play free safety or strong safety in the NFL? That’s the million dollar question. The USC product would have easily been an early second-round pick last season, but decided to come back to college for his senior year. Much like former teammate Matt Barkley, this hurt his draft stock. I view McDonald as a great strong safety option next to Devin McCourty.

Seventh Round:   Abry Jones, Defensive Tackle, Georgia

One of the most underrated defensive linemen in the draft, Jones was a primary reason that the likes of Jarvis Jones, John Jenkins and Kwame Geathers had so much success for Georgia over the last couple seasons. He will be a great in-the-trenches defensive tackle for a Patriots’ team in need of more depth. This would be an absolute steal.

Seventh Round:   Collin Klein, Quarterback/Athlete, Kansas State

I have no idea why the Patriots would draft Klein here or what position they’d expect him to play. I do know one thing: this has Bill Belichick written all over it. If Klein doesn’t work out as a quarterback, an extremely likely scenario, the Patriots could use him at wide receiver or tight end. Heck, he could be their answer to the read option. Intriguing to say the least.