The Patriots have the following draft picks in 2013:
1. 29th overall
2. 59th overall
3. 91st overall
7a. 226th overall
7b. 235th overall
Highlighting some of the recent players picked in the 59th spot:
2012: DE Vinny Curry (Eagles)
2011: WR Greg Little (Browns)
2010: RB Montario Hardesty (Browns)
2009: CB Sherrod Martin (Panthers)
2008: WR Dexter Jackson (Buccaneers)
2007: C Ryan Kalil (Panthers)
2006: OT Jeremy Trueblood (Buccaneers)
2005: DT Jonathan Babineaux (Falcons)
2004: S Sean Jones (Browns)
2003: LB Alonzo Jackson (Steelers)
2002: CB Sheldon Brown (Eagles)
1997: DL Brandon Mitchell (Patriots)
1990: QB Tom Hodson (Patriots)
ANALYSIS: The second-round is considered an area where teams are able to find starting level talent, even in the latter portion. The past 10 years of pick 59 have produced an All-Pro caliber center in Kalil, a solid, versatile defensive lineman in Babineaux, as well as a dependable cornerback in Brown. There’s a mixed bag of results elsewhere throughout the past decade, as the full jury remains out on Curry and Little. Interestingly enough, pick 58 has proven to be a sweet spot over the past four drafts: linebacker Lavonte David, wide receiver Torrey Smith and the Patriots’ own Sebastian Vollmer were all taken in that slot. Given that the Patriots have just five selections in this draft, the importance of making their top selections count is particularly high, as they have less draft capital to work with in the later rounds where they could have taken developmental-type prospects (2012 seventh-round pick Jeremy Ebert is an example of such a prospect).