NFL Draft 2018: 10 prospects New England Patriots can target to start fixing their defense right now

The New England Patriots' loss in Super Bowl LII proved one thing: The defense needs help. The 2018 NFL Draft is a good place to start looking for it.

After drafting just four players this past season, Bill Belichick and the Patriots head toward this year's draft with extra draft capital thanks to the Jimmy Garoppolo trade.

Currently, the team holds the No. 31 and No. 43 picks in the draft, giving them two shots at players who fall into the late Round 1/early Round 2 range.

The Patriots won't fix their defense with just rookies from this draft. But considering all the issues they showed against the Philadelphia Eagles, they're going to need a lot of new talent in order to make this unit great again.

Here are 15 prospects in this year's draft the Patriots could target to help out defensively.

1. Hercules Mata'afa

Position: Defensive tackle/end

School: Washington State

Height: 6-foot-2

Weight: 252 pounds

Projection: Late Round 1 or late-round pick

Potential fit: Inside-out pass rusher

The Patriots need pass rush help. But since they're drafting at the end of the first round, most of the prime prospects will be off the board.

Mata'afa is a peculiar case because he played defensive tackle at Washington State. In the NFL, he likely won't spend much time there (especially on early downs). However, he was one of the most disruptive players in all of college football. The 2017 consensus All-American recorded 22.5 tackles for loss in 2017.

As a result, the projections for Mata'afa vary wildly. Some see him as a Round 1 pass rusher. Some places project him as a late-round middle linebacker.

We know he can get into backfields. It'll just be up to the coaching staff to put him in a position to succeed. The Patriots should be able to do that, putting him as an edge rusher on early downs and bumping him down inside on passing downs.

2. Harrison Phillips

Position: Defensive tackle

School: Stanford

Height: 6-foot-3

Weight: 295 pounds

Projection: Late Round 1

Potential fit: Interior pass rusher

The Patriots have some talent along the defensive line who can play the run like Lawrence Guy and Malcolm Brown. They really don't have a guy who can push the pocket very well.

Phillips projects as a balanced tackle, a high-effort player who's been graded well in his ability to collapse the pocket into the quarterback's lap. He's not a superb athlete, but he is a productive player who fills a need for this defense.

3. Maurice Hurst

Position: Defensive tackle

School: Michigan

Height: 6-foot-2

Weight: 282 pounds

Projection: Late Round 1

Potential fit: Interior pass rusher

Hurst is a little undersized to be an NFL defensive tackle. But as his college career showed, he's hell to block -- in the run game or in pass protection.

Hurst is being projected in that Aaron Donald, Geno Atkins mold of undersized tackles who are just a nightmare for interior linemen to block.

Hurst, who grew up in Canton, Massachusetts, has potential to surpass expectations at the NFL level if his game translate. He presents tremendous upside for the Patriots defense.

4. Ogbonnia Okoronkwo (Nigeria Root)

Position: Defensive end/Outside linebacker

School: Oklahoma

Height: 6-foot-1

Weight: 242 pounds

Projection: Round 2-3

Potential fit: Edge rusher

The projections for Okoronkwo are all over the place.

He was highly productive in college, but is undersized as an edge defender at the NFL level. He's athletic and has some legit power. However, scouts are split on his ability to hold up against NFL blockers.

Okoronkwo has some boom-or-bust potential. But then again, so does everyone.

Okoronkwo doesn't have much experience dropping into coverage, so he'd be pretty raw if the Patriots played him at linebacker early on in his career.

5. Rasheem Green

Position: Defensive end

School: USC

Height: 6-foot-5

Weight: 280 pounds

Projection: Late Round 1

Potential fit: Stout defensive end

Green is big for an edge rusher. He's got that big, stout frame that the Patriots have typically valued in their defensive ends. He's basically the same size as Deatrich Wise, just listed nine pounds heavier.

This past year, the Patriots had issues with holding the edge in the run game, partially due to undersized players like Eric Lee. The addition of Green would as a solid pass rusher as well as some bulk to the unit.

6. Sam Hubbard

Position: Defensive end

School: Ohio State

Height: 6-foot-5

Weight: 266 pounds

Projection: Late Round 1

Potential fit: Pass rusher

Hubbard has prototypical size for a defensive end and comes from a team coached by Urban Meyer, a known associate of Belichick.

Ever recent seasons, Hubbard has been overshadowed by other players at Ohio State (namely Joey and Nick Bosa). However, Hubbard has plenty of upside himself as an NFL pass rusher.

Hubbard, a 2017 second-team All-Big Ten selection, capped off his career with 2.5 sacks of Sam Darnold in the Buckeyes' win over the Trojans in the Cotton Bowl.

7. Malik Jefferson

Position: Linebacker

School: Texas

Height: 6-foot-3

Weight: 240 pounds

Projection: Late Round 1

Potential fit: Off-ball linebacker

Physically, Jefferson is the prototypical NFL linebacker. He's big, he's fast, he can cover, he can blowup plays in the backfield. Mentally, he's been knocked by scouts for "guessing" on plays.

Currently, Jefferson excels when he's tracking the ball and coming down line a missile. He needs some refinement when trying to read and react to offenses. He could be an intriguing successor to Jamie Collins in the Patriots defense as a raw linebacker who can grow into something great.

8. Leighton Vander Esch

Position: Linebacker

School: Boise State

Height: 6-foot-4

Weight: 240 pounds

Projection: Late Round 1

Potential fit: Off ball linebacker

Vander Esch missed all of 2016 due to injury before coming back with a big year in 2017. After choosing to declare early, Vander Esch left school with a shorter resume than many would like.

Still, there's plenty to like from him as a prospect. He grades out well as an athletic linebacker who can keep up with coverage. He also has requisite size to handle the position at the NFL level. 

Vander Esch isn't a top-tier prospect just yet but has been generating increasing buzz on the draft circuit as time has gone on.

9. Rashaan Evans

Position: Linebacker

School: Alabama

Height: 6-foot-3 

Weight: 234 pounds

Projection: Late Round 1

Potential fit: Off-ball linebacker

Evans almost makes too much sense as a Patriots prospect. He played at Alabama under Belichick associate Nick Saban. He's also a decorated college player who was a leader on a national championship team. The 2017 Butkus Award winner *best linebacker) has top-tier speed for the position, which is an important trait for NFL defenses trying to defense passes inside.

He's not a big, hulking linebacker like Dont'a Hightower, who's about 35 pounds heavier. Instead, Evans is a superb athlete who matches up best when he's in coverage, a place where many Patriots linebackers struggle.

10. Dorance Armstrong Jr

Position: Defensive end/Outside linebacker

School: Kansas

Height: 6-foot-4

Weight: 246 pounds

Projection: Late Round 1

Potential fit: Hybrid edge defender

Armstrong was a tremendously productive player for a Kansas team that has not won a lot of games in recent years. Still, Armstrong presents big upside as an edge rusher thanks to his athleticism and quick first step.

With his size, Armstrong doesn't project great as a three-down defensive end. However, if the Patriots could incorporate him as a part-time linebacker (think something line a Rob Ninkovich role), Armstrong could thrive in the Patriots' defense.