Here's a breakdown of what the Pats' AFC rivals did to improve their rosters over Draft weekend, sorted by when they will face New England during the 2013 season.
The 2013 NFL Draft has come and gone with the New England Patriots having added seven draft picks, including an athletic pass rusher with their top pick as well as receivers in the second and third rounds.
However, the Patriots weren't the only team making moves over this past weekend. In fact, New England made only minor ripples when compared to the big splashes made by many of the other contenders in the AFC.
Some teams appear to have new franchise quarterbacks while others have new defensive studs. Regardless of what the moves were, teams across the league now have brand new assets that could prove to be key contributors or draft-day busts.
Here's a breakdown of what the Pats' AFC rivals did to improve their rosters over Draft weekend, sorted by when they will face New England during the 2013 season.
Buffalo Bills
2012 Finish: 6-10, tied for last in AFC East
Will face Patriots: Week 1 at Buffalo, Week 17 at New England
The Bills have moved on from perpetual media punching bag Ryan Fitzpatrick (and his ridiculous six-year, $59 million contract extension) by starting over anew at the quarterback position. Buffalo ended up taking the first quarterback over the weekend. However, contrary to the draft experts' projections, they ended up taking Florida State's E.J. Manuel at the 16th overall selection. Manual has great size and upside, but isn't a lock to be the Week 1 starter. Because of that, the Patriots are more likely to see offseason additions Kevin Kolb or Tarvarris Jackson under center in Week 1. By the end of the season, though, Manuel may have worked his way (or be forced) into the starting lineup.
To go with their new franchise passer, the Bills selected one of the draft's better receivers in USC's Robert Woods with their second round pick. They also picked up this year's fastest wideout prospect - Texas' Marquide Goodwin - in the third round.
New York Jets
2012 Finish: 6-10, tied-last in AFC East
Will face Patriots: Week 2 at NE, Week 7 @New York
In the past few days, the quarterback situation for the Jets has been turned on its head. Tim Tebow has been waived out of town. Mark Sanchez is essentially a lame duck starter, if he even sees time under center. Second-round selection Geno Smith is the future, and will be subjected to the same non-stop media blitz that Sanchez immediately following his own draft.
Meanwhile, the defense has seen just as much turnover. Revis Island has drifted town to Tampa Bay. With one of the picks they got in return, the Jets grabbed the Draft's top cornerback, Dee Milliner from Alabama, with the ninth overall pick to pair up with Antonio Chromartie.
They also took Missouri DT Sheldon Richardson with their other first round selection. While the pick isn't a flashy one - and the Jets are still without a premiere outside pass rusher - Richardson does make the Jets undeniably stout upfront. Matched up with the underrated Muhammed Wilkerson on the inside and the up-and-coming Quinton Coples, the Jets have a young, athletic defensive line to build around. Though, whether Rex Ryan and his staff will be around to see them develop is another issue entirely.
The Jets addressed the offensive line with their picks in the third, fifth and sixth rounds in an apparent effort to restore some depth to their questionable personnel up front.
Miami Dolphins
2012 Finish: 7-9, third in AFC East
Will face Patriots: Week 8 at NE, Week 15 at Miami
Early in his career, Patriots QB Tom Brady regularly commented on how former Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor made his life miserable whenever he was lined up across the line of scrimmage. Since Taylor's retirement, the Dolphins have fallen on much harder times, although DE Cameron Wake has done plenty to try and pick up that slack. However, it appears that the Dolphins are putting all their eggs in the "send our DEs after Brady" basket, as evidenced by their trading up in the draft to take Oregon DE/OLB Dion Jordan third overall. Like Taylor, Jordan is tall, lanky and dynamic. He has the skillset to give the Patriots offensive line headaches for years to come.
In the second round, the Dolphins grabbed Boise State CB Jamar Taylor, a prospect who was projected by many media outlets to go to New England at the tail end of the first round. Taylor isn't the most exciting pick, but he's a solid defender and will be a steady presence in a normally shaky Dolphins secondary.
The Dolphins unexpectedly came out of Draft weekend without a left tackle of the future, especially since they were expected to either grab Lane Johnson at that No. 3 spot or trade for Kansas City tackle Brandon Albert later on. While they did grab a solid prospect in Kentucky guard Larry Warford in the third round, there's still a gaping hole at LT in Miami.
Denver Broncos
2012 Finish: 13-3, AFC No. 1 seed, lost to Ravens in Divisional Round
Will face Patriots: Week 12 at NE
Like the Patriots, the Broncos didn't make any big moves to revamp their roster going forward. They're a solid team and needed to mostly bolster the assets they already had. That being said, the Broncos took North Carolina DT Sylvester Williams in the first round. Williams will give Denver a better interior presence along the defensive line, which will be important to help Von Miller thrive on the outside without Elvis Dumervil opposite him.
In the second round, Denver grabbed former Wisconsin workhorse Montee Ball. Ball isn't going to be an explosive Chris Johnson-type threat out of the backfield. But, he has solid size and the vision to be a steady presence in the backfield, which is just what's needed in an offense that's centered around Peyton Manning.
Third rounder Kayvon Webster from South Florida was drafted to develop behind the aging Champ Bailey. Meanwhile, DE Quanterus Smith could be a steal in the fourth round as he recovers from an ACL tear he sustained during his senior year at Western Kentucky.
Pittsburgh Steelers
2012 Finish: 8-8, third in AFC North
Will face Patriots: Week 9 at NE
The Steelers has an uncharacteristically mediocre 2012. However, Pittsburgh still has Ben Roethlisberger and one of the best defensive staffs in the NFL. They'll be back in contention soon. If they are, first round pick Jarvis Jones will likely be a part of the resurgence.
Once considered the top defensive prospect in the 2013 Draft class, Jones fell due to a poor showing in the pre-draft process. Still, Jones was a demon off of the edge at Georgia and the Steelers will make good on his talents in their 3-4 scheme. We may look back and wonder how Jones fell all the way to No. 17 overall.
The Steelers spent the next two rounds replenishing some pieces they lost, starting with Michigan State RB LeVeon Bell in the second round to make up for the departure of Rashard Mendenhall. Bell was one of the country's top backs at Michigan State and was surrounded by an otherwise disappointing offense. While he may not be the best athlete, Bell has vision and polish to excel at the NFL level.
The Steelers also nabbed on of the Draft's best deep threats, Oregon State WR Markus Wheaton, inn the third round. Pittsburgh can only hope that Wheaton's production will match that of another third round speedster that left in free agency: Mike Wallace.
Houston Texans
2012 Finish: 12-4, first in AFC South, lost to Patriots in Divisional Round
Will face Patriots: Week 13 at Houston
The Texans addressed their No. 1 perceived need this offseason by taking Clemson receiver DeAndre Hopkins with the 27th overall pick. Hopkins will be a dynamic player at the NFL level and will provide a solid downfield threat opposite Andre Johnson in order to take some pressure off of the running game.
Houston continued the turnover at the back end of their defense by selecting South Carolina safety D.J. Swearinger in the second round. Whether Swearinger will play alongside or be a successor to Ed Reed remains to be seen. Regardless, the South Carolina prospect will add a major physical upgrade from their current starters, especially Danieal Manning, who is known to lack any sort of pop in the defensive backfield.
Baltimore Ravens
2012 Finish: 10-6, first in AFC North, Super Bowl champions
Will face Patriots: Week 16 at Baltimore
Few teams lost as much as the Ravens did during the offseason, with linebacker Ray Lewis retiring and Ed Reed moving on to Houston. However, Baltimore appears to have their successors in place in their first two selections of the NFL Draft: Florida safety Matt Elam and Kansas State linebacker Arthur Brown.
Elam was one of the three safeties that the experts deemed to be a first round pick and is probably the most versatile of the bunch. As opposed to many of his cohorts, Elam can play the role of the classic center field-type safety a la Reed. Meanwhile, Brown, the brother of Eagles RB Bryce Brown, is a solid athlete who is a little undersized, which is reminiscent of Lewis. Both players are likely to work their way into the lineup by Week 1.
In the later rounds, the Ravens' notable picks included a small-school product - Brandon Williams from Missouri Southern St. - and a productive player from a big-name program - John Simon from Ohio State. Williams is a monster in the middle and could be the Ravens' nose tackle of the future. Simon, meanwhile, was a productive pass rusher for the Buckeyes and could fill a number of roles along the team's 3-4 front.