After an uneventful March in New England, April's off to a wild start.

The unexpected trade of Brandin Cooks yielded the No. 23 overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft, giving the Patriots four selections in the top two rounds.

Bottom line: The Pats will have options later this month.

They could package the No. 23 and No. 31 pick (and possibly a mid-round selection) to move up if a desirable quarterback such as Baker Mayfield, Josh Rosen, or Josh Allen slips into the 8-12 range. They could stand pat and load up on defensive talent. They can find future starters at left tackle and tight end. They'll have flexibility, no doubt about it.

Here’s our initial draft projection for the Pats:

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IMMEDIATE NEEDS

Offensive tackle: LaAdrian Waddle looked like a quality starter in limited action this past season. He re-signed on a one-year deal and is tentatively penciled in at left tackle for the Pats. He's talented, but has had issues with durability (ankle and knee injuries bothered him in December and January). Behind Waddle, there's not much experience. Tony Garcia, Cole Croston, and Andrew Jelks combined for eight offensive snaps as rookies. Free-agent signing Matt Tobin isn't guaranteed to make the 53-man roster.

After free agency, it’s clear that this position remains New England’s most pressing need.

Edge defender: The Pats' pass rush was an issue throughout 2017. They have a fine nucleus in place here with Trey Flowers (entering the final year of his rookie deal), Adrian Clayborn (signed in free agency), Deatrich Wise Jr. (showed promise as a rookie), Derek Rivers (missed entire rookie season with a knee injury), and Eric Lee (saw action as a rookie when injuries hit). The team has been in contact with veteran James Harrison, but he remains unsigned.

Look for the Pats to target a pass rusher in the draft.

This also fits the “long-term need” category if the team is worried about losing Trey Flowers in 2019 free agency.

Linebacker: There's enough talent here with Dont'a Hightower, Kyle Van Noy, Elandon Roberts, and Marquis Flowers.

Hightower, though, has been prone to injuries throughout his career (he played only five games in 2017). Roberts and Flowers are situational players. All signs point to the Patriots looking to add a rookie linebacker to the mix.

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LONG-TERM NEEDS

Quarterback: After dealing Jimmy Garoppolo, the Pats need to find Brady's successor soon. No pressure.

Wide receiver: Chris Hogan, Kenny Britt, Cordarrelle Patterson, and Phillip Dorsett are free agents after the 2018 season. Julian Edelman will be 33 years old entering 2019. There could be significant turnover at this position.

Tight end: Who lasts longer — Tom Brady or Rob Gronkowski?

Even if Gronk returns in 2018, the team must operate as if he’s year-to-year.

Chances are they’ll draft his eventual replacement later this month.

Cornerback: Eric Rowe and Jason McCourty hit free agency after the 2018 season. Stephon Gilmore is locked in as a starter for the next several seasons. The Pats would be wise to keep adding youth to this position.

Strong safety: Patrick Chung is one of New England's best defensive players, but he'll be 31 years old in August. At some point, they'll need to replace him.

Jordan Richards doesn’t seem to be the answer.

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Round 1, Pick 23

RASHAAN EVANS, LB, ALABAMA

This will be a popular one. The Pats need help along the front seven, and Bill Belichick has never been shy about tapping into the Alabama pipeline.

Evans isn't massive like Dont'a Hightower, but he's extremely athletic and can play a variety of roles on all three downs.

He has a pre-draft visit to New England lined up, according to AL.com.

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Round 1, Pick 31

HAYDEN HURST, TE, SOUTH CAROLINA

Hurst appears to be surging up draft boards. He could be the No. 1 tight selected.

The 6-foot-4, 250-pound Hurst is ready to contribute immediately.

"He's a grown man out there," a NFC executive told NFL.com. "No, he is literally a grown man. I love watching him play but he's 24 now so I think he's maxed out. He is who he's going to be physically so now we have to see how much better he gets as a football player."

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Round 2, Pick 43

SAM HUBBARD, DE, OHIO STATE

A fringe first-round prospect, Hubbard has ideal size (6-foot-5, 265 pounds) and versatility.

According to his NFL.com draft profile, Hubbard was set to attend Notre Dame on a lacrosse scholarship until Urban Meyer came calling.

He posted an impressive 6.84 in the three-cone drill at the NFL combine.

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Round 2, Pick 63

BRIAN O'NEILL, OT, PITTSBURGH

Athletically, O’Neill compares to Nate Solder.

He has terrific length at 6-foot-7, but probably needs to add weight. O'Neill flashed impressive athleticism at the combine, clocking in at 4.82 in the 40-yard dash (that’s almost two-tenths of a second faster than Jimmy Garoppolo, for reference). He also ran a 4.5 in the 20-yard shuttle and a 7.14 in the three-cone drill.

Like Solder, O’Neill’s bench press numbers were in the low 20s (22 for O’Neill, 21 for Solder at the 2011 NFL combine).

He’d be an interesting addition to a group of young tackles.

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Round 3, Pick 95

KYLE LAULETTA, QB, RICHMOND

A bunch of different scenarios are in play at quarterback.

For the purposes of this mock, we'll go with Scenario C: Kyle Lauletta fortunately falls into the Patriots' lap in the third round.

Here are Scenarios A and B...

A: The Pats trade into the top 10 -- say picks 8-10 -- to draft a quarterback. Let's assume that three quarterbacks will come off the board with the top three picks. That leaves a fourth -- likely Baker Mayfield or Josh Allen -- potentially dropping.

If Mayfield is still on the board toward the latter part of the top 10, the Pats could make a play.

Consider how the Texans and Chiefs acquired their young quarterbacks a year ago: Kansas City traded the No. 27 pick, a third-round pick, and its 2018 first-rounder to Buffalo to move into the No. 10 slot and grab Patrick Mahomes. Houston traded the No. 25 pick and its 2018 first-round selection to move up 15 spots for Deshaun Watson at No. 12.

We could see something similar from the Patriots, who have the ammo to make a bold move.

B: The Pats take Lamar Jackson at No. 23 or No. 31. This would be fascinating. Jackson is a world-class athlete, but he completed less than 60 percent of his pass attempts in college.

C: The Pats grab a quarterback from the next tier -- Lauletta, Mason Rudolph, Luke Falk, etc.

Rudolph is a likely second-round pick.

D: They bypass the quarterback position altogether. This is unlikely.

Keep in mind: The Pats have a soon-to-be 41-year-old Tom Brady and a 32-year-old backup in Brian Hoyer. They’ll be in the market for multiple quarterbacks in the coming years. If they can’t land a surefire starter in the 2018 draft, they may still look to add a backup with upside.

Remember the Redskins' approach in the 2012 draft, when they drafted Robert Griffin with the No. 2 overall pick and spent a fourth-round pick on Kirk Cousins.

The more shots you take, the better chance you’ll hit on one.

That’s why the Patriots will remain in the quarterback market even if their guy isn’t available in Rounds One or Two.

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Round 6, Pick 198

KALEN BALLAGE, RB, ARIZONA STATE

The Pats probably won't take a running back within the first few rounds, but they could look to stash a high-upside player late.

Ballage fits that description.

He has an ideal size-speed combination (ran a 4.46 40 while weighing in at 227 pounds) and can contribute in the passing game (caught 44 passes as a junior at Arizona State).

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Round 6, Pick 210

SEAN WELSH, G, IOWA

Hey, you can never have enough Iowa offensive linemen.

Welsh was a four-year starter under Kirk Ferentz. He played both guard and tackle.

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Round 7, Pick 216

JACK CICHY, LB, WISCONSIN

Hasn't played since midway through the 2016 season, but was among the most productive linebackers in the Big 10 when healthy.

Cichy's 2016 campaign was cut short by a torn pectoral muscle. He then suffered a torn ACL during the summer of 2017.

After the season ended, Cichy opted to forgo his remaining season of eligibility to declare for the draft.

NFL.com draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah recently called Cichy an "excellent player."

"Instinctive, athletic, and productive," Jeremiah wrote. "Injury history is a concern but he can play."

Check out this clip of Cichy recording three consecutive sacks in a 2015 game versus USC.

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