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The 2017 NFL Scouting Combine is right around the corner. The annual event is set to kick off on February 28 and will feature a total of 330 invitees.

A handful of these draft hopefuls is going to end up with the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots. While the Patriots aren't likely to enter the draft with a ton of holes on the roster (they rarely do), the team will be looking to improve for the coming season, add depth and prepare for the future.

With these goals in mind, here are 10 combine participants that Patriots fans need to become familiar with. We'll be examining players who are expected to fall in all stages of the draft and who either fill an immediate need, could provide depth at a key position or simply seem fit for Bill Belichick's style of team building.

We're only focusing on players who have been invited to the combine, and we'll only be looking at players the Patriots have a realistic shot at drafting. While we'll leave a little wiggle room for trade possibilities, guys expected to go near the top of Round 1—like Myles Garrett, Jonathan Allen and Jamal Adams—are out.