New England Patriots

New England managed to climb back to the top of the AFC during Mike Vrabel's first season as head coach, as an MVP-level performance from Drake Maye helped produce countless highlights and the best overall point differential in the conference.

Obvious success aside, New England certainly benefited from a soft schedule, and the team's mostly good-not-great ranks in everything other than passing offense reflect the reality that this isn't exactly a juggernaut roster just yet. Good news: The Patriots have the ninth-most effective cap space to work with this offseason on top of a whopping 11 total draft picks to help build off a 2025 campaign that exceeded everyone's expectations.

Wide Receiver: New England has the cap space and draft capital to potentially make a serious move here for a legit stud. A reunion between Mike Vrabel and old friend A.J. Brown sure is provocative, while George Pickens (will he accept a franchise tag?) and Brandon Aiyuk (has he played his last snap in San Francisco?) could also feasibly be available in the trade streets.

Safety: Help will be needed in a secondary inside a room that was forced to heavily rely on rookie fourth-rounder Craig Woodson after somewhat surprisingly parting ways with former team captain Jabrill Peppers last August.

EDGE: The front office has used just one top-100 pick on the defensive line in their last four drafts combined, so adding bodies to a group that racked up the league's seventh-fewest sacks despite blitzing at the league's 12th-highest clip is encouraged.