On paper, this defensive line might be the most defensive line the Patriots have had the last ten years. The acquisitions of defensive tackle Danny Shelton and defensive end Adrian Clayborn to go along with Malcolm Brown, Lawrence Guy, Vincent Valentine Trey Flowers, Deatrich Wise and Derek Rivers gives the Patriots a deep and versatile group up front defensively.

Rushing the passer has been an issue for the Patriots in recent years. The Patriots will again be counting on their edge rushers to get pressure. While they get some pressure from their defensive tackles, they don’t get the necessary push needed to affect opposing passing games.

Stopping the run shouldn’t be an issue with the size the Patriots have at defensive tackle. The NFL might be a pass first league but controlling the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball still matters.

Here is my breakdown of the Patriots defensive line.

Projected Starters: Adrian Clayborn (LDE), Trey Flowers (RDE), Malcolm Brown (DT), Danny Shelton (DT)

Back-Ups: Lawrence Guy (DT), Vincent Valentine (DT), Deatrich Wise (DE), Derek Rivers (DE)

Positional Thoughts: Other than running back, defensive line is the Patriots deepest and most talented position. As always, this group will be judged by how much pressure they get on opposing quarterbacks.

Sacks have been hard to come by in recent years but so has consistent pressure. The Patriots will once again rely on their edge rushers to get pressure. They won’t get anything out of their defensive tackles in this area because they want big bodies inside who can stop the run.

The onus will be on Flowers and the newly acquired Adrian Clayborn to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks but youngsters Deatrich Wise and the returning Derek Rivers will also be counted on to get pressure on in sub packages.

New de facto defensive coordinator Brian Flores wants to be more aggressive and blitz more. In the past, the Patriots have had to be more aggressive because they couldn’t generate a base pass rush. If they can get more pressure from their front three and their front four, they could bring additional rushers on certain downs and make life tougher on opposing quarterbacks.

The Patriots have a lot of talent along their defensive line. If they stay healthy, this group could very good.