One reason for New England to sign veteran Marcus Stroud to play defensive end in their 3-4 scheme right before the lockout was the added flexibility he gives the team, on the field and on the draft board. That spot is a need area for the Patriots. So by getting a stop-gap player, there’s now less of a need to reach for that position during the draft.

If the right player is there for the Patriots, then so be it. Most teams couldn’t do enough of the above without free agency, which means more clubs have more holes going into draft weekend. That means you might see more “runs” on positions than normal, with teams moving up the board as certain positions become thin.

“I think when those players are leaving the board in a need category, teams are really going to feel the uncertainty of free agency and start grasping for those needs,” said the AFC personnel director. “You don’t even know what the rules are going to be in free agency – ‘Is this five-year or four-year guy gonna be available? What’s the deal?’