It doesn't take a football genius or a math major to figure out where the Patriots have been hurting the last few years. The only one who didn't seem to get it was Ellis Hobbs, and how did that work out for him?
 
So while we all know the Patriots don't draft for need -- and we know that because Bill Belichick keeps telling us -- we can at least consider the last two drafts a happy coincidence. 
 
That's because the Pats have continued to throw resources at the defense in general, and the secondary in particular. Turns out the best players available also played the right positions.
 
If you take the seven players the Patriots took in 2008 and add their first three picks this weekend, you'll find that nine of those 10 picks came on defense. And of those nine, five were defensive backs  (including '08 fifth-rounder Matthew Slater, a special teams performer who has played both safety and receiver).
 
That makes perfect sense given the fact the Pats were 31st in the NFL in touchdown passes allowed last year. It makes perfect sense given they were 31st in red zone defense and 26th on third downs. It's perfectly reasonable that they would draft for need … er, I mean, take the best players left on the board.
 
Check back in a year or two to find out whether Patrick Chung (SS, Oregon, No. 34 overall) or Darius Butler (CB, UConn, No. 41) can play. I don't know, and neither do you. Belichick thinks so, of course -- but, then again, he liked Guss Scott and Dexter Reid, too. He once thought Hobbs was an adequate No. 1 corner. It turns out not even the best coach in the league can be trusted with this stuff. He'll have to wait along with the rest of us on the young guys.
 
But whether kids pan out or not -- and we include 2008 draftees Terrence Wheatley and Jonathan Wilhite in that mix as well -- one thing is for certain: the Pats were committed to changing the makeup in the secondary this year. 
 
And Hobbs was the victim.
 
He certainly wasn't a great player. Heck, he wasn't even half as good as he thought he was. But he played hurt, played hard and always competed. He was a very good returner in the kicking game. The problem was that he was left on his own way too often against good receivers and he couldn't stay with them. He should have been a nickel guy and a key part of the Pats' middle class. But because Asante Samuel was allowed to depart and the acquisitions at the position have been so spotty over the years, he was thrust into a prime role.
 
Hobbs felt he was qualified for that role, and some fans and media even agreed. But those folks were proven wrong Sunday. A couple of fifth-rounders is all the Pats got from the Eagles for their former third-round pick and No. 1 corner.
 
After the trade went down Hobbs expressed "shock" the Pats would move on from him and "frustration" over the fact his rookie contract had yet to be renegotiated. How typical. The guy thinks he's Deion Sanders. Good luck, Ellis. Say hello to Asante for us.
 
Meanwhile, free agents Shawn Springs and Leigh Bodden represent big departures from Fernando Bryant and Deltha O'Neal, last year's forays at corner, because the Pats had to give Springs and Bodden some money and they had to get them early. Bryant and O'Neal were scrap-heap, minimum-level fodder, and their performance matched their pay. By any measure, Springs and Bodden should be upgrades.
 
No one knows if Rodney Harrison will return, but even if he does his role should be diminished. There are too many younger, fresher legs back there. Brandon Meriweather and James Sanders will start and Chung will try and crack the rotation. Tank Williams returns as a veteran flyer. At corner, there will be plenty of youth competing with Springs and Bodden. 
 
It's an interesting mix, but will it work? Again, check back later.
 
A few other items before we return to the Pats' Twitter page to check for updates:
 
1. One area where the Patriots' manta of not drafting for need absolutely held true was at outside linebacker. This was supposed to be a deep draft for those college defensive ends who project as standup, edge guys in an NFL 3-4 defense. And there was at least one inside linebacker, USC's Rey Maualuga, who was thought to have the size to be able to step right into the middle of a 3-4. Many fans were salivating at the thought of placing Maualuga next to Mayo for the next decade. But obviously not seeing the value, the Pats passed on all of them. They could have moved up a few spots and gotten a guy like Robert Ayers out of Tennessee, who went to Denver at No. 18, or they could have stood at No. 23 and gotten a guy like USC's Clay Matthews. They could have had Maualuga all the way to No. 38, where Cincinnati nabbed him. Linebackers were everywhere this draft.
 
But the Pats didn't bite until they came to their compensatory pick at the end of the third round. And with no option to trade it (it's against the rules), the Pats took a relative nobody, Tyrone McKenzie out of South Florida. McKenzie could end up inside or outside, and he'll join Gary Guyton, Vince Redd and Shawn Crable as the young linebackers who will attempt to carve out some playing time next to super sophomore Mayo. So, ideally, the linebacker spot will mirror the secondary, with some young blood challenging the status quo.
 
Unfortunately, the Pats did nothing over the weekend to address their problems on the pass rush. Mike Vrabel still hasn't been replaced. That Jason Taylor thing had better come through. (Is the Julius Peppers dream officially dead?)
 
2. Time will tell if the selection of Boston College defensive tackle Ron Brace at No. 40 was done with Vince Wilfork in mind. If the Pats feel they can use Brace as leverage in negotiations against the free-agent-to-be, then they'll probably be sorely mistaken. The only thing that will keep Wilfork from waiting out an Albert Haynesworth-type offer is the franchise tag. And if the Pats feel that Brace can someday play up to the level of Wilfork, then we wish them luck. They are going to need it.
 
3. Finally, the Pats took three offensive linemen over the weekend, including a tackle in the second round (Houston's Sebastian Vollmer). Best available, or happy coincidence?
 
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"The Baseball Show'' with Felger, Lou Merloni, Sean McAdam and Steve Buckley, premiers on Saturday, May 2, at 9 a.m. on Comcast Sportsnet, with a simulcast on WEEI. "Sports Sunday," hosted by Felger, premiers Sunday, May 3, at 10 p.m., on Comcast Sportsnet. Felger can be reached at mfelger@weei.com.