FanHouse DariusButler

Who moved to the head of the NFL class during the draft? Find out with FanHouse's team-by-team 2009 Draft Grades.

No team enjoys wheeling and dealing on draft weekend quite like the New England Patriots. The 2009 draft was no exception, as they made a series of moves resulting in 12 picks, and the stockpiling of even more selections in 2010.

As a result, the moves left the Patriots with no first-round selection for the first time since 2000, which is also the same year they selected some guy named Tom Brady.

Along with the 256 college players drafted last weekend, cornerback Ellis Hobbs also got a new home: the Patriots sent him to the Eagles for a pair of fifth-rounders. It was a surprising move, even for the trade-for-picks-happy Pats. Not only because cornerback was a liability last season in New England, but also because Hobbs is one of the best kick returners in the league.

The Patriots signed Shawn Springs and Leigh Bodden this spring, and '08 second-rounder Terrence Wheatley will compete for playing time with his '09 counterpart, Darius Butler. Which made it easier to jettison Hobbs, despite the fact that he started every game the last two seasons.

NEW YORK -- The New England Patriots drafted UConn's Darius Butler thinking he could replace cornerback Ellis Hobbs at cornerback and in the kick-return game. Today, they accelerated that process, trading Hobbs to the Philadelphia Eagles for a pair of fifth-round picks. The wheeling-dealing Pats immediately flipped both picks, trading up in the fourth round to take Penn State offensive lineman Richard Ohrnberger.

The Eagles, who actually had five fifth-round picks before this deal, sent New England the No. 137 and 141 overall picks in exchange for Hobbs. New England immediately traded both of those picks to Baltimore for the 123rd and 198th picks, and selected Ohrnberger at 123.

With the draft approaching, we ignore projections and identify the dream scenario for each team in a series we call The Perfect Draft.

A year ago, the Dolphins were coming off a 1-15 record and had locked up Jake Long with the first-overall pick a week before the 2008 draft. Now, one year into Bill Parcells' Reclamation Project, Miami is 11-5, defending AFC East champs, and hold the 25th selection in Saturday's draft.

With the draft approaching, we ignore projections and identify the dream scenario for each team in a series we call The Perfect Draft.

In 2008, the New England Patriots became the first team in over 20 years to win 11 regular season games and fail to qualify for the postseason. Considering they lost their franchise player -- Tom Brady -- just about five minutes into the season, forcing them to turn to a quarterback who hadn't started a game in eight years -- Matt Cassel -- an 11-5 campaign isn't all that disappointing.

With Brady back under center in 2009, the Patriots look to be a strong bet to return to the playoffs, especially if they address the one or two holes that remain on the roster.

Believe it or not, there is going to be an important storyline at next week's NFL draft that won't involve Matthew Stafford, Mark Sanchez or offensive tackles.

Even through all the posturing and coach-speak, it's still fairly easy to pinpoint just a handful of locations where Stafford or Sanchez might wind up. You can also more or less figure out which team needs a burly lineman or linebacker upgrade, and guess where guys like Eugene Monroe, Brian Cushing or Ray Maualuga might end up.

But I dare you to find a team that doesn't need cornerback help. There aren't many out there, which is why that position's fluidity heading into New York is a large part of the reason draft boards are still so uncertain.

Earlier today, MDS noted that Ohio State cornerback Malcolm Jenkins' draft stock may be dipping after he ran a disappointing 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine on Tuesday. Connecticut's Darius Butler does not have the same issue, and could wind up reaping the benefits of a Jenkins slide.

While Jenkins clocked in with a 4.52 40, Butler managed to record an unofficial 4.45 -- slower than he hoped, but still the second-fastest time posted by a cornerback, behind only the 4.41 time of Norfolk State's Don Carey.

Each week, FanHouse's Rollercoaster Report will take a look at several NFL Draft prospects to find out which players' stocks are on the rise, and who's stuck in freefall.

This edition previews the 2009 NFL Combine, which runs Feb. 18-24 in Indianapolis, and features a massive list of potential draft picks.