It may be April, but it’s a hectic period for the Pats as the offseason program kicks off and the NFL draft nears.

Glen Farley The Enterprise @GFarley_ent

FOXBORO – The calendar says it’s the offseason.

The coach begs to differ.

“It’s an exciting time of year, really,” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said at his pre-draft press conference at Gillette Stadium on Friday. “You know, we had free agency (which began on March 14). I’d say there’s a little bit of a lull in that, although it hasn’t ended. Obviously, there’s a lot of excitement with the draft coming up. Our players will be returning for the offseason program on Monday (today) and we’ll start to meet with them and then head into on-field work in May – end of April, early May – and then into OTAs (organized team activities). So, it’s an exciting team-building time with the evaluation of new players, eventually new players coming onto the team, and watching our players come back.”

Preparations for the 83rd annual National Football League Selection Meeting – better known as the NFL draft – continue at Gillette.

“I’d say we still have some work to do here,” said Belichick. “We’re a couple of weeks away (from the April 26-28 draft). I think we’ve accumulated – let’s call it 99 percent of the information, 98 percent of the information – and now we really have to go back and kind of fine tune that, which it’s a little easier to do when you have all of the information so you’re not sitting there talking about, ‘Well, these two guys but we really need to find out more about this guy before we can make that comparison.

“Our process is kind of to get to that point, call it a week before the draft, and pretty much have all of the information in. There may be one or two morsels out there but for the most part that (information is) in. Then (we’ll) start to spend probably the better part of that next week really trying to fine-tune our evaluations.”

They are champions of the AFC, an eight-point loss to Philadelphia all that stood between them and the sixth Super Bowl championship during Belichick’s 18-year reign, yet they are a team with needs.

Nate Solder’s defection to the New York Giants has left the Patriots with a void at left offensive tackle, the decision to trade Jimmy Garoppolo to San Francisco has left them lacking a developmental quarterback behind the 40-year-old Tom Brady, there is the urgency for help at linebacker (where Dont’a Hightower’s health is always a concern) and on the edge of the defense and, while they’re at it, the soap opera that is Rob Gronkowski (coupled with Dwayne Allen’s obvious shortcomings as his backup) has created a need at tight end as well.

 Regarding Gronkowski, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Sunday that, like Brady, he would not be present for the start of the voluntary offseason program, as he is still considering whether to play in 2018. Citing a source, Schefter reported that the tight end has had "good communication" with the Patriots. MMQB's Albert Breer previously reported that Brady is expected to return home from Qatar, where he's been doing work for his charity, Best Buddies, and spending time with his family, late Monday.

As for the Patriots, armed with eight picks, including two in each of the first two rounds, they would seem to have the means to address a number of their issues.

But if you’re basing your mock draft on the Patriots’ needs, well, Belichick says you’re mistaken.

According to the coach, his team’s approach is based on talent, not on any perceived needs.

“The whole draft need thing is, I don’t really understand that,” said Belichick. “You put a card up on the board. That doesn’t mean the guy is a good player. I think it’s important to acquire good players wherever they are.

“If you take a player at a position that you might so called ‘need’ but he’s not good enough to fill that need, then it’s a wasted pick. So, I don’t understand the whole need thing. I understand player value, and that’s what we try to go by.”