It's sort of like Dumpster diving behind a high-end restaurant supposing that the scraps are still going to be pretty good: When the Patriots trimmed their roster in advance of last season, other clubs swept in quickly to collect their discards, with nine of New England’s cuts agreeing to deals announced within two days of being released.

And the same could well be true this weekend, with the NFL requiring teams to reduce their rosters to 53 by 9 p.m. tonight, and with the Patriots left no choice but to cut a number of players who could have value to other clubs after getting a significant opportunity this preseason.

With their starters on both sides of scrimmage basically set, the choices made by Bill Belichick and his staff are likely to be made with significant consideration given to special teams and versatility, the general idea being that the more a player can do the more value he brings.

That in mind, here’s a projection of how the roster could look as New England begins really moving toward its opener at Tennessee, and whose jobs are in serious jeopardy:

QUARTERBACKS (3):Tom Brady, Brian Hoyer, Ryan Mallett. Belichick’s comments after Wednesday’s 6-3 exhibition loss suggested the second-string slot is still to be decided. Not buying it. They paid Hoyer $2 million this spring, and in completing fewer than half his passes this preseason Mallett didn’t do enough to take the spot — even if Hoyer had his own struggles.

RUNNING BACKS (5): Stevan Ridley, Shane Vereen, Danny Woodhead, Jeff Demps, Eric Kettani. Brandon Bolden would be a tough cut, as the team likes the undrafted rookie enough to give him a team-high 36 carries this preseason. But his suspect play in the return game puts him behind the speedy Demps there, and his 3.6 yards per carry aren’t productive enough to displace Woodhead. Kettani sticks as a fullback for short-yardage runs, blocking and more special teams ability than a fourth tight end.

RECEIVERS (6):Wes Welker, Brandon Lloyd, Deion Branch, Julian Edelman, Matt Slater, Jabar Gaffney. Welker, Lloyd and special teams ace Slater were always safe. Branch earned his place by reminding everyone of his dependability, while Edelman is insurance for Welker and an excellent punt returner. The last spot may go to Jeremy Ebert at first, but the already-cut Gaffney could bump the rookie to the practice squad once his hamstring is healthy.

TIGHT ENDS (3):Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez, Daniel Fells. Contractually, Gronkowski and Hernandez could be on this list for the next six years. So the decision is whether to keep Fells, Visanthe Shiancoe — or both. Shiancoe would cost the most to cut, but he hasn’t been on the field for weeks and has limited usefulness in special teams. Fells is nearer to healthy, and a quality option, so he gets the spot.

OFFENSIVE LINE (9):Nate Solder, Logan Mankins, Dan Koppen, Dan Connolly, Brian Waters, Ryan Wendell, Sebastian Vollmer, Marcus Cannon, Nick McDonald. If the Pats weren’t confident that Waters will return, they likely wouldn’t have saved a spot on the 75-man roster for the guard who has yet to report; expect him soon. Another veteran, Koppen, sticks because of his familiarity, while McDonald is retained because he can play pretty much anywhere. With physical question marks across the front, and with the similarly versatile Connolly starting at center, losing a guy like that could be costly later.

DEFENSIVE TACKLES (4):Vince Wilfork, Kyle Love, Brandon Deaderick, Ron Brace. Brace entered camp at risk, but has played well in the exhibitions. He’s not entirely safe yet, but the lack of depth inside helps his case.

DEFENSIVE ENDS (5):Rob Ninkovich, Chandler Jones, Jermaine Cunningham, Justin Francis, Jake Bequette. Cunningham could be on the street if the team chooses to keep veteran Trevor Scott — but if that’s the case, he’ll leave Foxborough wondering what else he could’ve done. He was formally recognized for his work in the team’s offseason training program, then had a solid preseason that included a knockout of Michael Vick and two sacks. He deserves to stick, as does the rookie Francis.

LINEBACKERS (5):Jerod Mayo, Brandon Spikes, Dont’a Hightower, Bobby Carpenter, Jeff Tarpinian. Tarpinian entered Wednesday’s exhibition finale in a three-way fight with Niko Koutouvides and Mike Rivera — and none of them made the coaches’ job easier by failing. Rivera made 12 tackles, Koutouvides was consistently around the football, and Tarpinian had six solo stops among his seven overall — but Tarpinian has the biggest upside in an even battle, so he gets the job. Koutouvides and his terrific special teams play could stick, too, if the Pats don’t keep Kettani, McDonald or Francis.

CORNERBACKS (5):Devin McCourty, Kyle Arrington, Ras-I Dowling, Sterling Moore, Marquice Cole. A problem area last year, this group should have a chance to be decent if Dowling lives up to his potential and McCourty, Arrington and Moore continue to develop. Cole’s play on special teams, and on defense, earns him a job ahead of the practice-squad-eligible Alfonzo Dennard.

SAFETIES (5):Pat Chung, Steve Gregory, Tavon Wilson, Nate Ebner, Sergio Brown. Chung, Gregory and Wilson will stick for the defense, Ebner and either Brown or James Ihedigbo as special teams tacklers. Brown stepped up against the Giants with his job on the line, and has been a contributor in that role for a couple years now, while Ihedigbo started camp in a non-contact jersey and is a perpetual injury concern. Beware, though: If Brown and Ihedigbo both stick, it could signal cause for concern with the injury Chung incurred during exhibition No. 2.

KICKING SPECIALISTS (3):Stephen Gostkowski, Zoltan Mesko, Danny Aiken. Easiest prediction of them all (non-Brady division), considering the kicker, the punter and the long-snapper aren’t even facing competition.

Let the purging — and the pilfering — begin.

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Dave D’Onofrio covers Boston sports for the New Hampshire Union Leader and Sunday News. His e-mail address is ddonof13@gmail.com. Twitter: @davedonofrio.