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The Patriots took CB Malcolm Williams out of TCU with the 219th overall pick (7th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft. This is a classic pick for Bill Belichick as Williams wasn’t even a starter in college. He had 22 tackles and 1 fumble recovery in his two years at TCU. Williams has the raw ability to develop into a player down the road but he will need to be coached up by Belichick and his coaching staff.
The Patriots took OLB Markell Carter out of Central Arkansas with the 194th overall pick (6th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft. Carter is 6’4, 252 pounds. Carter had 62 tackles, 19 tackles for a loss, 5.5 sacks and he forced 3 fumbles for Central Arkansas last year. He played four years for Central Arkansas and he had 143 tackles, 35 tackles for a loss, 16.5 sacks, he forced 3 fumbles and he had 1 interception. The Patriots hope that they can coach up Carter because they could use some pass rush help.
The Patriots took 23-year old TE Lee Smith out of Marshall with the 159th overall pick (5th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft. Smith is 6’5″, 269 pounds and he runs a 4.9 40. Smith is a old school TE as he is a nasty run blocker and a receiver with good hands who does his best work over the middle of the field. He also likes to lower a shoulder against a defender to try to get a extra couple of yards. Smith played in 12 games (11 starts) for Marshall last year and he caught 38 passes for 358 yards (9.4 avg) with 3 TD grabs. He played in 48 games (27 starts) in his four years with the Thundering Herd and he caught 75 passes for 791 yards (10.5 avg) with 3 TD grabs. The Patriots are overflowing with young TEs with game.
UPDATE: (9/5/2011) – The Patriots tried to sneak Lee Smith through waivers to put him on the practice squad, but he got claimed by the Buffalo Bills.
The Patriots picked 23-year old T/G Marcus Cannon out of TCU with the 138th overall pick (5th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft. Cannon is a huge man at 6’5″, 363 pounds and he plays a big man’s game. The Patriots got Cannon so late because he has a tumor in his stomach, which will require chemotherapy. The prognosis is good for Cannon down the road, so the Patriots may have a steal here as he was projected to be a starter early on in his career. Cannon played in 12 games (all starts) for TCU last year and he played in 51 games (36 starts) in his four years with the Horned Frogs. This was a classic “steal” pick for the Patriots.