The New England Patriots snapped up 22-year old cornerback Ras-I Dowling out of Virginia with the 33rd overall pick (2nd round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Dowling is 6’1″, 199 pounds and he runs a 4.5 40.  Dowling missed a lot of last season due to injury but that didn’t stop the Patriots from taking him.  He played in only 5 games (2 starts) last season for Virginia and he had 15 tackles and he broke up 1 pass.  Dowling played in 40 games (25 starts) in his four years with Virginia and he had 160 tackles, broke up 29 passes, had 8 interceptions, forced 4 fumbles and he recovered 1 fumble.  The Patriots needed help at corner and they are confident that his injuries from last year won’t hamper him going forward.

The New England Patriots picked 23-year old OT Nate Solder out of Colorado with the 17th overall pick of the NFL Draft.  Solder is a big guy at 6’8″, 314 pounds and he might step right into the starting lineup for the Patriots in 2011.  He is a converted TE, so he’s a very good athlete for a guy his size.  Despite being as big as he is, Solder has good footwork in the passing game and he’s pretty good at hitting moving targets both down the field and on trap plays.  But, the Patriots will need to toughen him up a bit if he’s really going to help out in the running game.  Solder played in 12 games (all starts) for Colorado last year.  He has a lot of experience as he played in 51 games (42 starts) in his four years with the Buffaloes.  This was another solid pick for the Patriots.

The New England Patriots’ draft day dealings of the past have left them with 6 of the first 92 picks in next weekend’s NFL Draft.  They will surely look to deal down to get more picks, which is a Bill Belichick specialty.  I would suggest that the Patriots stay pat in the first three rounds because they will be able to fill a lot of holes where they are picking.  Here’s a look at how I saw the Patriots doing in my mock draft:

1st round (#17 overall) – Ryan Kerrigan, DE, Purdue

1st round (#28 overall) – Justin Houston, OLB, Georgia

2nd round (#33 overall) – Mikel Leshoure, RB, Illinois

2nd round (#60 overall) – James Carpenter, OT, Alabama

3rd round (#74 overall) – Titus Young, WR, Boise State

3rd round (#92 overall) – Lawrence Wilson, OLB, Connecticut

4th round (#125 overall) – Jordan Todman, RB, Connecticut

5th round (#159 overall) – Bryan Browning, OG, Ohio State

6th round (#193 overall) – Jonas Mouton, OLB, Michigan

The Patriots had almost no pass rush last year.  Adding Kerrigan, Houston and Wilson could change that early next year.  The Patriots would also nab a nice RB in Leshoure and a couple linemen to protect Tom Brady.  All in all, this would be a very nice haul for the Patriots.

Bill Belichick and the Patriots’ front office are outstanding on draft day.  They improved the defense, offense and special teams last April and they hope they will have that kind of success again in the 2011 NFL Draft.  Here’s a look at how the rookies did in 2011:

Devin McCourty:  23-year old CB Devin McCourty was the Patriots’ first round pick (#27 overall) last April out of Rutgers.  McCourty played in all 16 games for the Patriots last season and he had 82 tackles, 1 sack, 3 tackles for a loss, 17 passes defensed, 7 interceptions (110 return yards) and 2 forced fumbles.  McCourty made the Pro Bowl as a rookie showing just how outstanding he is.  Last season was just the tip of the iceberg for McCourty.

Rob Gronkowski:  21-year old TE Rob Gronkowski was the #42 overall pick (2nd round) out of Arizona last April.  He played in 16 games for the Patriots last season and he caught 42 passes for 546 yards (13.0 avg) with 10 TD grabs.  Gronkowski was outstanding as he always seemed to be on the same wave length as Tom Brady.  I see Pro Bowls in this future.

Jermaine Cunningham:  22-year old OLB/DE Jermaine Cunningham was the overall #53 pick (2nd round) last April out of Florida.  Cunningham played in 15 games for the Patriots last season and he had 34 tackles, 1 sack, 5 tackles for a loss, 1 pass defensed and 2 forced fumbles.  Cunningham looks like he’s going to be a good pass rusher down the road for the Patriots.

Brandon Spikes:  23-year old inside linebacker Brandon Spikes was picked in the 2nd round (#62 overall) out of Florida.  He played in 12 games for the Patriots last season and he had 61 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 3 passes defensed and 1 interception.  Spikes was suspended for four games as a rookie last season so the Patriots will need him to mind his P’s and Q’s going forward.  But, he has the look of a really good run stuffing inside linebacker.

Taylor Price:  The Pats took 23-year old WR Taylor Price in the 3rd round (#90 overall pick) out of Ohio U.  Price played in only 1 game for the Patriots last season and he caught 3 passes for 41 yards (13.7 avg).  The Patriots essentially red-shirted Price last season but they like him so he might be alright down the road.

Aaron Hernandez:  The Patriots used the 113th overall pick (4th round) out of Florida last April.  He played in 14 games for the Patriots last season and he caught 45 passes for 563 yards (12.5 avg) with 6 TD grabs.  He also carried the ball 3 times for 21 yards (7.0 ypc) last year.  Hernandez along with Rob Gronkowski gives the Patriots a fine pair of TEs going forward for both the present and the future.

Zoltan Mesko:  The Patriots drafted 24-year old punter Zoltan Mesko out of Michigan with the 150th overall pick (5th round) last April.  He played in all 16 games for the Patriots last season and he punted the ball 58 times for 2,505 yards (43.2 avg).  He only had 5 touchbacks (8.6%) and he placed 19 punts inside the opposing 20-yard line (32.8%) which is pretty darn good. 

Ted Larsen:  The Patriots picked 23-year old center Ted Larsen out of North Carolina State  in the 6th round with the 205th pick.  The Patriots cut Larsen on September 4th.  He then hooked on with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for whom he played in 12 games (11 starts).

Thomas Welch:  The Pats took 23-year old OT Thomas Welch in the 7th round (#208 overall) out of Vanderbilt.  Welch was cut on September 4th by the Patriots.  He was picked up by the Vikings but didn’t get into any games for them.

Brandon Deadrick:  The Patriots picked up 23-year old DE Brandon Deadrick out of Alabama in the 7th round (#247 overall).  He played in 10 games for the Patriots last season and he had 10 tackles and 2 sacks.  This was a nice find for the Patriots so late in the draft.

Kade Weston:  The Patriots took DT Kade Weston in the 7th round (#248 overall) last April out of Georgia.  Weston was placed on the Injured Reserve List on August 24th due to a abdomen injury.

Zac Robinson:  The Patriots took 24-year old QB Zac Robinson out of Oklahoma State in the 7th round (#250 overall).  They released him on September 4th.  The Lions signed him on November 9th where he served as their #3 QB without getting into any games.

GRADE FOR 2010:  A

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  A+++++++++++

The Patriots have suspended 23-year old rookie DE/DT Brandon Deaderick for a violation of team policy.  No word yet on how long the suspension is for.  Deaderick played in 10 games (4 starts) for the Patriots this year and he had 10 tackles and 2 sacks.  He was a 7th round pick out of Alabama last April.  The Patriots are looking for a replacement for Deaderick in free agency.

UPDATE:  (1/8/2011) – The Patriots have lifted Deadrick’s suspension after placing Mike Wright on I.R.

The NFL has suspended 23-year old rookie linebacker Brandon Spikes for the last four games of the season due to a failed test for PEDs.  Spikes played in 12 games for the Patriots this year and he had 61 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 3 passes defensed and 1 interception.  This will be a big blow to the Patriots but by accepting the suspension he will be ready to return for the playoffs.

The Patriots used a 4th round pick last April on 20-year old TE Aaron Hernandez out of Florida and the early returns look great.  Hernandez is a big target with good hands and slippery moves.  He has caught 7 passes for 146 yards (20.9 avg) in his first two NFL games.  Tom Brady really looked for him a lot against the Jets and he delivered.  Hernandez could have a big year because defenses will be worried about stopping Randy Moss and Wes Welker often leaving a safety or linebacker on him one on one.  Hernandez looks like another draft steal for the Patriots.

The Patriots have picked QB Zac Robinson out of Oklahoma State with the 250th overall pick (7th round) of the NFL Draft.  Robinson is a very athletic QB as he is 6’2″, 214 pounds and he can run a 4.66 40.  It will be interesting to see if the Patriots keep him at QB because they have been converting QBs to WRs as of late (see Julian Edelman).  Robinson does not have a strong arm but his mobility buys him time in the pocket to make throws.  He played in 13 games at Oklahoma State last season and he completed 180 of 301 passes (59.9%) for 2,084 yards with 15 TD passes and 13 INTs.  Robinson also carried the ball 111 times for 305 yards (2.7 ypc) with 4 TD runs last season.  He played in 46 games in his four years with the Cowboys and he completed 610 of 999 passes (61.1%) for 8,317 yards with 66 TD passes and 32 INTs.  He also carried the ball 426 times for 1,858 yards (4.4 ypc) with 22 TD runs in his four years in college.  Robinson was worth taking a flier on this late in the draft for the Patriots.

The Patriots have picked DT Kade Weston out of Georgia with the 248th overall pick (7th round) of the NFL Draft.  He is a big guy at 6’4″, 317 pounds and if the Patriots get him to stay low they will have themselves another solid player for the interior of the defense.  He played in 13 games (10 starts) for Georgia last season and he had 29 tackles, 6.5 tackles for a loss and 2.5 sacks.  He played in 49 games (21 starts) at Georgia in his four years there and he finished up with 74 tackles, 16.5 tackles for a loss, 5 sacks and he batted down 2 passes.  The Patriots got another bargain in Weston who slipped a couple of rounds lower than most projections had him going.

The Patriots have picked DE Brandon Deadrick out of Alabama with the 247th overall pick (7th round) of the NFL Draft.  He is 6’4″, 296 pounds and he can play inside at DT if needed.  He is not much of a pass rusher but he plays hard and he is a good run defender.  Deadrick played in 14 games (10 starts) at Alabama last season and he finished up with 23 tackles, 4.5 tackles for a loss and he has 1 sack.  He played in 48 games (32 starts) in his four years at Alabama and he finished up with 83 tackles, 13 tackles for a loss and 7 sacks.  Deadrick was projected to go as high as the 3rd or 4th round in this draft so the Patriots might have gotten a steal here.