Patriots in the pipeline?

As many as 10 new players will be fitted for Patriots jerseys in next weekend's NFL draft, but who are they? Vice president of player personnel Scott Pioli says the Patriots are looking to build "a big, strong, fast, tough, smart, disciplined football team that consistently competes for championships." So looking beyond the first round, here are some MLPs (most likely Patriots):

Quarterback

Matt Gutierrez (Idaho State) -- After never losing a game at De La Salle (Calif.) High School, Gutierrez (6 feet 4 inches, 232 pounds) enrolled at Michigan and was the 2004 opening day starter before a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder sidelined him. He gave way to Chad Henne and later transferred to Division 1-AA Idaho State. Projected pick: late rounds/free agent.

Running back

Lorenzo Booker (Florida State) -- The Patriots don't need a lead back after selecting Laurence Maroney in the 2006 first round, so a change-of-pace player like Booker (5-10, 191) is a more likely candidate. He was a captain in 2006, is dynamic in the passing game, and is a special teams threat. Projected pick: second to fourth round.

Wide receiver

Anthony Gonzalez (Ohio State) -- He appears to be the best fit because of his sharp route-running and ability to separate in tight spaces. Because he is smart ( high Wonderlic score) and committed to the game, the Patriots won't have to ask Gonzalez (6-0, 193) one of their favorite questions: "How important is football to you?" Projected pick: first to second round.

Chris Davis (Florida State) -- At 5-10, 181 pounds, he has attributes similar to Gonzalez's, although a significantly lower Wonderlic score. He isn't the type of receiver who dazzles with straight-line speed but is sharp getting in and out of his cuts and could also be a factor in the return game. Projected pick: third to fifth round.

Tight end

Daniel Coats (Brigham Young) -- The Patriots would love to develop a young player at the "Y" spot, which fills the role of the more traditional blocking tight end, and Coats (6-2, 257) is one of the few players in this year's crop who fits that profile. Projected pick: fourth to sixth round.

Offensive line

Chris Denman (Fresno State) -- The 6-6, 315-pound Denman is versatile and played under Pat Hill, one of Bill Belichick's close friends and former assistant on his Browns staff. He would add to the tackle mix in the future, and could also play some guard. Projected pick: fourth to sixth round.

Defensive line

Matt Toeaina (Oregon) -- One of the stronger linemen available, the 6-2, 307-pound Toeaina plays with a physical edge and is versatile in terms of playing tackle and end. Utah's Kelly Talavou (26 years old) and Fresno State's Louis Leonard are run-pluggers who could also get a look. Projected pick: fifth to seventh round.

Inside linebacker

Jon Beason (Miami) -- Although his size (6-0, 237) does not translate to the traditional fit at inside linebacker, he would add a shot of athleticism and youth to the 3-4. Beason is a smart, high-character player. Projected pick: first round.

David Harris (Michigan) -- The 6-2, 243-pound Harris has shot up the draft boards of many teams. He is a prototype fit for 3-4 teams like the Patriots, had a high Wonderlic score, and was a captain. Projected pick: first to second round.

Outside linebacker

Brian Robison (Texas) -- The 6-3, 259-pound Robison would be asked to make the switch from defensive end to outside linebacker in the 3-4 scheme. That is always a difficult projection, but the Patriots could count on him for immediate special teams impact, as he blocked a school-record six kicks. Projected pick: third to fifth round.

Cornerback

Daymeion Hughes (California) -- Although Hughes (5-10, 190) ran a slow 40, he scored high on the Wonderlic and enters the draft with the most career interceptions (15) of any cornerback. Projected pick: second to third round.

Josh Wilson (Maryland) -- What Wilson (5-9, 189) lacks in size, he makes up for with blazing speed and recovery ability. He is an intelligent player who scored high on the Wonderlic and is a threat in the return game. Projected pick: second round.

Safety

John Wendling (Wyoming) -- The 6-1, 222-pound Wendling has experience at free safety and strong safety, scored high on the Wonderlic test, and is an athletic, high-character player. Safeties who could get a look earlier include Texas's Michael Griffin, Syracuse's Tanard Jackson, and Utah's Eric Weddle. Projected pick: third to fifth round.

Hannah back on old block

More than 20 years after his last snap for the Patriots, Hall of Famer John Hannah is ready to take the plunge. He's coming back to New England on game days this season to work on behalf of the team.

One of the greatest players in franchise history, Hannah said the time is right to become more involved with the Patriots. He'll travel from his home in Alabama to Foxborough for each home game.

"More than anything, the reason something like this didn't happen earlier was a pride thing for me," he said. "When I left the game, I loved it so much that I couldn't be around it. It hurt. It took me a long time to get over that, and it was kind of a situation where you're avoiding it so you don't feel that pain.

"I've matured a bit, and I'm excited to be back and part of the team. I know it's not going to be on the team, but at least I'm still involved with the game I basically devoted my life to."

Hannah's official role is still in the works, but one part of his responsibilities will be to entertain club seat-holders at Gillette Stadium.

"We can provide insight to the history of the game and how it's played, so when fans look at the game, they understand it more as far as techniques, what guys are thinking, and the kind of things to look for during a game," he said. "That might make it more interesting.

"When you go to a football game, you can watch the ball carrier and it's great, a lot of fun, but if you understand what the different techniques are at each position, what players are going through during the game, it can shed a whole different light on it. You're not looking at the end result, but how it gets done.

"Hopefully that enhances the spectators' experience."

Hannah, who will appear at the Patriots-sponsored draft party next weekend at Gillette, is excited to follow the Patriots more closely.

"This team reminds me of Don Shula's [Dolphins] teams in the early '70s," he said. "You have some great athletes, but not a lot of superstars, so when you look at the roster you might say, 'We can beat these guys.' But they come out and play so well as a team, you can't beat them."

At twilight hour of his career, hail to this Chief

When Connecticut-based sports agent Joe Linta was attempting to get his business off the ground in the early 1990s, he needed a champion, a player who was willing to hire him despite his inexperience. He never figured he'd be able to land the Outland Trophy award winner, but he gave it a shot.

He recruited Nebraska offensive lineman Will Shields and hoped for the best.

"I called him up and said, 'Hey, I'm a football guy and maybe you'd like to talk,' " Linta recalled. "At the time, he had no reason in the world to pick me. But we clicked, and in a way, he made our company and gave us credibility."

Linta now represents 41 players and has nine more eligible for the draft. Yet he had no interest in discussing his business this past week; his thoughts were focused on Shields, who announced his retirement after 14 seasons, all spent with the Chiefs.

"He was consistent, durable, has exemplary character, and made a difference off the field," Linta said of the 12-time Pro Bowler and 2003 NFL Man of the Year. "He is really the poster boy for what [commissioner] Roger Goodell is trying to do."

Indeed, the league should be celebrating good guys like Shields, who never missed a game over his career, and missed only one start -- his first game in 1993. It was a remarkable run for a player drafted 74th overall.

"Back then, you thought he would be a quality player, a Pro Bowl-quality player, but I don't think anybody goes in thinking they will make history like that," Linta said.

Shields, 35, cited the physical toll of the game as one of the reasons he was retiring. He is considering delving into sports media, and might soon be heard on Sirius NFL radio.

He'll also spend more time with his wife Senia, daughter Sanayika, and sons Shavon and Soloman.

Etc.

Has time come for a Minuteman?
After the Saints drafted Hofstra receiver Marques Colston in the seventh round last year and received big-time production (70 catches, 1,038 yards, 8 TDs), the idea of finding the next Colston has been a popular theme among draftniks. On a conference call with the media last week, NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock turned to the New England landscape for his prediction on the next Colston, citing University of Massachusetts receiver Brandon London. "He doesn't have the same explosion as Colston, he probably won't even get drafted, which Colston almost didn't, but he has a similar body type to Colston," Mayock said. "Not as explosive, but good hands."

Lowdown on the lowball
Colts president Bill Polian might regret not placing a higher tender offer on restricted free agent cornerback Jason David. David, who has not missed a game in his first three seasons and became a full-time starter halfway through his rookie year, signed a four-year, $16.5 million offer sheet with the Saints late last week. If the Colts don't match the front-loaded offer, they will receive a fourth-round draft choice as compensation (27th in the round), but will have lost both of the starting cornerbacks from their Super Bowl team (Nick Harper went to the Titans). The Colts had tendered David at the lowest level ($850,000); had they made it $1.3 million, they would receive a second-round draft choice for David, and it's unlikely any teams would give up that for him. So for $450,000, the Colts could lose a key starter.

Something was missing
While last week's ruling that voided the Patriots' right of first refusal on punter Todd Sauerbrun was minor on the big-picture radar, it carried great significance to NFL Players Association general counsel Richard Berthelsen. Sauerbrun won when it was ruled that the contract was not filed properly. "We brought the case because it was important to us," Berthelsen said. "When we finally got unrestricted free agency in 1993 as part of the settlement, we wanted to put behind us any measures or approaches clubs could take that would take away those rights from a player through individual negotiation. Although the clubs said that the club and player can negotiate on their own any restrictions at the end of a contract, our position has consistently been 'no' on that. That is why when we compromised on the issue, it was important to us that if a player agreed to rights of first refusal, the player had to be made aware of the importance of what he was doing through a separate piece of paper that would hit him in the face, like a shocking reality, and remind him what he was doing, that he was giving up an important right. That didn't happen in this case."

Jack Bicknell's son, Bob Bicknell, has broken into the NFL coaching ranks, hired by the Chiefs as assistant offensive line coach. The 37-year-old Bicknell, who grew up in Holliston and played football at Boston College (1989-91) under his father and then Tom Coughlin, had been knocking on the NFL door after 14 years in the college and NFL Europe ranks. He got his coaching start at Boston University in 1993 under the late Dan Allen and stayed on the Terriers' staff until 1997, when BU dropped the sport. After eight seasons in NFL Europe, Bicknell spent the 2006 season as an assistant at Temple.

Former Giants and Patriots linebacker/long snapper Steve DeOssie on the difference between football and running last Monday's Boston Marathon, his first: "Every marathoner I talk to wanted me to tell them it was harder than football, but I couldn't do it. The actual marathon itself was very, very difficult. The energy level was maybe a little bit more than a game, but the physical toll on the body wasn't even close. The next day, my legs felt like Day 3 of training camp double sessions, but I didn't have to practice the next day, and that was the difference. The recovery was a lot easier [than] from a full football game."

Three teams will open the season with two straight road games: the Chiefs, Falcons, and Saints . . . Florida safety Reggie Nelson is projected to go in the first round of the draft, which would make him the first Gator since quarterback Rex Grossman (2003, Bears) to be taken that high . . . In deciding not to match the Rams' offer sheet to punter Donnie Jones, the Dolphins were awarded a seventh-round draft choice, giving them a total of 10 picks (their most since 1998, when Jimmy Johnson was coach) . . . The most unusual free agent signing of last week? It had to be receiver Todd Lowber inking a three-year deal with the Vikings despite never having played organized football. Lowber (6-3, 205) is a former college basketball player and high-jump champ at Division 3 Ramapo College in Mahwah, N.J.

Mike Reiss can be reached at mreiss@globe.com; material from personal interviews, wire services, other beat writers, and league and team sources was used in this report.