By Shalise Manza Young, Globe staff

A once-a-day look at a draft prospect that either has been targeted for the Patriots in a mock draft, has had a private workout for New England or has made an official visit to Gillette Stadium. In the end, mocks are good for discussion and workouts and interviews could be a smokescreen or a sign of real interest, but these are players who make sense as being on the Pats' radar for the upcoming draft.

Name: RB Ryan Williams, Virginia Tech

Height, weight: 5-9, 212 pounds

Hometown: Manassas, Va. (Stonewall Jackson HS)

Redshirt sophomore season stats: 10 games (5 starts), 110 carries for 477 yards (4.3 ypc), 9 touchdowns; 10 receptions for 109 yards, TD

Career stats: 23 games (18 starts), 403 carries for 2,132 yards (5.3 ypc), 30 TD; 26 receptions for 289 yards, 2 TD

Honors: 2009 - third-team All-America (Sporting News); first-team All-ACC

Combine: 40 dash - 4.61; bench - 19 reps; vertical - 40 in.; broad - 10-3; 3-cone - 6.96s

Why he's a fit for the Pats: Williams might be a good second-day pick for New England; after an eye-opening redshirt freshman season, when he ran for over 1,600 yards, he was hampered by a hamstring injury last fall and durability is a concern. But Williams' competitiveness has drawn raves, he's a powerful runner between the tackles, and catches the ball well.