Charting some mock drafts

Look for the Patriots to trade the pick to the Detroit Lions for the 15th pick in the draft and a 3rd and 5th round pick.

The Lions will take Rashard Mendenhall

Mike,

You cad add Pro Football Weekly's mock draft which predicted Derrick Harvey. I kinda like Keith Rivers or Harvey.

If McFadden or Ryan are available they will trade down to pick up a later 1st round and a second. Other than those two they will be stuck with the pick. Gholston will be long gone.

I say they'll go OL, maybe even if Gholston is still there. Gholston has qualities, but history says they don't take LBs in the draft, and I think that will remain true. Either an OL or young, speedy, talented corners are draft worthy.

The Pats need a cornerback. Keep the pick and take McKelin or Rodgers-Cromartie.

Mike Allen of NEM Sports says the Patriots will select Antoine Cason, cornerback out of the University of Arizona.

Rivers from USC if no value trade offered or no Gholston available. Move RIvers inside and grab a later round stand up end for outside LB

PFW has a piece suggesting that the Pats may be "zeroing in" on Sedrick Ellis. I thought that was crazy at first, and had thought it was crazy every other time I've heard it mentioned, but it's starting to make sense. They will lose Seymour or Wilfork in two years, so having Ellis in a long-term contract would make that less of a concern. In the meantime, it will put less pressure on the inside linebackers. While I can't imagine the Patriots ever running a base 4-3, they do give some 4-3 looks, and with Ellis, and I can imagine them doing that a lot more of the time. Ellis is very likely to be a immediate contributor, in a way that a rookie ILB wouldn't be.

My scenario is that the Pats (if they don't trade down) take Ellis in the first, a corner in the second, and one or two ILBs in the 4th-7th. In the next few years, the ILBs drafted, or otherwise acquired (e.g. Seward), have time to develop, while there's not a lot of pressure on to have rookies or the aging veterans in on every down. In a few years, the base 3-4 goes back to being the look the vast majority of the time, when the line is down to Ellis, Warren, and someone else. This also gives the Pats negotiating flexibility because Ellis could grow into Wilfork or Seymour's spot. In that time, the young linebackers will have grown up a bit, and will be ready to carry the load.