Every year, there is a lot of hype surrounding private workouts and pre-draft visits for each team around draft time. While you never want to look too much into it, because anything can happen on draft day and these "interests" aren't always genuine, sometimes if you look at the interests in bunches, you can form some kind of idea of what the Patriots may be doing on draft day.
That being said, based on the recent reports of private workouts, visits, pro days, and other reported interests (Shrine Game, Combine, Senior Bowl, etc.), I think we can gather that the Patriots seem legitimately interested in drafting a running back sometime in the first two days. Lets get the lowdown:
|
Name |
School |
Interest |
Projection |
|
Mikel LeShoure |
Illinois |
Pro Day |
1st-2nd |
|
DeMarco Murray |
Oklahoma |
Senior Bowl |
2nd-3rd |
|
Alex Green |
Hawaii |
Shrine Game |
3rd-5th |
|
Kentucky |
Private Workout |
4th-5th |
|
|
Oklahoma State |
Visit, PW |
2nd Rd |
|
|
Connecticut |
Private Workout |
2nd-3rd |
|
|
Ryan Williams |
Virginia Tech |
Private Workout |
2nd Rd |
|
Da’Rel Scott |
Maryland |
Private Workout |
4th-5th |
Looking at those prospects, five of them will more than likely be selected in the first three rounds of the NFL draft. The prospects the Patriots have shown the most interest in, Kendall Hunter, Jordan Todman, and Ryan Williams, are all likely to be selected in rounds two or three. Interestingly, the Patriots have four selections in those two rounds (33, 60, 74, and 92).
The recent group of running backs that the Patriots have worked out or met with reminds me of the crop of safeties the team worked out or brought in for a visit in 2009. That year, the Patriots brought in the likes of Louis Delmas, Pat Chung, and William Moore in for workouts. The Patriots didn't necessarily have a need at safety, but they certainly could have used an upgrade for the future. All three prospects were projected second round picks, and ultimately, the Patriots used a second round on Chung.
Look, none of us can get inside the head of Patriots coach Bill Belichick. However, if we look at patterns like the one above, then maybe (just maybe) we can get some kind of general idea as to what the Patriots might be considering doing on draft day. Again, I'm not saying the Patriots are definitely going to draft a running back. It's just hard to ignore the pattern that we've seen with day two running backs.