The New England Patriots continue to line up pre-draft visits, with Arizona State cornerback Omar Bolden the latest to supposedly have a visit scheduled with the team. Aaron Wilson of Scout.com is reporting that Bolden has visits lined up (or completed) with the Patriots, New York Giants, and Philadelphia Eagles.
Bolden, at 5'10" and 202 lbs, is a cornerback with some size. He tore his ACL his senior year, and that has hurt his stock a bit. When it comes to Bolden, there's no question about his abilities. He is fast, quick, and can excel in both press-man and zone coverage schemes. He's also an accomplished kick returner.
The question for teams when it comes to Bolden is how early they're willing to take a risk on a player who suffered two significant knee injuries in college. The Patriots have shown a willingness recently to take players with injury risks. In 2010, the team chose tight end Rob Gronkowski (missed all of his junior year with a neck injury): that worked out great. In 2011, the team selected cornerback Ras-I Dowling. Dowling missed 14 games in 2011, so the jury is still out on him.
Again, there's no denying Bolden's talent. If the Patriots were able to get him at a "value" spot, say the third round, I think he'd make an excellent choice for the team. He'd likely make a good developmental prospect for the slot cornerback position.