Who Will The Patriots Draft?

Over the weekend, I posted a look at potential positions and players the Patriots would target in this weekend's NFL Draft.

Today, I'm giving you the names of the players that Bill Belichick and Nick Caserio will choose to help the team in its effort to win another Super Bowl in 2015.

Note that in my final mock draft, I predicted the Patriots would trade down.  For this post, the focus is on the players the team will choose, regardless of where they are selected.

Ready to meet the new members of the Patriots?  Here we go.

Eric Rowe, Cornerback/Safety, Utah
6-1, 205-pounds, 4.37 40-yard-dash

Rowe offers the Patriots the positional versatility they usually covet as well as a big corner with speed that they need as they rebuild a secondary that lost Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner.

Ali Marpet, Guard, Hobart
6-4, 307-pounds

Marpet faced weak competition playing at Division 3 Hobart but the Patriots have an outstanding reputation for developing offensive lineman regardless of where they played, or did not play, their college football. Marpet will have the ability to compete for a starting position as a rookie.

Alex Carter, Cornerback, Stanford
6-0, 196-pounds, 4.50 40-yard dash

Carter has a reputation for being a physical cornerback who thrives in zone coverage.  With the Patriots likely shifting to more zone coverage with the losses of Revis and Browner, adding a player like Carter makes sense.

Tyeler Davison, DT, Fresno State
6-2, 316-pounds

The departure of Vince Wilfork has created a massive hole on the Patriots defensive line.  Davison would not be expected to replace Wilfork but instead be a part of a rotation of big bodies in the interior of the team's defense.

Kristjan Sokoli, DE, Buffalo
6-5, 290-pounds

Belichick always makes a pick that makes people scratch their heads and Sokoli will be that guy this year. Projected by NFL.com to go undrafted, Sokoli will end up a Patriot based on his size, athleticism (4.84 40-yard dash and 31 reps of 225-pounds on the bench press at the combine), and positional versatility on the defensive line.  Sokoli played out of position at nose tackle at Buffalo and could project to be a solid two-way lineman in the NFL.

Stefon Diggs, WR, Maryland
6-0, 195-pounds, 4.46 40-yard dash

The Patriots will be looking to add receiver depth and Diggs has a lot of play making ability but was often underutilized at Maryland.

Hanley Ramirez Conquers April

When a team spends big money for a free agent, expectations for production usually border on the unrealistic.

50 home runs and 150 RBI for a $20-million per year slugger?  Sure, no problem.

A sub-2.00 ERA, 20 wins, and an easy Cy Young Award victory for a pitcher making $20-million per year?  Piece of cake.

Often times, the production of the player does not correlate with the expectations.  Sure, there are successful examples of free agency - Manny Ramirez' time in Boston is a prime example of that - but there are many horror stories when teams lavish mega-contracts on free agents, such as Carl Pavano with the Yankees, Mike Hampton with the Rockies, Albert Belle with the Orioles, Chan Ho Park with the Rangers, and Josh Hamilton with the Angels.

While a month is not a big enough sample size to judge a player who signed a 4-year contract worth $88-million that includes a vesting option for a fifth-year for an additional $22-million, it certainly seems that based on his initial month with the Red Sox that Hanley Ramirez will live up to expectations.

Ramirez capped a monster month of April with a two-run home run in the team's victory over the Blue Jays on Wednesday night.  The win finished off a 12-10 month for the Red Sox, who are currently a game behind the A.L. East leading Yankees heading into their weekend series at Fenway Park that will open the month of May.

In 21 games during April, Ramirez led all of baseball with 10 home runs and 22 RBI while posting a slash line of .293/.341/.659.  The offense that was supposed to carry this team has struggled to start the season so Ramirez' big month is a major part of the reason why they had a winning month.

April's success will only increase expectations for Ramirez and the Red Sox offense.  With perennial All-Star candidates like Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz, and Pablo Sandoval sandwiching Ramirez in the lineup, the Red Sox will be expected to be an offensive juggernaut that will only need to improve its pitching to get back into the A.L. playoffs and compete for the franchise's fourth World Series title since 2004.

Can he do it?

Time will tell but the impressive start to the season offers much optimism for a successful 2015 and tenure in Boston.

2015 NFL Mock Draft (Version 3)

With the draft just hours away, it's time to wrap up the mocking season and provide the final TheBostonInsider NFL Mock Draft for 2015.

The first and second versions are just a click away.

Projections are based off team needs and trades are being predicted.

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State

2. Philadelphia Eagles (trade with Tennessee and Cleveland): Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon
Cleveland will send the 12th pick to Tennessee who will also add the 20th pick from Philadelphia, Philadelphia's 3rd round pick this year (84 overall) and Philadelphia's 2nd round pick in 2016.  Cleveland will end up with Tennessee's 4th round pick this year (100 overall), Philadelphia's 4th round pick in 2016, and quarterback Sam Bradford.  The Eagles will also add Cleveland's 5th round pick in 2016.

3. Jacksonville Jaguars: Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama

4. Oakland Raiders: Kevin White, WR, West Virginia 

5. Washington Redskins: Leonard Williams, DL, Southern California

6. New York Jets: Dante Fowler, DE, Florida

7. Chicago Bears: Brandon Scherff, OT, Iowa

8. Atlanta Falcons: Vic Beasley, DE/OLB, Clemson

9. New York Giants: Andrus Peat, OT, Stanford

10. St. Louis Rams: DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville

11. Minnesota Vikings: Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State

12. Tennessee Titans (from Cleveland): Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia

13. New Orleans Saints: Bud Dupree, DE/OLB, Kentucky

14. Miami Dolphins: Kevin Johnson, CB, Wake Forest

15. San Francisco 49ers: Danny Shelton, DT, Washington

16. Houston Texans: Breshad Perriman, WR, Central Florida

17. San Diego Chargers: Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin

18. Kansas City Chiefs: Cameron Erving, C, Florida State

19. Cleveland Browns: Malcom Brown, DT, Texas

20. Tennessee Titans (from Philadelphia): Arik Armstead, DE, Oregon

21. Cincinnati Bengals: Ereck Flowers, OT, Miami

22. Pittsburgh Steelers: Byron Jones, CB, Connecticut

23. Baltimore Ravens (trade with Detroit):  Nelson Agholor, WR, Southern California
Baltimore will send Detroit the 26th pick as well as their 5th round pick (158 overall, which originally belonged to Detroit).

24. Arizona Cardinals: D.J. Humphries, OT, Florida

25. Carolina Panthers: Phillip Dorsett, WR, Miami

26. Detroit Lions (from Baltimore): Eddie Goldman, DT, Florida State

27. Dallas Cowboys: Damarious Randall, S, Arizona State

28. Denver Broncos: Jake Fisher, OT, Oregon

29. Indianapolis Colts: Eli Harold, DE, Virginia

30. Green Bay Packers: Eric Kendricks, LB, UCLA

31. New Orleans Saints (from Seattle): Shaq Thompson, OLB/S, Washington

32. Tennessee Titans (trade with New England): Brett Hundley, QB, UCLA
New England will receive Tennessee's 2nd round pick (33 overall) and the 3rd round pick Tennessee added in the Philadelphia-Cleveland trade (84 overall).

Red Sox v. Blue Jays (April 29, 2015)

Boston Red Sox (11-10) v. Toronto Blue Jays (10-11)
Fenway Park

SP - Rick Porcello (1-2, 6.48) v. R.A. Dickey (0-2, 5.25)

1. Betts, CF

2. Pedroia, 2B

3. Ortiz, DH

4. Ramirez, LF

5. Sandoval, 3B

6. Napoli, 1B

7. Holt, RF

8. Bogaerts, SS

9. Hanigan, C

Red Sox v. Blue Jays (April 28, 2015)

Boston Red Sox (11-9) v. Toronto Blue Jays (9-11)
Fenway Park

SP - Clay Buchholz (1-2, 4.84) v. Drew Hutchison (2-0, 5.48)