The current sexy pick for the New England Patriots among the NFL Mock Craps is cornerback Leodis McKelvin but I highly doubt the Pats will pick him or any other cornerback with the 7th overall pick. Cornerback is absolutely a need for the Pats given the departures of Asante Samuel, Randall Gay and Eugene Wilson but given how the Pats have dealt with cornerbacks in the past it's clearly not a position where Belichick and Pioli are willing to overspend. Nor is it a position where top end talent is fully necessary to be effective. See the 2004 Super Bowl where undrafted rookie Randall Gay was covering Terrell Owens (of course due more to injuries than design but hey, they still won the game didn't they?).
What Belchick has said he does value are large athletes because they are so hard to find (like man-beast OLB Vernon Gholston) . It is only players like this that are worth investing the large amount of money that top-end draft picks are guaranteed. Vince Wilfork, Richard Seymour and Ty Warren are all examples of big men the Pats took when they had high picks in the first round. These picks were also made at the expense of talented skill positions players that many experts had tabbed the Pats to take.
I believe there are two scenarios most likely to play out at the draft. Select a big man at #7 overall - this could include Vernon Gholston, Tackle Ryan Clady, maybe even DT Sedrick Ellis. Or, more likely, trade down to the middle/low first round where there will still be some talented cornerbacks available and at more cost-effective numbers.
Most intriguing would be if Darren McFadden is still available when it comes time for the Pats to pick at #7. Could the Dallas Cowboys make a move? Their two first-round picks would be adequate compensation for the Pats and Jerry Jones has been long-rumored to have a man-crush on fellow Razorback McFadden. I'm sure the Patriots would welcome this trade as it's where they can get the most bang for their rookie buck.
The only chance that the Patriots take a cornerback at #7 is if they deem one of the available players to be "special". Many Pats fans are currently enamored with Dominique Rogers-Cromartie but personally I worry about players who make huge leaps up the draft board based only on Senior Bowl and Combine performances. Sure he might have the numbers but is he really going to make the leap from 1-AA to starting in the NFL?
Keywords: New England Patriots Draft Leodis McKelvin Vernon Gholston
