Frenz of the Family: Must-Reads Around the AFC East and 2012 NFL Draft, April 26

2012 NFL Draft

James Christensen of NEPatriotsDraft.com gives his top 100 list for the draft. Pay attention to what he says; he won second place in last year's competition, behind only the Hall of Fame Packers writer Bob McGinn.

Oh, yeah, and Mike Mayock released his one and only first round mock draft, but if you were paying attention, you already caught my analysis of his AFC East picks.

New England Patriots

If you want to talk Patriots and the NFL draft with a level-headed Patriots writer, look no further than Boston Globe's Greg Bedard and his draft chat today at noon Eastern on boston.com. Bedard also has a late breaking report that the Patriots went to Texas to work out Baylor wide receiver Kendall Wright, and points out that wide receiver could be a dire need as soon as next year.

Mike Dussault of PatsPropaganda.com has 12 thoughts leading into the draft; our mocks were identical on some levels, as we both had had the Pats addressing defensive line, guard, wide receiver, cornerback, outside linebacker and safety. If there’s a position I think we’ll miss on it’s running back.

Dane Brugler of CBS Sports has five potential Patriots picks to keep an eye on.

New York Jets

ESPN's Rich Cimini has turned in the final selection card on his Jets seven-round mock draft, and still projects Melvin Ingram to be available at No. 16. Cimini separately points out that Notre Dame wide receiver Michael Floyd has emerged as a candidate for the Jets first round pick.

There are also rumors that the Jets could trade up for Alabama running back Trent Richardson. Smokescreen, possibly, but as Dan Hanzus of NFL.com points out, the Jets are trying to return to the ground and pound style of offense without a dynamic playmaker at running back. Also, trading up isn't exactly uncharacteristic for Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum.

Kristine Reese of Aerys Sports' 'The Green Room' has 10 Jets thoughts headed into the draft, and points out that Alabama linebacker Courtney Upshaw is probably the more logical pick at No. 16 than Ingram, but that she could also see UNC defensive end Quinton Coples being the pick there if he falls.

Buffalo Bills

There's a cloud billowing from Ralph Wilson Stadium from all the smokescreens the Bills are employing. Wednesday afternoon, the rumors started that the Bills want Alabama safety Mark Barron. By Wednesday night, the rumor was that the Bills want to trade up for USC tackle Ryan Kalil.

B/R featured columnist Eric Ball, however, thinks that trading up for Kalil would be a brilliant move, and explains that it's a small price to pay for a franchise left tackle.

One player who has quickly become a consensus pick for the Bills at No. 10 is BC linebacker Luke Kuechly. Mike Mayock called him the best pass dropping inside 'backer he's every seen, and Jerry Sullivan of The Buffalo News points out that Kuechly could be an instant answer to Patriots tight ends Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski.

Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins are hosting a draft party for their fans tonight, but they shouldn't forget what happened the last time; in 2007, they were projected to draft a quarterback in the first round in Brady Quinn and ended up with Ted Ginn and a very disgruntled fan base.

Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald, meanwhile, says that while Tannehill is the most likely pick, it's one he's not necessarily ecstatic about. He also points out that the most likely alternative might be to trade down, and offers up Michigan State's Kirk Cousins as a potential quarterback not named Tannehill.

In case you haven't had your mock draft fix, B/R Dolphins featured columnist Alex Miglio has his final seven-round predictions for the Dolphins. The first pick? Tannehill.

Follow @ErikFrenz