New England Patriots Draft: Pats Meet with Pouncey at Florida's Pro Day

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick attended the University of Florida's Pro Day Tuesday. ESPN Boston reportedly stated that Belichick met with Florida's offensive linemen Mike Pouncey. 

There's no surprise that Pouncey would catch Belichick's attention, especially with New England's uncertainty on their offensive line entering 2011. 

With offensive linemen Matt Light and Logan Mankins' futures unclear with the team, and the recent retirement of Stephen Neal, the Patriots will likely address their offensive line during this year's draft. 

Pouncey, who's twin brother Maurkice current plays center for the Pittsburgh Steelers, is projected to go in the mid-to-late first round of this year's draft. 

Strengths:

Pouncey is an extremely athletic interior linemen that has a lot to offer. When recruited to Florida, Pouncey played defensive tackle for the Gators his freshman year, but he switched over to offensive guard for the remainder of his time as a Gator. 

In this year's draft class, Pouncey is considered to be one of the top linemen. He has a lot of power and strength, along with decent speed. At the combine, Pouncey clocked in with a 5.29, which is fairly fast for an offensive linemen. 

Due to Pouncey's great athleticism, he's a great pulling guard, and does very well lining up blocks down field. 

Not only does Pouncey have huge amounts of talent and potential, but he's also an extremely discipline and intelligent, which is considered to be "gold" by Belichick. 

Weaknesses:

Pouncey doesn't have any glaring knocks, but he has struggled when it comes to sliding back-and-fourth when he's pass blocking. 

The main reason why Pouncey is only considered as an interior linemen is his average pass blocking skills —he will need to improve his technique to perform well in the NFL. 

Conclusion:

Pouncey would be a safe and smart pick at no. 17 for the Patriots. It'd be gravy if Pouncey could fall to 28th overall, due to Pouncey's instant ability to perform at high level.

It appears that the Patriots do have interest in the former Gator, considering they have a private meeting with him Tuesday. And according to Pouncey, the meeting went well for him.

"I did a great job. They loved me," Pouncey said.

If Pouncey is available for any of New England's picks in the first round, they will certainly consider him as they have some holes to fill on their offensive line.

NOTE: This article was first seen at PatriotsPlus.net. Be sure to follow Tony Santorsa on Twitter @     TonySantorsa.