NFL Draft 2011: New England Patriots Hold Pre-Draft Visit with RB Mikel Leshoure

The 2011 NFL draft is just around the corner, and New England Patriots fans are still drawing at straws trying to determine who the team is interested in taking this year. If you're looking at pre-draft visits for a good indication to that, you can add Illinois RB Mikel Leshoure to that list.

According to Boston Herald's Ian Rapoport, the Patriots brought Leshoure in for one of their 30 designated official visits on Thursday, April 7. In all reality, though, you shouldn't get your hopes too high based on the visit.

While these visits are a good starting point for who perks the team's interest, they shouldn't be used as a be-all, end-all look into the draft plans of the team. The Patriots could just be doing their diligence.

For the team, these meetings are used as a barometer to measure a few immeasurable, intangible traits of a player. Among them are football IQ and overall character, two traits which the Patriots hold in high regard.

According to his coaches, Leshoure has matured in his time at Illinois. This after he broke his jaw in a fight in 2008, and was benched for a game for violating team rules in 2009, according to ESPN's Scouts, Inc.

Both will certainly be topics of discussion at the private meetings.

How does Leshoure fit the Patriots specifically?

Only Bill Belichick will know for sure, when he asks Leshoure to digest information quickly in the typical pre-draft whiteboard session and film viewing.

On tape, he doesn't exactly have the versatility that the Patriots ask of their running backs. He's a much better between-the-tackles guy than someone who can turn the corner and break a big gain. His 4.59-second 40-yard dash is certainly evidence to that, although he did average 6.8 yards per carry in 2009, which led the Big Ten.

He has the size and athleticism to potentially develop into an every-down back with time. That really comes down to how this interview goes for him. If he shows the requisite football IQ to grasp the Patriots' complex offense, he could be worth a pick.

He would be a great "punisher" in the Patriots backfield, using his big 230-pound frame to bowl over defensive backs. He won't be a real home run hitter, and his strength is as a "pile-driver," a guy who can turn two-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust situations into first downs and touchdowns when needed.

With poor technique as a pass blocker and poor recognition in blitz protection, though, Leshoure has a long way to go before making an impact in the Patriots backfield on those all-important third downs.

The debate has raged on for months as to whether the Patriots need a top talent at running back to complement the duo of Danny Woodhead and BenJarvus Green-Ellis. Many (myself included) contest that the Patriots need depth at the position, someone with the ability to turn the corner and make a big play, but not the "workhorse" back that would be had in the first round.

The value's just not there. Why pick a guy in the first round that will take such a beating in the first seven years of his career that it might be over after that? There are plenty of talented guys available in later rounds that may not be workhorses, but have great skill sets and can be utilized effectively.

No one should know that better than Belichick and the New England Patriots, who got by on the undrafted duo of Woodhead and Green-Ellis last year. They can still add a player with big-play ability and great value in a later round.