2011 NFL Draft Results: Reviewing New England's 2011 Draft Class

As expected, the New England Patriots wheeled and dealed as usual.

Bill Belichick and the Patriots entered the 2011 NFL draft with nine draft picks, and after a couple of the trades to pick up future draft picks, the Patriots still ended up with nine selections—not too shabby. 

As usual, the Patriots made some unexpected selections and it is now clear that New England is by far the most unpredictable team when it comes to the NFL draft.

In fact, in this year's draft, the Patriots made some very "un-Belichick"-like selections.

Here is my breakdown of New England's nine selections in the 2011 NFL draft.

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

Round 1, 17th Overall -- OT Nate Solder (Colorado)

Height: 6'8" 

Weight: 320 lbs.

Pros:

• Most athletic offensive tackle in 2011 draft class—formerly a tight end
• Will play left tackle at the next level
• At 6'8" and being only 320 lbs., Solder still has a tremendous amount of room to add muscle mass
• Great run blocker, even better pass blocker
• Very smart player—runner up for Outland Trophy a.k.a: "Academic Heisman"

Cons:

• Height can be a disadvantage at times
• Footwork needs much improvement
• Inconsistent knee bend
• Weak against inside pass-rush moves

Conclusion:

Nate Solder out of Colorado is a very solid first-round selection by the New England Patriots.

Solder will allow the Patriots to either part ways with current left tackle Matt Light or to sign Light to a minimum short-term contract. 

All in all, Solder is the left tackle of the future. 

Round 2, 33rd Overall -- CB Ras-I Dowling (Virginia)

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ATLANTA - OCTOBER 09: Ras-I Dowling #19 of the Virginia Cavaliers against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Bobby Dodd Stadium on October 9, 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Height: 6'1"

Weight: 198 lbs.

Pros:

• Great speed—4.46 forty-yard dash time at NFL scouting combine
• Ideal height for a cornerback, will be able to defend taller receivers
• Amazing leaping ability—will challenge well in jump-ball situations
• Solid ball skills
• High motor guy, great worker, high character
• Very physical—will jam receivers at the snap of the ball 

Cons:

• Durability—missed most of the 2010 season due to several injuries
• Needs to add muscle
• Footwork needs to be improved  

Conclusion:

Ras-I Dowling will likely be a high contributor in New England's 2011 season.

Dowling is a very physical cornerback who compares well with Devin McCourty. He will likely end up being New England's nickelback, but will challenge Leigh Bodden for the No. 2 cornerback position.

At 33rd overall, Dowling was the best available to fit in New England's very complex defensive system.

Round 2, 56th Overall -- RB Shane Vereen (California)

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

BERKELEY, CA - NOVEMBER 20: Shane Vereen #34 of the California Golden Bears warms up for their game against the Stanford Cardinal at California Memorial Stadium on November 20, 2010 in Berkeley, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Height: 5'10" 

Weight: 210 lbs.

Pros:

• Breaks a lot of tackles, very hard to bring down
• Runs with a low center of gravity
• Often compared to Baltimore Ravens' Ray Rice
• Extremely strong and physical—31 bench reps at NFL scouting combine
• Solid speed—4.47 forty-yard dash time
• Great hands out of the backfield, especially on screen plays
• Never goes down on first contract 

Cons:

• Not explosive
• Only two runs that went for more than 20 yards in 2010 at Cal 

Conclusion:

Shane Vereen is the ideal No. 1 running back who the New England Patriots have been looking for quite sometime now.

Vereen has drawn a lot of comparisons to Ray Rice, and if he amounts to anything close to Rice, New England fans are going to be ecstatic. 

Out of New England's nine selections, Vereen is, by far, my favorite. 

Round 3, 73rd Overall -- RB Stevan Ridley (LSU)

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

ARLINGTON, TX - JANUARY 07: Stevan Ridley #34 of the Louisiana State University Tigers runs in for a touchdown during the game against the Texas A&M Aggies during the AT&T Cotton Bowl at Cowboys Stadium on January 7, 2011 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by

Height: 5'11" 

Weight: 225 lbs.

Pros:

• Very physical runner
• Great size and solid physical frame
• Doesn't go down easy in-between the tackles
• North and South runner—does a great job of getting positive yards
• Produced very well in the SEC against very tough and challenge defenses (1,147 rushing yards in 2010) 
• Will produce well on special teams

Cons:

• Lacks speed
• Not creative—just a North and South runner
• Below average receiver out of the backfield
• Non-explosive 

Conclusion:

Running back Sammy Morris is as good as gone—LSU's Stevan Ridley is his replacement. It appears that Bill Belichick has injected New England's backfield with some youth.

Ridley is a very solid running back, that will likely fare well in short-yardage situations and on special teams. 

Round 3, 74th Overall -- QB Ryan Mallett (Arkansas)

Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 04: Quarterback Ryan Mallett #15 of the Arkansas Razorbacks looks to pass against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the Allstate Sugar Bowl at the Louisiana Superdome on January 4, 2011 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Matthew

Height: 6'7"  

Weight: 253 lbs.

Pros:

• Ideal size for an NFL quarterback—his release point is around eight feet off of the ground
• Great vision down-field
• Huge arm
• His cannon arm can make all the NFL throws
• Vocal team leader
• Played in pro-style offense at Arkansas
• The sky is the limit for Mallett
• His final two seasons at Arkansas, Mallett threw for at least 3,500 yards and 30 touchdowns in each—very solid production
• Puts touch on passes—every ball is a tight spiral
• Two-year starter in the SEC—solid experience in such a tough conference 

Cons:

• Character issues—reported drug use 
• Can play as a "gunslinger" at times which results in interceptions
• Accuracy can be inconsistent  

Conclusion:

This is an amazing selection made by Bill Belichick and New England's draft team. Ryan Mallett, in my opinion, is the draft's top quarterback and has the most upside and potential than any quarterback in a long time.

Mallett's cannon arm already makes him NFL-ready; he just needs time to learn the style of the NFL.

Round 5, 138th Overall -- OL Marcus Cannon (TCU)

Height: 6'5"  

Weight: 358 lbs.

Pros:

• Monstrous size—will never be blown back by opposing defensive linemen
• Can play right tackle or right guard
• Elite upper and lower body strength
• Great use of the hands
• Will dominate at point-of-attack
• Gives no ground—great anchor
• Great balance for his massive size
• High motor—relentless blocker, will play to the whistle 

Cons:

• Recently diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma
• Started cancer treatment Thursday
• Doesn't do well in space
• Bends at the waist, not at the knees 

Conclusion:

Marcus Cannon is a very solid draft pick, and if he regains health entering the 2012 season, he will likely have a shot of winning a starting position. 

Cannon's amazing size and strength is just so hard to find, he's a great right with offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia.

Round 5, 159th Overall -- TE Lee Smith (Marshall)

Height: 6'5"  

Weight: 266 lbs

Pros:

• Tallest tight end present at NFL scouting combine this past year
• Very good blocker
• Solid receiver
• Team leader
• High-motor, hard worker, and always finishes assignments
• Very mature—married with two kids
• Plays with a mean streak
• Stays low and plays with great leverage 

Cons:

• Extremely slow—5.01 forty-yard dash time at NFL combine
• Not elusive 

Conclusion:

Lee Smith will likely be the future replacement of Alge Crumpler as the team's blocking tight end.

Smith, like Crumpler, is a team leader who is very vocal and will lead by example. This is a perfect draft choice by New England, as Crumpler is at the end of his career and Smith will be a great replacement with a very bright future. 

Round 6, 194th Overall -- OLB/DE Markell Carter (Central Arkansas)

Height: 6'3" 

Weight: 240 lbs.

Pros:

• Great athlete
• Explosive pass rusher
• Long arms
• If not able to get to the quarterback, he will affect passing lanes
• Great tackler
• Aggressive
• Nose for the ball—locates ball quickly 

Cons:

• Lacks elite strength
• Runs around blocks
• Can be blocked very easily
• Strictly a 3-4 outside linebacker 

Conclusion:

Markell Carter looks to be like a solid pass rusher, and can possibly contribute in sub-packages.

New England needed help in the pass-rush department, and Carter was the lone pass rusher selected, so Bill Belichick may think highly on him. 

Round 7, 219th Overall -- CB/S/ST Malcolm Williams (TCU)

Height: 5'9"  

Weight: 204 lbs.

Pros:

• Great athlete
• Fast—4.47 forty-yard dash time
• Potential Special Teamer 

Cons:

• Will struggle making the team 

Conclusion:

The expectations on Malcolm Williams are certainly low. Although, he is a very good athlete with great speed, and could end up covering kickoffs for New England. 

The only way I see Williams making New England's roster is as a special-teams player.

Conclusion

Chris McGrath/Getty Images

PITTSBURGH - NOVEMBER 14: Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots gives instructions against the Pittsburgh Steelers on November 14, 2010 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

To sum New England's 2011 NFL draft class in just a few words: "I don't hate it, but I don't love it."

So essentially, I like New England's selections, but I feel that Belichick and New England's draft team could have made a few better picks.

New England passed on players like Cameron Jordan, Mark Ingram, Brooks Reed, Da'Quan Bowers, and Cameron Heyward, who all could have been very productive players as Patriots. 

However, I really love the Ryan Mallett pick—he's got a ton of upside and is extremely physically gifted.

I'm not sure Mallett will last long enough until Tom Brady retires, but if he does, I'd love to see a transition similar to the Green Bay Packers where the torch was passed from Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers.

I really loved the Shane Vereen, Nate Solder, and Ras-I Dowling picks to go along with Mallet, but the Stevan Ridley pick kind of boggles my mind. When Ridley was selected, I asked myself "Did New England really just draft two running backs in a row?" It was just rather weird and unusual.

As I look back at how New England operated during the entire draft process, I was impressed, especially how they picked up New Orleans' 2012 first-round selection.

I don't really hate anything about New England's selections, I feel that all nine selections were very solid choices overall.

The 2011 tranining camp will be an interesting one, to see how players like Mallet, Vereen, Solder, and Dowling all fit in.