New England Patriots: Ras-I Dowling Could Start as the Pats' Free Safety in 2011

The New England Patriots 2010 draft class made quite the impact during their rookie campaign, especially cornerback Devin McCourty.

McCourty was a very shocking selection at the 27th overall pick in the first round, as many believed, including myself, that McCourty was nothing more than a very good special teamer—and we could not have been more wrong.

As the team's No. 1 cornerback Leigh Bodden went down with a season-ending injury, McCourty fell into his cornerback position, and he flourished. McCourty recorded a total of 69 solo tackles while picking the opposing quarterbacks off seven times and deflecting 17 pass attempts—definitely solid numbers from the rookie out of Rutgers.

In this year's past draft, Bill Belichick and the Patriots made yet another surprising selection as the team decided to hold onto the first overall pick in the second round to select Virginia cornerback Ras-I Dowling. 

To me, the most notable trait regarding Dowling is his physicality and his ability to keep up with just about every size wide receiver. However, there is just one thing that many of us tend to forget: Dowling's amazing versatility. 

Dowling has the ability to play just about every position in the secondary, which is invaluable and fits the ideal "Patriot-mold" set by Belichick. By watching game film on Dowling, there is one player that he clearly reminds me of, and that's former New England Patriot Eugene Wilson.

Wilson spent his college years at the University of Illinois, where he was a stand-out cornerback for the Ilini. However, once New England selected Wilson with the 36th overall pick in the 2003 draft, he was transformed into a free safety. 

Dowling and Wilson definitely share a lot of traits in common—for instance, both of them are extremely physical guys that play solid zone-coverage and punishes every player that they tackle.

Entering 2011, New England's defensive backfield is prime for success. Ideally, I can picture McCourty and Bodden being the team's starting cornerbacks with Kyle Arrington rotating in, and then Patrick Chung can line up as the team's starting strong safety with Dowling as the team's free safety, which would make one of the most intriguing defensive backfields in the entire NFL.

New England may have not addressed one of their most glaring needs, the pass rush, but they certainly built on a strength they already possess. 

2011 is going to be a huge step forward in the right direction for the Patriots' young defense, as their secondary will only get better, which will make it a far more difficult time for wide receivers to get open and for quarterbacks to find the open receivers.

Most of the defensive backfield's success in 2011 could be created by Dowling, as he'll have the ability to step in right away to fight for a starting job as the team's free safety. 

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