Despite the character concerns and poor forty time, the Patriots stopped Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallet's slide and took him with the 74th pick in the draft.

The gunslinger is described as the most pro-ready quarterback in the draft, but he'll sit behind Brady and develop. 

This choice does make sense from a value standpoint, but for a team that prides itself on adding high-character guys, the red-flagged Mallet seems like an illogical fit.

I do appreciate his physical gifts and production in the SEC, but he's not going to see the field for at least three or four years, and the Patriots clearly have much bigger needs on defense that have not been addressed.

One pick before that, the Patriots made a head-scratching decision by drafting another running back, LSU's Stevan Ridley. He was an extreme reach in the third round and seems like nothing different than BenJarvus Green-Ellis. This may indicate Green-Ellis' departure and certainly seems to signal the end of the Kevin Faulk era.

I can't say I'm too pleased with Belichick's approach. With all these high-round picks, he has yet to add a front-seven defender which seemed to be the team's biggest need.

The trading down and picking up mediocre players is getting to be tiring and he doesn't seem to be helping this team get better immediately especially in terms of getting pressure on the quarterback.

After taking Shane Vereen at 56, the Patriots opted to trade their final second-round pick to the Houston Texans for a third-round pick (No. 73) and fifth-round pick (No. 138).

New England has failed to address its biggest need - the pass rush - but Justin Houston is still sitting on the board.

With 3 third-rounders, Belichick needs to upgrade the front-seven.

With the 56th pick, the Patriots addressed a position of need by selecting California running back Shane Vereen.

The former Golden Bear has good size at 5-foot-10, 210 pounds and speed (4.49).

He showed consistent improvement during his three-career, rushing for 715 yards as a freshman, 952 as a sophomore and 1,167 as a junior.

Also has versatility out of the backfield as a pass catcher, recording 74 receptions.

He averaged over five yards per carry every year during his career and fills out a nice role in New England's running back stable.

Another second-round pick, another cornerback.

With tons of speculation that New England would trade No. 33, the Patriots ended up selecting Virginia cornerback Ras-I Dowling.

While many thought Jabaal Sheard or Brooks Reed would be the top choice, Dowling isn't a bad move at all.

The 6-foot-1, 198-pounder has great measurables and would have been a first-round pick if he hadn't been injured his senior year.

At the combine, Dowling ran an impressive 4.40 forty and registered a 38-inch vertical jump.

Pairing Dowling with Pro Bowler Devin McCourty and returning veteran Leigh Bodden gives the Patriots some nice depth for the present and future at corner.

If he can stay healthy, Dowling and McCourty will be a great tandem.

And the winner is...  Stephen, who scored a whopping 5 out of a possible 36 points!  What can I say, expert analysts, we are not. Then again, I doubt many of the "experts" did much better. 

On a final note of self-deprecation, if you remove my Cam Newton #1 pick, and my Mike Pouncey #15 pick (which all four of us hit), I nailed just one of the other 30 selections.  Awesome.

Stephen: 5 points

1. Carolina Panthers: Cam Newton, QB, Auburn

4. Cincinnati Bengals: A.J. Green, WR, Georgia

5. Arizona Cardinals: Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU

9. Dallas Cowboys: Tyron Smith, OT, USC

15. Miami Dolphins: Mike Pouncey, G/C, Florida

Rick: 4 points

1. Carolina Panthers - QB Cam Newton - Auburn

4. Cincinnati Bengals - WR A.J Green - Georgia

15. Miami Dolphins - OG Mike Pouncey - Florida

32. Green Bay Packers - OT Derek Sherrod - Mississippi State

Derek: 3 points

1. Carolina Panthers: Cam Newton, QB, Auburn

9. Dallas Cowboys: Tyron Smith, OT, USC

15. Miami Dolphins: Mike Pouncey, G/C, Florida

Jason: 3 points

3. Buffalo Bills – DT Marcell Dareus

8. Tennessee Titans – QB Jake Locker

15. Miami Dolphins – OG Mike Pouncey

As round two gets underway at 6 p.m., the Patriots are in the enviable position of selecting at 33, 56 and 60.

While the team did pick up another first-rounder in 2012 and added Nate Solder, Friday may be the most important day in recent memory.

New England failed to address its greatest need – the pass rush – and most of the top five-technique players are off the board.

That said, the Pats are in prime position to add five quality players by the end of the day, and getting an outside linebacker/defensive end is clearly the most critical remaining need.

Here are some of the best prospects available on Friday:

Linebackers:

1. Jabaal Sheard – Classic size/speed combo to move to 3-4 OLB. Good strength, aggression, leadership and production. Would like to see him taken with pick 33.

2. Brooks Reed – Solid production and combine-best 1.54 10-yard split. Not as good a run defender as Sheard, but perhaps greater pass rush upside.

3. Akeem Ayers – Versatile playmaker at UCLA. Doesn’t have elite measurables or instincts.

4. Justin Houston – Good production in the SEC. Great size/speed combo. Character, work ethic and positional fit concerns.

Running backs/receivers:

1. Mikel LeShoure – Could be in play for the 56^th pick. Strong runner with good size and strength.

2. Ryan Williams – Like his versatility and running style. Also could be available near the end of Round 2.

3. Leonard Hankerson – Not a deep threat, but has the size and adequate speed to be a good No. 2 receiver. Red-zone threat.

4. Titus Young – Explosive deep threat. Would be in consideration with 60^th pick.

Derek: I think the first round was fairly underwhelming for Patriots fans, but that's usually the case each year as Trader Bill either moves his pick back or into next year.  Nate Solder was a solid pickup with #17 when you consider he easily would have been off the board by the time pick #28 rolled around.  The Patriots seem pretty high on him, so we should expect big things.  He should add some stability to an offensive line that has a lot of questions at the moment. 

It's tough to end the evening without any pass rush support, but the Patriots now have three picks in the 2nd round to address that area, so we'll just have to wait until tomorrow.

As far as the #28 trade goes, I don't think the Patriots missed out on much by passing on Ingram.  I would have been excited if we had picked him, but there's a strong corps of backs to be had in later rounds.  I like that New England has two 1st round picks again next year as it gives the team added flexibility and it will be fun to speculate again next April.  It would have been nice if it were a "worse" team than New Orleans as the pick will likely be in the late 20's again, but picking up a future 1st and a 2nd this year is good value for that pick, especially considering that the Pats will lead off with pick #33 tomorrow. 

Overall, I expect to hear some disappointment from fans, but I think that when the dust settles on the 2nd and 3rd rounds, we will see a lot of needs filled.

With Alabama running back Mark Ingram still on the board, the Patriots opted to trade away their No. 28 pick to the Saints who snatched up the former Heisman Trophy winner.

In doing so, the Pats traded the 28th pick for the Saints' second-round pick (No. 56) and their 2012 first-rounder.

Belichick didn't do anything to deviate from his past draft record of trading into the future, and he continued his trend of manipulating the draft.

Ingram would have filled a huge need and was a great value this late in the first round, but the Patriots are now armed with three second-rounders with prospects like Muhammad Wilkerson, Cameron Heyward, Jabaal Sheard and Brooks Reed still on the board.

While the Saints won't be picking high in the draft, it can never hurt to have two first-round selections next year.

However, in order to make this draft a success, the Pats will have to hit it big with defensive front-seven players on Friday with picks 33, 56 and 60.

With the 17th pick in the 2011 Draft, the Patriots select: Nate Solder, offensive tackle, Colorado.

To be honest, I don't like the pick. With California defensive end Cameron Jordan sitting there at No. 17, I thought Belichick would have jumped all over him.

Solder has a tremendous amount of upside, perhaps more than any offensive linemen in the draft, but he's raw and needs to add strength to be an effective run blocker.

He is more of a finessee left tackle, but does possess great size at 6'8, 319 pounds with elite athleticism (4.96 forty).

He could be a franchise blindside protector if he adds strength, but at this spot in the draft I think the Pats should have gone with Jordan or even Boston College tackle Anthony Castonzo. 

Maybe Belichick will trade up from 28 to get a front-seven defender, but overall you can't fault the Pats for taking an offensive lineman with the uncertainty at the position.

First five picks went as expected with Cam Newton, Von Miller, Marcell Dareus, A.J. Green and Patrick Peterson coming off the board in that order.

However, the Falcons executed a blockbuster deal with the Browns, moving all the way from No. 27 to No. 6 to select Alabama WR Julio Jones.

The Browns made out well, gaining an extra second- and fourth-round pick in 2011 Draft and Atlanta's 2012 first- and fourth-round picks.

The 49ers went with an edge rusher in Missouri's Aldon Smith before the Titans shocked everyone by taking Jake Locker at No. 8.

Dallas seemed to work the clock for a trade, but ultimately took USC's Tyron Smith before the Jaguars traded up six spots to take Blaine Gabbert.

The Patriots are in a prime position to take a defensive front-seven player with Cameron Jordan, Robert Quinn and Ryan Kerrigan all on the board at pick No. 12.