Pats Add 4 on Draft's Second Night

The New England Patriots used all four of their picks on Day 2 of the 2013 NFL Draft Friday Night, leaving Head Coach  Bill Belichick convinced that his team was in good shape after the first 3 rounds of the draft.

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"I think we were able to improve our team tonight," said Belichcick.  "We feel like we got good value for our picks."

With the 52nd pick, acquired from the Minnesota Vikings Thursday night, the Patriots selected Southern Mississippi pass rusher Jamie Collins  Seven picks later, the team used it's own second rounder, the 59th pick, on Wide Receiver Aaron Dobson of Marshall.

Belichick praised Collins and Dobson for their size, speed, and productivity in college.  Both players have uncanny speed and athleticism, and are expected to fill huge needs on the roster.

The 6'3", 250 pound Collins had 10 sacks as a senior, and will be asked to bring some of his blitzing prowess to New England.  He also played on special teams throughout his college career and has been very versatile in that regard.

Dobson ran a 4.43 40-yard-dash in pre-draft workouts, showcasing the speed to beat defenders deep, something the Patriots receiving corps has lacked in recent years.  The 6'3" Dobson also has great size and sure hands- in fact, he didn't drop a single pass in his senior year!

With the 83rd pick, also acquired from Minnesota, the Patriots selected Rutgers Cornerback Logan Ryan.  8 selections later, they picked his college teammate and workout buddy, Safety Duron Harmon.

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Ryan (left) is a versatile corner with experience in both man and zone coverage.  He is also one of the smarter players in the entire draft, graduating with a 3.5 GPA.  Ryan feels like his smarts are a major asset on the football field.

"DBs have to be the smartest people on the field because we have to think on our feet," said Ryan, who also plays special teams, saying, "I'm a guy who doesn't like to come off the field."

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Harmon (right) was a surprising pick at the back end of the third round.  Most scouting services had him pegged to be a late round pick if he was even chosen at all.  Belichick said he couldn't possibly know how the other 31 teams viewed Harmon and that he thought he was a good value with the 91st selection.

Both Harmon and Ryan pointed to the strong ties between the Rutgers program and the Patriots as a postive.  Ryan is especially close to Patriots defensive back Devin McCourty, who has mentored Ryan since the 2009 season, when McCourty was a senior and Ryan a freshman at Rutgers.

""The relationship I have with Devin goes beyond words," said Ryan.

Belichick believes all four players can step in and help the team as rookies.  He praised his first four picks as a smart group, and said the Patriots were fortunate to have gotten Collins and Ryan with the picks they acquired from Minnesota.

"If we could've made the trade before the draft started, I think we would've made it on Wednesday," said Belichick.


Here's Belichick's Post-Day 2 Press Conference