Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com shares his view on the Patriots safety position, and calls Devin McCourty and Duron Harmon the only locks to make the roster.
"Chung's return, from this viewpoint, is more aligned with a player like 2012 second-round pick Tavon Wilson than it is through the lens of a starting role," writes Reiss. "Wilson's salary spikes to $773,344 this season, and he slid into the special-teams-only category in 2013, his second season.
"In that sense, he would be competing more against Wilson for a spot on the roster, with no guarantees of making the club. This is more about depth than anything, and seeing how the competition unfolds." READ MORE>>
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Karen Guregian](http://bostonherald.com/sports/patriotsnfl/newenglandpatriots/2014/04/johnnymanzielmadeoutinvisitwithpatrtiots) of the Boston Herald reports that Virginia Tech QB Logan Thomas will have a pre-draft visit with the Patriots. This comes on the heels of visits from top QB prospects Johnny Manziel and Teddy Bridgewater earlier in the week.
"Thomas is an intriguing developmental prospect, as he's a 6-foot-6, 253-pound quarterback with a monster arm," adds Guregian. "Thomas has a trip to Foxboro lined up, along with visits with the Cardinals, Ravens, Bears and Texans." READ MORE>>
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Nick Underhill](http://blog.masslive.com/patriots/2014/04/masslivemockdraft.html) of The Republican shares his 2014 NFL Mock Draft and has the Patriots selecting Notre Dame DT Louis Nix with the 29th overall pick in the first round.
"Defensive tackle might not be a pressing need next season with Vince Wilfork and Tommy Kelly back in the fold, but the team needs to get younger at the position and begin preparing for the future," writes Underhill. "At 6-foot-2, 345 pounds, Nix has the body of a prototypical nose tackle, and knows how to use it to suck up double teams in the running game." READ MORE>>
Meredith Perri of WEEI.com takes a closer look at Colorado State C Weston Richburg and calls him a potential draft day target for the Patriots in rounds 2-3.
"Richburg, a two-time captain at Colorado State, has solid initial quickness and is a durable player," writes Perri. "He helped the 2013 Rams to the most prolific scoring offense in school history with a school-record 470.8 yards per game." READ MORE>>
Chris Burke of Sports Illustrated gives the Patriots a B-plus grade so far in free agency.
"Keeping Julian Edelman and adding Brandon LaFell will make Tom Brady smile, although LaFell has yet to take the step up from decent to really good," notes Burke. "The Patriots also missed some chances to really bolster a receiving corps that includes several unproven pieces." READ MORE>>
