Minutes after surprising everyone by drafting quarterback Ryan Mallet with the No. 73 overall pick, the New England Patriots made a trade in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft.
The Patriots send a third-round (No. 92 overall) and fourth-round (No. 125) pick to the Oakland Raiders in exchange for the Raiders' No. 219 pick this year, and their second-round pick in 2012. That gives the Patriots two first-round picks and two second-round picks next year. Again. The rich get richer.
The updated Patriots' 2011 NFL Draft picks now looks like this:
Round 1, No. 17 -- Nate Solder, OT, Colorado
Round 2, No. 33 -- Ras-I Dowling, CD, Virginia
Round 2, No. 56 -- Shane Vereen, RB, California
Round 3, No. 73 -- Stevan Ridley, RB, LSU (pick acquired via Houston)
Round 3, No. 74 -- Ryan Mallett, QB, Arkansas
Round 5, No. 138 (pick acquired via Houston)
Round 5, No. 159
Round 6, No. 193
Round 7, No. 219 (pick acquired via Oakland)
For more on the New England Patriots and their draft, head over to Pats Pulpit. And for all things 2011 NFL Draft related, from the first pick to Mr. Irrelevant and everything in between, check out SB Nation's 2011 NFL Draft Hub and our NFL Draft blog, Mocking The Draft.