Mocking The Draft has released its AFC grades for the 2011 NFL Draft, giving the New England Patriots a 'C' for their selections in this year's draft.
While the Patriots drafted some nice players, MTD believes that Bill Belichick missed out on impact players.
New England Patriots- Nate Solder, Ras-I Dowling, Shane Vereen, Stevan Ridley, Ryan Mallett, Marcus Cannon, Lee Smith, Markell Carter, Malcolm Williams
C There are some nice players in this draft class but I think that they miss an opportunity to get real impact players. Solder has a ton of potential but he needs to work on improving his technique. Dowling has been injury prone which needs to play into your evaluation. Both Vereen and Ridley are nice running backs but are similar to the current combo of Woodhead and Green-Ellis. The Mallett and Cannon may take a little to pay off but were smart selections.
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.