Although the New England Patriots are known for a short passing attack executed to perfection by Tom Brady, the team finished 9th in rushing yards which put them ahead of the Vikings, Steelers, Falcons, Panthers, Ravens, and Titans - notoriously run-heavy clubs which feature elite running backs. Because of injuries and ineffectiveness of some aging runners previously on the roster, the Pats relied on a complementary duo of two former undrafted free agents for the majority of the season. The unlikely combination of BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Danny Woodhead proved mostly effective, but key additions from the 2011 draft class figure to make the New England running game much more fearsome.
1. RB Shane Vereen -- Starting in the second round, the Patriots selected dynamic all-purpose RB Shane Vereen from Cal. Vereen is 5'10", 210 lbs. and ran for 1,167 yards and 13 touchdowns on 231 carries in 2010 (5.1 average). He was considered by many to be the best pass-catching back in his draft class after catching 74 balls during his collegiate career, making him a natural fit for the Patriots' offense. Due to his ability to catch and block, Vereen could make an immediate impact on third downs, sharing snaps with Woodhead.
2. RB Stevan Ridley -- The very next pick the Patriots went back to the RB position in the third round and snagged Stevan Ridley from LSU, a big power runner at 5'10", 225 lbs. Ridley had a breakout year in 2010, rushing for 1,147 yards and 15 touchdowns on 249 carries (4.6 average) even though he only had 272 rushing yards the previous two years combined. Ridley is similar to Green-Ellis in many ways and the two could wind up splitting the majority of early-down and short-yardage work.
2. OL Marcus Cannon -- In the fifth round, the Patriots saw a player there simply too good to pass up regardless of health concerns and took OL Marcus Cannon from TCU. Initially thought to be a possible late first round/early second round pick, Cannon was unfortunately diagnosed with lymphoma just a few days before the draft. With the Patriots already set at both tackle positions, Cannon projects to be a massive mauling guard at 6'5", 358 lbs. once he completes cancer treatments.
3. TE Lee Smith -- With their second pick of the fifth round, the Patriots added another fierce run blocker with TE Lee Smith from Marshall. Smith measures 6'6", 266 lbs. and was widely heralded as the best blocking tight end in the draft. Though Alge Crumpler was no doubt one of the top blocking tight ends in the NFL last year, he is 33 and on the last year of his deal. Like Crumpler, when Smith sees action it will most likely be as an extension of the potentially dominant offensive line creating holes for the Patriots' young runners.
Author Resource:
Myles is an NFL junkie and self-proclaimed guru in the world of sports. When Myles isn't writing about what you need to know on the real turf, he can be found writing about the upcoming Madden NFL 12 football video game on his popular Madden 12 news blog.
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