ESPN

In a piece now posted on ESPN.com, draft analyst Todd McShay goes through the AFC and selects one "impact" pick for each team and one pick that could be considered "questionable."

For the Patriots, he selects Marshall receiver Aaron Dobson for the impact category.

"I've been saying for months that Dobson had 'Patriots' written all over him," McShay writes. "Of all the top receivers in this class, Dobson has the instincts, savvy and ball skills to pick up their offense and break their trend of busts at the position. He's not a burner, but he's 6-foot-3, has phenomenal body control, and great hand-eye coordination."

At the opposite end of the spectrum, McShay is curious about Rutgers safety Duron Harmon, the team's second third-round pick (91st overall).

"We had a sixth-to-seventh-round grade on him," McShay writes. "He's the kind of player the Patriots have often selected at that position, so we'll see if they have a specific role in mind, and I'll be curious to find out what they saw that I didn't."

To read the piece, CLICK HERE (Insider content).

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- In an interview on NFL Network on Saturday, Patriots coach Bill Belichick shared his viewpoint of the team's selections of receivers Aaron Dobson (second round, 59th) and Josh Boyce (fourth round, 102nd), as well as the overall receiving corps.

"We've had a chance this year, through a variety of circumstances, to redo the receiver position," Belichick said in a one-on-one interview with Mike Mayock.

"We've lost guys for one reason or another, but with [Danny] Amendola coming in as an inside guy who can also play outside -- but primarily an inside receiver -- and the two players that we added in the draft with Dobson and Boyce ... as you said, they're fast guys that play primarily on the perimeter. They have good size. They're tough. They've shown up in the kicking game and blocking and things like that. They're smart players that are mature. Hopefully, they'll fit in well with our offense.

"It will be certainly a new receiving group for us, in our chemistry and timing and execution and all that. They have a long way to go to blend in with some of our other veteran players on the offensive side of the ball. But hopefully those guys will all be able to grow together with our relatively young tight ends and fairly young group of backs, and become productive in the passing game and overall offensively as well."

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The Patriots have scouted their first four draft selections for months, but Friday night was the first opportunity for reporters to get to know the new guys.

Interviewed by conference call shortly after they were picked, each player's story began to emerge.

Jamie Collins hails from McCall Creek in southwest Mississippi, just north of the Louisiana border. He attended the University of Southern Mississippi, located in nearby Hattiesburg. And if you recognize the name, that's because its most famous resident is former NFL quarterback Brett Favre.

Yes, Collins knows Favre. In fact, the two have fished together, and exchanged texts before this week's draft. Collins is strictly a bass fisherman, and a pretty good one, he says.

"But I don't like to brag. I just like to go out and prove it," Collins said.

Aaron Dobson is from Dunbar, West Virginia, a small city just up the Kanawha River from the state capital, Charleston. On the other side of Charleston is Rand, hometown of former NFL receiver Randy Moss. Both played at Marshall University, some 50 miles west.

Off the field, Dobson says he "plays video games" and "just likes to kick it with my family and friends."

The Patriots' pair of third-round picks, of course, know a little about each other. Logan Ryan and Duron Harmon not only were teammates at Rutgers, but close friends and workout partners. Their families, as well as Devin McCourty's family, are well-acquainted with one another.

Ryan grew up in Voorhees, New Jersey, which is not too far from Philadelphia. Not surprisingly, he was an Eagles fan. And if you're looking for personality out of these first four picks, Ryan's your man.

Telling reporters he's a "family guy," Ryan said he and his girlfriend have a one-year old puppy. It's a puggle -- they couldn't get a pit bull, so "we had to go with the next fiercest thing" -- and its name is Nala, after The Lion King character.

"I'm seeing my dog grow up," he joked. "I got (it) last year (and it) woke me up at all times in the middle of the night."

Just wait until he has kids.

Finally, Harmon's hometown is Magnolia, Delaware. He was one of 10 national finalists for the Senior CLASS Award and the ARA Sportsmanship Award.

Harmon and Ryan will be arriving at Gillette Stadium for rookie minicamp next month as former teammates and friends, a rarity in the NFL, and with a familiar mentor in Devin McCourty.

On the other end of the spectrum, Collins doesn't know any Patriots players, and will be moving nearly 1,500 miles from home.

"(I'm) going in cold," he said.

Here's some advice: Pack warm clothes, and your new teammates will do the rest.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Coming out of South Charleston High School in West Virginia, Aaron Dobson was choosing between two paths -- football or basketball. The journey led him to Northeastern University, ever so briefly.

"I went up there and visited Northeastern coming out of high school actually, visited the basketball team," Dobson told reporters on a conference call Friday night. "I actually liked Boston, liked it up there, liked the school. But I just ended up leaning toward Marshall for football."

And now, after four solid seasons from 2009-2012, he'll continue his football career playing in suburban Boston, catching passes from quarterback Tom Brady.

"Oh man, that right there, you can’t beat that. [He’s] the best quarterback in the league," said Dobson, who turns 22 in July. "It’s amazing because I’ve been watching him for so long and now that I get the chance to go play with him, it’s a blessing."

Dobson follows former Patriots receivers Troy Brown and Randy Moss as former Marshall receivers playing for the Patriots.

"I’ve met them. I wouldn’t say I have any type of relationship where I could call them or anything like that, but I’ve definitely met them; Troy has been around the facility a lot and I’ve met him," Dobson relayed. "Moss is a great player. He definitely did his thing in the NFL. He came in and went straight to work. I’m going to try to come in and make my own name. Really just do what I can do to help my team win and do what I can do to make myself better and be great."

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- In selecting Marshall receiver Aaron Dobson with the 59th overall selection in the NFL draft, the Patriots address a need with a high-upside prospect who projects to an outside role.

Dobson (6-foot-2 3/4, 210 pounds) was one of the Patriots' 30 pre-draft visits in the weeks leading up to the draft. The Patriots used about 25 percent of their visits on receivers, which seemed to be a reflection that they planned to draft a pass-catcher, and it ended up being Dobson.

One of the things that stands out about Dobson is that he fits a different profile than most of the other receivers on the roster. He's more of a pure outside target (good size, long arms) who has shown a knack for making the tough catch, although he doesn't have top-end speed.

The Pro Football Weekly draft preview calls him a "big, fluid, quicker-than-fast, short to intermediate flanker who projects best as a complementary No. 3 receiver." The draft preview notes that he ran a limited route tree, which will be one area to monitor as he makes the transition to a complex Patriots system.

The Patriots have one lock at the receiver spot in Danny Amendola (5-11, 188), and if Julian Edelman (5-10, 200) stays healthy he should also be in the mix. Dobson has a different physical makeup, which might have been why he was the pick over someone like Oregon State's Markus Wheaton (5-11, 189). Dobson also has experience on special teams as a gunner, but if things work out according to plan, his contributions to the Patriots will be more about catching the ball than what he does on fourth down.

Veterans Donald Jones (6-0, 208) and Michael Jenkins (6-4, 214) add depth at receiver, and their standing on the roster could be tied, in part, to how quickly Dobson develops.

In the video below from ESPNBoston.com's Patriots draft special prior to the draft, Trevor Matich discusses Dobson's skills at the 1:27 mark:

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The Patriots have selected Marshall wide receiver Aaron Dobson in the second round, 59th overall.

Dobson (6-2, 210) projects to an outside role at a position in which the Patriots had a need. He was a team captain at Marshall, where he totaled 57 receptions for 679 yards and three touchdowns in 10 games last season.

More to come.

ESPN NFL draft analyst Todd McShay has released his first two-round mock draft of the year, allowing us to get a better feel for the depth of this year's class of prospects.

As it relates to the Patriots, McShay has a pair of offensive players in mind: Syracuse guard Justin Pugh at pick 29 and Marshall wide receiver Aaron Dobson at pick 59.

McShay points to the Patriots' stronger track record of identifying talent at offensive line than at cornerback and wide receiver, both of which are considered needs. He says the Patriots "could stand to bolster" the interior of the offensive line, where Pugh projects to play.

Dobson, meanwhile, is a big-bodied wide receiver at nearly 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds who projects to play at the "X" receiver spot in the Patriots' offense. With Brandon Lloyd no longer on the team, the Patriots are in need of a receiver to work the perimeter of the field.

QUICK-HIT THOUGHTS: The feeling here is that the interior of the offensive line isn't among the top needs, although the draft involves the intersection of need and value. If Pugh is at or near the top of the Patriots' board when they are on the clock, he could be a player they'd consider... Taking a wide receiver in the top two rounds makes sense given the need, and Dobson profiles as the type of player the Patriots could benefit from having... With only five selections in the draft, the Patriots could dangle their top pick to a team looking to trade back into the first round in exchange for more draft capital.

To see McShay's mock draft in its entirety (Insider content), click HERE.