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Clemson Tigers WR DeAndre Hopkins is one of my favorite wideouts in this class, and he could be a target for the Patriots in round one. I hope he falls into round two at pick 29, because Hopkins would be a steal there for the Patriots. Hopkins is just so athletic, and he is an incredibly natural pass-catcher with the best ball skills of any wideout in this draft.

The former Clemson standout ran both forty times of exactly 4.50, which doesn’t tell us that much more or less about Hopkins’s speed going forward. We knew going into the Combine that Hopkins isn’t a speed guy, but rather somebody who bases his game off of making tough catches and doing an excellent job of getting open to make plays. But 4.50 forty times are usually a good thing, and it shows that some of the knocks on Hopkins for speed are unwarranted. He really helped himself with those runs, and he will likely get picked in the second round. Hopefully later than sooner.

Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Justin Hunter was once viewed as a clear first-round choice, but the rise of other receivers (including Vols teammate Cordarrelle Patterson, possibly the first WR off the board) coincided with the fall of Hunter’s stock due to injuries, drops, and speed concerns.

Hunter put a lot of those speed concerns to rest by running forty times of 4.41 and 4.44. Those aren’t great times, but they are certainly good and show that some of the concerns on Hunter are getting a little exaggerated.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.

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Clemson Tigers wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins is just such a talented wideout, and I actually like him more than Tennessee’s Cordarrelle Patterson. I know Patterson has incredible speed and agility that is second to none at the WR position in this draft, but I care more about what a wideout does before the catch more than what he does after the catch.

Hopkins has plenty of athletic ability and speed, so he can make the catch and make plays happen after the catch. I can’t quite get a read one where Hopkins will get picked, because there are so many opinions surrounding him. My best guess is that Hopkins will end up going off the board in the early second-round, so the Patriots best chance of nabbing might be taking him in the late first if they like the Clemson product enough.

Some draft analysts like to compare DeAndre Hopkins to Atlanta Falcons elite wideout Roddy White, because Hopkins is just so good at jump balls and high-pointing the ball. He has drawn plenty of praise for his ability to get open, and Hopkins would be a nice addition to stretch the field vertically for the Patriots. I honestly think only Keenan Allen and Tavon Austin are better wide receivers in this class, and I have Hopkins right around Austin.

Here is an interesting tweet from Daniel Jeremiah about Hopkins, who was praised by the NFL Network analyst for his instincts.

For those of you who read the draft coverage on Musket Fire, I’m sure you guys have picked up on the fact that I am a huge fan of South Carolina Gamecocks strong safety D.J. Swearinger. The man is a monster in the secondary, because he hits hard, is explosive, and plays with a real meanstreak. Sometimes, he reminds me of Brandon Spikes at the safety position with the way he hits.

Although Swearinger’s coverage skills aren’t perfect, they don’t have to be since he plays strong safety. However, he is certainly good in coverage and showed it at South Carolina by playing at cornerback (at a high level, I might add). The underrated S is starting to get some credit, and he would be a very good fit for the New England Patriots. Hopefully, he can fall out of my top 50 grade to the Patriots laps in the late second-round.

Jeremiah tweeted on Swearinger, “each game tape is filled with violence. (Not dirty either)”.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.

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Short was a fast riser due to a strong Senior Bowl, and several draft analysts are high on Short. Daniel Jeremiah wrote that Short is “ very likely to get picked in the middle-to-late portion of the first round”, and I went over how our main site mocked him to the Patriots with the 29th pick. While I think Short is getting a bit overrated and took too many plays off at Purdue, he has excellent physical tools and some nice upside. I’m just wary of fast-rising DTs, even if they have enough size, speed, and strength to succeed at the pro level.

Sylvester Williams is also worth a close look for Patriots fans, and I would recommend reading Jeremiah’s piece as it goes in-depth with all the top DTs in the class. Jesse Williams of Alabama is another guy getting talked about among Pats circles, but I would be wary of Ohio State’s Jonathan Hankins. He’s an excellent player and is dropping too low on some boards, but Hankins isn’t a good fit for the Patriots as he is clearly more of a run-stopper. The Pats need an interior pass rusher like Sylvester Williams.

DeAndre Hopkins is one of the top playmaking wide receiver prospects in this 2013 NFL Draft class, and the former Clemson standout has terrific athleticism and speed. He gets jump balls, stretches the field vertically, and he would certainly add a different dimension to the Patriots offensive attack.

Another NFL Network draft guru, Bucky Brooks, tweeted that he thinks Hopkins is one of five players to watch closely for a huge Scouting Combine performance. Hopkins would be a nice pick for the Patriots, and I think he and Tavon Austin are the team’s best options at the wide receiver position.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.