Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

1. Florida State Seminoles defensive end Cornelius “Tank” Carradine would have been one of the top ten draft prospects this year had it not been for an ACL tear he sustained last season, because he has a great blend of speed and strength and had plenty of production before going down with the injury. Carradine visited the Patriots, and he has been mocked a number of times to New England at 29. However, it looks like Carradine has rehabbed himself out of the Patriots range.

Carradine ran a 4.75 forty at his pro day.

2. Tony Pauline reports that there is a 75% chance- citing a source- that the New York Jets trade star cornerback Darrelle Revis to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next week, and it’s pretty much a guarantee that Revis is gone. The Bucs and Jets are getting closer to agreeing on the draft picks to be sent to the Jets, and Revis and the Buccaneers already have the financial details down. The highest I would go for Revis is a first-round pick and a conditional draft pick in the later rounds. Now with the Jets netting the 13th pick in the draft, who should they get? Leave your say in the comments.

3. The Kansas City Chiefs gave the Miami Dolphins permission to talk to left tackle Branden Albert, and Mike Jurecki reported yesterday that the Dolphins and Albert were negotiating a contract. In a trade, the Dolphins would send two second-rounders to the Chiefs, and then they would have their new starting left tackle to replace Jake Long. As far as the financial numbers go, expect Albert to get something around what William Beatty received from the New York Giants. Adding Albert would obviously change the Dolphins draft strategy, and I would think that they would try and trade down from the 12th pick instead of trading up for Lane Johnson.

4. Oregon State Beavers wide receiver Markus Wheaton is an ideal pick for the New England Patriots in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft, because he would give the Patriots a much-needed vertical threat. Wheaton is the best vertical threat in this draft class with his speed and ability to make defenses pay after the catch, and Luke Hughes of NESN provides a good take on Wheaton.

5. Let’s take a look at some 2013 NFL Mock Drafts. NE Patriots Draft is my favorite site for checking out mocks, and this is a link to their most recent mock. In this one, the New England Patriots select Clemson Tigers standout wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, and it’s a pick that I am in agreement with. Hopkins can readily produce, and he has No. 1 potential.

6. Now this is great, because it touches on all the draft prospects talked about in this “Rundown” piece. MassLive.com’s excellent beat writer Nick Underhill released his 2013 NFL Mock draft, and he has the Houston Texans taking Hopkins, the Denver Broncos taking Carradine, and then the Patriots snatching Datone Jones off the board. The UCLA Bruins defensive lineman has become a popular pick in mock drafts for the Patriots, and Underhill writes, “New England has a bigger need at wide receiver, but Jones, who can play both on the inside and outside, may be too good to pass.” That’s why Jones is such a popular pick for the Patriots; he can excel as a pass rusher on the edge or on the interior.

7. The Boston Herald’s Jeff Howe has been writing excellent draft breakdowns these days, and he actually broke down Datone Jones yesterday. This piece is well-worth the read, and he talks about how Jones’s interior presence will stamp out a need for the Patriots.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.

Bradley Leeb-USA TODAY Sports

Sanchez isn’t the only person who has the Patriots getting Short in his mock draft, as several draft analysts are also tabbing Short as the Pats pick in the first round. Short would give the Patriots another pass rushing presence on the interior of the defensive line, and he has a high motor and would slot in as a DT in the rotation.

This mock draft was created before the New England Patriots signed Tommy Kelly, but there are still people who think the Pats will draft a DT. If they do, I highly doubt it will be in the first round. Short is a solid prospect who could still help the Pats even with Kelly in the fold, but I just think the Pats are done at DT with new additions in Armstead and Kelly. In my opinion, at least one of them will pan out and do their job for the Pats in generating pressure.

At this point in time, the Patriots are better off getting a wide receiver or cornerback. Of the players who fell beyond the Pats to the final three teams in the 2013 NFL Draft, Clemson Tigers wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins makes the most sense for the Pats. In fact, I would love to add Hopkins, as he has the talent to be a No. 1 wide receiver and could be a big help to the Pats. Even if the Pittsburgh Steelers don’t match the offer sheet for Emmanuel Sanders, I still think the Patriots will want to draft a wideout. The Pats also seem poised to go the “best available” route, and Hopkins looks like the best available prospect to me. Sanchez, by the way, had him going to the Baltimore Ravens with the final pick in the first round.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.

Don McPeak-US Presswire

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.