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Allen is the best wide receiver in this draft class, and I would love for the Patriots to snap him up with the 29th pick if he falls there. It’s crazy how Allen’s stock has been falling, despite the fact that there is little to indicate that he deserves his stock to fall. Cordarrelle Patterson is viewed by many as the best wide receiver in this draft, but I am a little hesitant to give him that title over Allen- I prefer wide receivers who are standouts before the catch as opposed to after it.

In all honesty, I would even take Allen over Tavon Austin, who was selected earlier in FanSided’s mock draft. Austin is quickly rising as well after his incredible forty time at the Combine, but I feel like Allen is still the top guy in this class. He is an excellent route-runner with terrific hands and an innate sense of finding soft spots in coverage. He doesn’t have much speed, but I could see him as a solid pick for the Pats and somebody who could easily replace Brandon Lloyd.

It’s all about finding value in the draft, and Allen would be a great value at 29 for the New England Patriots. Looking at picks around the division the New York Jets took pass rusher Barkevious Mingo in the FanSided mock, the Miami Dolphins took Kenny Vaccaro, and the Buffalo Bills took Jets target Dion Jordan one pick before the Jets.

The pick of Vaccaro for the Dolphins is one that makes little sense, because the Dolphins already have a very good safety tandem. Reshad Jones may have been the best safety in the NFL last season, while Chris Clemons was solid and is a priority for the Dolphins to re-sign. Vaccaro is good, but he just doesn’t fit the Dolphins.

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Alabama Crimson Tide right tackle D.J. Fluker has been rightfully knocked for his struggles against speedy edge rushers, but his strength and run blocking ability would make him a nice fit at either RT or guard. Clocked with a forty time between 5.32 and 5.35, Fluker is on the Patriots draft radar after Mike Reiss speculated that the Pats could target Fluker if things stall between the team and Sebastian Vollmer. Fluker is expected to go in the late-first round, as Mike Mayock gives the perfect range of 20-32 for Fluker.

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Tank Carradine is an incredible defensive end prospects and would be rated just as high (or even higher) than Florida State teammate Bjoern Werner without injury concerns. But as it stands, Carradine’s injury concerns will likely keep him out of the first round. Carradine will reportedly participate  in every drill at his Pro Day with FSU.

Florida Gators tight end Jordan Reed was a key piece in the Gators offense, and he comes into the draft with a second-third round grade. Some, like the Boston Herald, are speculating that Reed could join fellow UF TE standout Aaron Hernandez on the New England Patriots. Even though I don’t see that happening, Reed did run a forty time around Hernandez’s range (low 4.6s). An excellent TE at stretching the field, Reed could be on the Pats radar.

Oregon Ducks DE Dion Jordan has been beefing up after being a “slim” DE with the Ducks in order to do the unique things that the Ducks asked him to do on defense- like cover slot wide receivers. Jordan is the most freakishly athletic player in this draft, and he did some of the most out-of-the-box things while with Oregon. Jordan isn’t a scheme fit for the Patriots and won’t fall past the top 20, but he is closely on the New York Jets radar and could very well be a top ten pick. Jordan will be out for three to four months recovering from surgery to repair a torn labrum, which he actually played through while at Oregon.

Nick Underhill wonders if Dion Jordan could be a fit for the New England Patriots.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.

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2. NE Patriots Draft wonders if former Oregon Ducks standout defensive end Dion Jordan could be a fit for the New England Patriots in the 2013 NFL Draft. Jordan is one of my favorite players in this draft, because he is such a gifted pass rusher and his ridiculous athleticism that can only be described as “freakish”. He was so good for the Ducks that they would have him covering wide receivers in the slot, which is just freaking insane. Jordan, however, doesn’t really fit the scheme the Patriots run, and he almost certainly won’t fall outside of the top 25. Matthew Jones’s piece on the site surmises that Jordan isn’t the best fit for the Pats, and his piece is well-worth the read.

3. Lee Schechter of the Bleacher Report believes that Charles Woodson and Ed Reed are perfect fits for the New England Patriots. He brings up leadership and hard-hitting as two of the arguments, and both of them are crutch arguments and do not help the value of either player to the Patriots.

Here is what I said about Reed.

Here is what I wrote about Woodson in a shorter piece.

I respect Schechter’s opinion, but I couldn’t disagree more with him and that’s because I am looking for different qualities in a new DB for the New England Patriots.

4. Greg Knopping over at Pats Pulpit wonders if recently released Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Steve Breaston could be a fit for the New England Patriots. I don’t mind Breaston, but his recent time with the Chiefs was quite sour, and I would rather take a flier on one of the talented wideouts in this draft (like Tavon Austin or DeAndre Hopkins) or even Miami Dolphins WR Brian Hartline instead. If, as Knopping writes, Breaston would come cheap for the Patriots, then he would be an interesting reclamation signing for the Pats that could carry a nice reward. We’ll see how things shake out with Breaston, though.

5. 29-year-old tight end David Thomas was a decent backup for Jimmy Graham, but the New Orleans Saints decided to release the former New England Patriots TE (the Pats traded him to New Orleans), instead of paying him $1.7 million next season. Thomas isn’t nearly as good as he used to be, and the Saints probably felt like they were due for an upgrade behind Graham.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.