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Now that Woodhead is gone, the task of replacing him falls to Shane Vereen, who is the ideal candidate to replace Woodhead. Although he is not as consistent of a rusher as Woodhead is, Vereen is more explosive and has plenty of upside. Both are just as good pass-catchers as each other, but the big difference is that Woodhead was a significantly better pass blocker- let’s hope Vereen can improve in that facet of his game. Vereen’s task is a tall one, but he is poised for a breakout year in his third season. However, Vereen will need to remain healthy and take the next step in his game. I’m confident he will do so, and I can almost guarantee that you’ll see Vereen playing a big role in the Patriots offense next season. I mean, it’s not often that you find a back with the upside, pass-catching ability, and explosiveness that Vereen has. He’ll never be more than a No. 2 back, but he has a chance to be a truly game-changing No. 2 for the Patriots a la Woodhead if all goes well.

Vereen has been speaking frequently to the media in recent days, and he talked about the tall order of trying to replace Danny Woodhead. Here is what he said, via WEEI, “It’s going to be hard to replace a guy like Woody. He had a lot of experience. He had a lot of knowledge. He’s a smart player. His role was pretty key to the team. I learned a lot from him. You can’t really replace him. All you can do is move on and hope to get better from there.”

“You can’t really replace him.” That quote stands out to me, and it’s great to hear that Vereen learned plenty from Woodhead. The first step in replacing Woodhead is learning from him, and the experience and intelligence that Vereen spoke highly of. We tend to forget that Woodhead is an incredibly smart player, and Vereen also fits the same mold as a guy who played for the California Golden Bears in college. Vereen has a tough task ahead of him, but it is a job that he has a good chance of filling out given his skill-set and outlook.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.

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According to Adam Schefter, the San Diego Chargers will host Dwight Freeney on a free agent visit today, and this comes on the heels of the Chargers losing Melvin Ingram to the season for a torn ACL. The Chargers are in a prime position to overpay for Freeney’s services, and they probably don’t care that Freeney doesn’t play as well as a 3-4 OLB; he’s far better as a 4-3 DE, and he showed it last year with the Indianapolis Colts. But the Chargers are in a dire need for an upgrade to their pass rush, and they could very well pull the trigger and quickly get an upgrade in Freeney.

With all the suitors for Freeney and the news that the Chargers are working him out, it’s tough to see the Patriots paying the price it takes to add a guy like Freeney or Abraham. At this point in time, I think the Patriots will stand pat with what they have and watch for certain players to take bigger steps in 2013. Besides, they have a crowded situation at DE as it stands, and guys like Jermaine Cunningham are squarely on the chopping block.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.

Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

The Patriots worked out Kansas State Wildcats LB Arthur Brown, so they could really go the linebacker direction in this draft if they feel that the player is good enough to warrant jumping “need”. The Pats seem to be in a position to go “best available”, and thus they are looking at all avenues. It’s interesting to see the Patriots show interest in a few LB prospects, because they have one of the best starting groups in the NFL. However, they could use another quality LB to add as a backup, and Reddick makes sense. Brown is a great prospect, but he doesn’t make as much sense given the talent of the Patriots current starting three.

Kevin Reddick projects at inside linebacker, and he has a little bit of Brandon Spikes in him. While he isn’t as good or as violent of a hitter, Reddick is also a playmaker at the position who flies around and stops the run. He isn’t as good against the run as Spikes is, but he’s likely better in coverage and can also get a few blitzes going. The Pats could use him as a backup if he is available where they are picking in the third-round, so we’ll see if they schedule a visit with Reddick. He would be a good addition and would also make plenty of sense for the Eagles, Chargers, Bears, and Jaguars.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.