10:43 p.m.: That will do it for us over here for the night. It’s pretty shocking that just three quarterbacks have been drafted so far. You have to think that there will be a run at some point tomorrow. Apparently, NFL teams really didn’t like this class.
There are still plenty of quality players left on the board. Da’Rick Rogers, Jesse Williams, Matt Barkley, Johnathan Franklin and Quinton Patton were all projected as first- or second-rounders by some.
Join us again tomorrow early in the morning for more live blog action.
10:30 p.m.: And the last pick of the night is Zaviar Gooden, linebacker out of Missouri. Gooden is another absolute freak athlete. He ran a 4.46-second 40-yard dash at 234 pounds with a 6.71-second 3-cone drill.
10:25 p.m.: The Chiefs grabbed freak athlete (and noted fumbler) Knile Davis of Arkansas. His speed-size combo is crazy, though.
10:24 p.m.: After the Patriots selected someone no one has heard of, the Texans took Sam Montgomery out of LSU. He’s a nice pass rusher, who lacks a great motor. He could be star if he puts it all together.
10:19 p.m.: The Ravens took small-school sleeper Brandon Williams No. 94 overall. He’s a huge athletic body and he can get into the backfield. Nice pick for Baltimore right there.
10:16 p.m.: The Dolphins took Utah State cornerback Will Davis.
10:12 p.m.: This one may hurt, Patriots fans. The Rams took Stedman Bailey right after Harmon. A lot of New England fans wanted Bailey.
10:08 p.m.: With the No. 91 pick, the Patriots select Rutgers safety Duron Harmon.
I can’t lie, I had not heard of Duron Harmon until minutes ago. He’s a safety. That’s about it. Sorry.
10:03 p.m.: USF cornerback Kayvon Webster went to the Broncos at No. 90 overall. Patriots are on the clock.
10:00 p.m.: Easton, Mass., native and Brennan Williams went No. 89 overall to the Texans. Williams is a right tackle with great technique. A shoulder injury ended his 2012 season early.
9:57 p.m.: The 49ers grabbed another great pass rusher at No. 88 in Corey Lemonier out of Auburn. He tore up the combine.
9:52 p.m.: The Seahawks added Penn State defensive tackle Jordan Hill at No. 87 overall with their second pick in the draft.
9:49 p.m.: The Redskins grabbed Aaron Hernandez-clone Jordan Reed. The Colts took guard Hugh Thornton out of Illinois.
9:48 p.m.: The Bengals grabbed a safety at No. 84 with Georgia’s Shawn Williams.
9:40 p.m.: The Patriots selected a Rutgers defender. Surprise, surprise.
Logan Ryan is a slot/zone cornerback who may struggle if he’s asked to play man outside. He’s a smart player and has strong instincts.
9:39 p.m.: The Saints got a space filler on defense in nose tackle John Jenkins out of Georgia.
9:31 p.m.: The Bills got the highly athletic Marquise Goodwin out of Texas. He nearly broke the combine 40-yard dash record.
The Steelers got themselves a Mike Wallace clone with pick No. 79 in Markus Wheaton.
The Cowboys drafted JJ Wilcox, who started his career at Georgia Southern as a wide receiver and running back before converting to safety this year.
The Giants grabbed Damontre Moore at No. 81. He had a ton of sacks at Texas A&M as a defensive end and outside linebacker, but he ran a slow 40 and only benched 12 reps.
9:24 p.m.: The Dolphins have taken another tackle. It’s looking less likely that they’ll grab Branden Albert from the Chiefs unless he’s very cheap. Miami took Dallas Thomas of Tennessee.
9:20 p.m.: These picks are coming in quickly now. The Saints got their left tackle in Terron Armstead, and Keenan Allen finally came off the board, going to the Chargers.
Both were expected to go much higher, but Armstead is extremely raw and may project better as a tight end, while Allen had speed, injury and drug red flags.
9:14 p.m.: The Cowboys got themselves a Texas wide receiver. Terrance Williams is a Cowboy.
Williams was highly productive in college, but he he seemed to lack speed at times on the field. He made some big plays in the Big 12.
9:12 p.m.: The Cardinals are crawling off the board. Mike Glennon goes No. 73 to the Buccaneers.
Glennon is a statue behind center and his accuracy leaves some to be desired, but he’s got a huge arm.
9:09 p.m.: The Jets have finally beefed up their offensive line with guard Brian Winters out of Kent State.
9:04 p.m.: Blidi Wreh-Wilson is off the board. The UConn cornerback is going to the Titans.
The Rams have selected USC safety T.J. McDonald No. 71 overall. His father is 49ers legend Tim McDonald. Now T.J. will have to take the Niners.
8:58 p.m.: The cornerbacks are flying off the board. Tyrann Mathieu, the artist formerly known as the Honey Badger, has been drafted by the Cardinals No. 69 overall.
Mathieu has been living with Patrick Peterson’s family to keep him out of trouble. Now he’ll be Peterson’s teammate with the Cardinals.
8:55 p.m.: The Browns are adding a cornerback in San Diego State’s Leon McFadden. McFadden is an underrated corner who really shined at the combine.
8:52 p.m.: The Eagles got some girth up the middle by adding LSU defensive tackle Bennie Logan.
8:48 p.m.: The UConn guys are starting to fall off the board now. Sio Moore went No. 66 to the Raiders.
We suspect Blidi Wreh-Wilson will be next. The Patriots should be interested in the Huskies cornerback.
8:46 p.m.: Some expected Kentucky guard Larry Warford to go in the first round early in the draft process. Nope, he goes in the third to the Lions. Warford won’t impress with his athleticism or footwork, but he’s a boulder on the line.
8:44 p.m.: Dwayne Gratz went before his UConn teammate Blide Wreh-Wilson No. 64 overall to the Jaguars.
8:39 p.m.: The Chiefs took troubled tight end Travis Kelce with the No. 63 overall pick. Kelce was suspended for an entire season by the Cincinnati Bearcats for undisclosed reasons.
This is just the Chiefs’ second pick in the draft. Kelce is Eagles center Jason Kelce’s brother.
8:36 p.m.: The Seahawks took a great athlete with the No. 62 overall pick, running back Christine Michael of Texas A&M. At 220 pounds, Michael ran a 4.43-second 40-yard dash with a ridiculous 6.69-second 3-cone.
8:31 p.m.: Robert Alford went to the Falcons, who have doubled up on cornerbacks now. Eddie Lacy went to the Packers.
Alford had trouble picking up coverages at the FCS level. The Packers got a steal in Lacy. Some expected them to take the Alabama running back in the first round.
8:25 p.m.: Aaron Dobson was highly rated coming into the 2012 season, but seemed to get passed by as the year progressed. Dobson is exactly what the team needs as an X wide receiver across from Danny Amendola.
8:22 p.m.: Per a team source, the Patriots have selected Marshall wide receiver Aaron Dobson.
8:17 p.m.: The Patriots are on the clock again with plenty of WRs available.
The Texans took D.J. Swearinger and the Broncos took Montee Ball.
8:10 p.m.: Arthur Brown of Kansas State finally came off the board, and Josh Norris of Rotoworld rejoices. Brown is a great player — very productive, very versatile.
The Ravens definitely needed some linebackers with Ray Lewis, Dannell Ellerbe and Paul Kruger gone.
8:07 p.m.: Lots of action in the last couple of minutes. The 49ers traded up ahead of the Seahawks to grab tight end Vance McDonald. And then the Seahawks traded down with the Ravens.
8:03 p.m.: The Dolphins got an absolute steal at No. 54 in Jamar Taylor. He’s the best man cornerback in the draft. He’s undersized, but he can ball.
Some worry about his level of competition with Boise State, but that should be no concern.
8:00 p.m.: The Bengals got freak athlete and Estonian Margus Hunt. The 6-foot-8 specimen can contribute on special teams right away, and he has the upside to be a great defender if he can ever control his pad level.
7:54 p.m.: The Patriots have made their pick, and it’s versatile linebacker Jamie Collins of Southern Miss. Collins is extremely athletic and can play linebacker or defensive end.
He ran a 4.59-second 40-yard dash with a 7.10-second 3-cone drill. His 11-foot-7 broad jump was insane at 6-foot-4, 250 pounds. Collins had 10 sacks in 2012 with 92 tackles. Most fans will wish the team went cornerback or wide receiver, but those positions are deeper in this class.
Collins can eventually line up across from Chandler Jones at right defensive end. Jones would slide over to the left side, where he fits in better anyway. The Patriots needed a sub/speed rusher and Collins can be that or a stand-up linebacker.
7:51 p.m.: The Redskins took productive cornerback David Amerson out of NC State. He caught a ton of interceptions in 2011, but really struggled in 2012.
7:49 p.m.: The Bears took Florida linebacker Jon Bostic. It looks like he’ll be taking over for Brian Urlacher.
7:45 p.m.: The Giants are getting a hole plugger in the middle of the defense in Ohio State nose tackle Johnathan Hankins. He’s pretty agile for his size, but he’s only a first- and second-down player because he has trouble getting into the backfield.
7:42 p.m.: The second running back is off the board now — Le’Veon Bell of Michigan State. Most expected Eddie Lacy to be gone by now.
The Steelers also acquired former Cardinal LaRod Stephens-Howling today.
Bell’s a pretty typical Michgan State and Steelers back. He’s a banger inside the tackles.
7:38 p.m.: With Jason Witten still on the team, this may not be a popular pick, but Dallas took San Diego State tight end Gavin Escobar. They can certainly use two at once, but they didn’t do a great job of utilizing Martellus Bennett when he was on the team.
Escobar is a better receiver than blocker and doesn’t have great athleticism, but he’s a very good player.
7:35 p.m.: The Panthers apparently saw a huge need on the defensive line. They picked Kawann Short out of Purdue.
Kevin Minter, who some said was better than Manti Te’o, went No. 45 to the Cardinals. He’s a downhill player who will fill holes and plow through blocks at the line of scrimmage.
Oregon linebacker Kiko Alonso is going to the Bills at No. 46. Alonso is a bit nutty, but he’s got a crazy motor out on the field.
7:25 p.m.: Johnthan Banks finally came off the board at No. 43. He’s a big corner in the mold of a Brandon Browner, but he’s not a speedy guy.
Banks may convert to safety at some point in the NFL because of that lack of speed. He’s definitely a ball hawk and has great instincts.
7:24 p.m.: The Raiders got their right tackle in Menelik Watson. He’s a former basketball player from England who only started playing football a couple years ago. He’s still very raw and at times looks like he has no idea what he’s doing.
7:16 p.m.: Tank Carradine went No. 40 to the 49ers, Robert Woods went No. 41 to the Bills. Sorry, Patriots fans. I know those were two guys you all wanted desperately.
Carradine may wind up being the best pass rusher in this entire draft. He tore his ACL in November and already ran a 4.7-second 40 in April.
Woods is a very NFL-ready wide receiver out of USC. He’s talented, but will likely never be a No. 1 in the league.
7:07 p.m.: Geno Smith can finally come out of the green room and onto the green team. He’s going to the Jets.
Smith will compete for the starting job with David Garrard and Mark Sanchez. That’s a fantastic value for New York, who have had a very good draft so far.
Smith isn’t a perfect quarterback, and he was helped out by Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey, but he was the consensus No. 1 quarterback in the draft.
7:02 p.m.: NFL Network can stop talking about where Manti Te’o might go, and now spend time talking about how he fits into San Diego’s defense.
Te’o’s going to the Chargers. That means the Patriots DID NOT trade up for Te’o, just as I said (pats self on back).
6:59 p.m.: Bengals fans grew tired of seeing BenJarvus Green-Ellis sludging along last year, and they just got their wish by taking running back Gio Bernard of UNC.
Bernard is the first running back taken in this draft. Most assumed it would be Eddie Lacy, but Bernard is the more explosive and dangerous player.
6:55 p.m.: The Lions got some help at cornerback by adding Darius Slay of Mississippi State. Before the combine, no one would have guessed that Slay would go before teammate Johnthan Banks. But that’s what an impressive 40 time and a terrible 40 time will do.
6:47 p.m.: The Eagles passed on the remaining quarterbacks and went tight end with the No. 35 overall pick — Zach Ertz of Stanford. Ertz is essentially a big wide receiver for the Chip Kelly offense, almost in an Aaron Hernandez mold without as much elusive ability. Ertz won’t block much.
6:44 p.m.: The rumors were correct: Justin Hunter is the pick for the Titans. That will help Jake Locker. They picked up Kendall Wright last year and now Hunter, who some compare to Randy Moss.
The Titans also have Kenny Britt if he can ever get his act together.
6:41 p.m.: The Titans just traded up with the 49ers, because San Francisco needed MORE picks. The pick is rumored to be wide receiver Justin Hunter of Tennessee.
The 49ers picked up a 2014 third-rounder and a 2013 seventh to move back six spots.
6:37 p.m.: Well, I was wrong, the Jaguars selected Johnathan Cyprien with the No. 33 overall pick, so it was a defensive back. Cyprien is a hard hitter who can also cover deep. It was surprising to see Eric Reid drafted over him on Thursday night.
Cyprien is out of Florida International.
6:33 p.m.: The Jaguars are officially on the seven-minute clock. I expect Johnthan Banks here.
6:28 p.m.: Alex Flanagan just said on the NFL Network that Bill Belichick is interested in trading up for Manti Te’o. He’s a great player, and may be the best player available when the Patriots pick, but he’s a terrible fit since he would be redundant with the three other linebackers in New England, Brandon Spikes, Dont’a Hightower and Jerod Mayo.
I suspect that doesn’t happen. NFL Network has been trying to push Te’o news all weekend.
6:22 p.m.: There are plenty of fun storylines going on tonight. There are still plenty of quality quarterbacks out there, like Geno Smith, Matt Barkley, Ryan Nassib, Tyler Wilson and Mike Glennon. I’d expect most or all of those players to be drafted at some point tonight. The player NFL Network can’t stop talking about for some reason, Manti Te’o, will be coming off the board at some point tonight as well. At this point, he’d likely be a fit for most teams who are in the business of taking the best player available.
The Patriots, of course, have four picks today. It remains to be seen if they will use all of them, as they still have the option of trading up or trading down. There are so many good defensive players and wide receivers left that it may make sense to just stay put. If New England keeps all four picks, expect to see them take two wide receivers. The Patriots doubled up on tight ends in 2010, running backs in 2011 and defensive ends in 2012.
6:00 p.m.: We’re a half hour away and the rumors of the day have the Jaguars (the owners of the first pick in the second round) taking cornerback Johnthan Banks of Mississippi State or quarterback Matt Barkley of USC. Patriots fans should probably hope Jacksonville goes Barkley, because the more quarterbacks, offensive linemen and running backs that go early, the better players will be available when their two picks come up.
Something we failed to mention in yesterday’s live blog was that zero running backs were drafted. Depending on how you look at some of the drafts in the 1960s, you could say that was the first time that has ever happened. Eddie Lacy, Johnathan Franklin, Montee Ball, Gio Bernard and Le’Veon Bell could all go today, as well as a few other players.
8 a.m. ET: After trading out of the first round (who didn’t see that one coming?), the Patriots suddenly hold eight picks in the NFL draft. That’s after having just five coming into the yearly event on Thursday.
New England now holds two second-rounders, two third-rounders, a fourth-round pick and three seventh-round picks. No one knows what the team will do with all those picks now, but it would be wise to assume the Patriots will be moving around more as the draft progresses.
There are still a ton of great players left at positions of need for the Patriots. If they’re looking for defensive linemen, Tank Carradine, Margus Hunt and Kawann Short would all be worth second-round picks. Wide receivers Keenan Allen, Justin Hunter, Robert Woods, Stedman Bailey, Markus Wheaton and Da’Rick Rogers could all likely start Week 1 across from Danny Amendola. At cornerback, Jamar Taylor, Blidi Wreh-Wilson, Johnthan Banks, Darius Slay and Tyrann Mathieu are all what the team looks for in an outside defender.
Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio said the Patriots were considering several players with the No. 29 pick still available when they traded out, but there was no reason not to take Minnesota’s offer. The Vikings gave up a haul for that No. 29 pick in acquiring Cordarrelle Patterson.
So Patriots fans had to wait until Friday to see the first player come off the board, but in the long run, it’s worth the extra 24 hours of speculating.
Stay here all night for updates on every pick, with analysis.
