by Chris Warner, Patriots Daily Staff
Last year at this time, Darius Butler was a highly-ranked cornerback unsatisfied with his combine performance. After improving his 40-time at UConn’s pro day, most draftniks figured he’d maintained his first-round status.
Though getting drafted in the second round (41st overall) may have been disappointing for Butler, New England fans could [...]

by Chris Warner, Patriots Daily Staff
NFL coaches want their defenders to have size, speed and intelligence. They can tell that cornerback Myron Lewis has the first quality just by looking at him. The 6-foot-2 Vanderbilt product showcased the other two attributes at the combine and in college. Now, he’s hoping he’s impressed those same NFL [...]

by Greg Doyle, Patriots Daily Staff
Scott Sicko is a pass-catching tight end from UNH who caught 160 passes for the Wildcats during his career, including 22 touchdowns. He was a FCS (formerly Division 1-AA) All-American this year helping UNH to the semi-finals in the FCS Playoffs, before losing to eventual champion Villanova. Scott has a chance [...]

by Chris Warner, Patriots Daily Staff
While most football coaches preach the importance of special teams, Virginia Tech’s Frank Beamer practices for success. Hokies punter Brent Bowden reaped the rewards, earning All-ACC honors and an invite to the NFL combine.
Bowden was just about to hop on a flight when PD caught up with him. He took [...]

by Chris Warner, Patriots Daily Staff
More NFL teams have switched to a 3-4 defense this year, which puts hybrid end/outside linebacker types at a premium. Good thing for James Ruffin.
The Northern Iowa stalwart earned FCS All-American honors last season, leading the Missouri Valley Football Conference with 10.5 in sacks. In his PD interview, he discussed [...]

by Chris Warner, Patriots Daily Staff
If it’s true that a small school player trying to reach the NFL has to make a big impression, Jared Veldheer’s off to a great start. The 6-foot-8, 312-pound tackle from Hillsdale College in Michigan stood out at the NFL combine, ranking in the top tier for offensive linemen in six events, [...]

by Greg Doyle, Patriots Daily Staff Writer
Bill Cundiff is a small school quarterback who had a great year for Division II Ashland in Ohio. He threw 24 TDs and just 1 INT and was the player of the year in his conference. He started out at UConn and transferred back to his home in Ohio [...]

by Chris Warner, Patriots Daily Staff
Like all the draft prospects PD has interviewed, Ross Pospisil has big plans for the future. Unlike everyone else, those plans don’t involve playing football.
Navy’s most prolific tackler in 2009 is looking beyond the gridiron in the years to come. He spoke to PD in an informative interview covering a [...]

by Chris Warner, Patriots Daily Staff
In much the same way he slipped past would-be tacklers, Andre Roberts may have slipped past national media attention this year. Despite playing at a smaller school like The Citadel, however, scouts took notice of the prolific receiver and invited him to the NFL combine being held this weekend.
While talking [...]

by Chris Warner, Patriots Daily Staff
Looking at Kevin Haslam in high school, one had to wonder whether the tall, thin kid from New Jersey would excel in football. State residents were questioning the same thing about Rutgers. Five years later, those questions have been answered, as the offensive lineman has helped the Scarlet Knights become [...]

by Chris Warner, Patriots Daily Staff
Last year, PD interviewed Paul Kruger, who was looking to make the change to NFL linebacker. This year, we talked with Koa Misi, another Utah defensive end seeking the same change and similar success (Kruger was drafted in the second round by the Baltimore Ravens).
Initial questions of how Misi would [...]

by Chris Warner, Patriots Daily Staff
To some players, the dreaded “tweener” label means they fail to fit at any one position. Jerry Hughes is not one of those players. At Texas Christian, Hughes manned defensive end at an undersized 6-foot-2, 255 pounds. Still, he has few concerns about where he’ll play in the NFL, as [...]