We’re fast approaching pick 91 and the end of a long and only occasionally eventful day that featured the longest first round in the history of the draft.

The Pats will make just their second selection of the day, after drafting semi-controversial safety Brandon Meriweather with pick #24 and trading pick for San Francisco’s first round pick in 2008 (and a fourth this year).

The Niners went from 4-12 in 05 to 7-9 in 06. They play in one of football’s weakest divisions and added Nate Clements in free agency and both Patrick Willis and Joe Staley today. If they continue to improve, the pick could be anywhere from the mid teens to the early twenties. If they stay level or, even dip a bit, the pick is in the top 15 easy.

If they bottom out, you could really be talking about something. What is also something is the Patriots’ knack for planning ahead - once again they have given themselves two first round picks in the next draft.

A small part of me can’t help but ask if they ever they intend to use them, though.

Meriweather can play safety and cornerback and might be a real playmaker in the middle. It seems to me that he can make a real impact in the rotation. He can also be a headache, if his past troubles aren’t completely behind him. The Pats vote of confidence shouldn’t be completely dismissed.

The trade with San Francisco put the draft excitement on ice for awhile but pick 91 is on the way. Let’s look at the Rumor Inventory to see who may be under consideration:

RB Antonio Pittman
RB Michael Bush (visit)
WR Aundrae Allison (visit)
WR Chris Davis (visit)
CB Tanard Jackson
CB David Irons
CB Daymeion Highes (visit)
SS Josh Gattis
DE Jay Moore
LB Brandon Siler
LB Earl Everett
LB Tim Shaw

Others from the Mock Masher:

DE Ray McDonald

Wild guess? TE Ben Patrick of Delaware.

Note: Michael Smith is claiming the Pats are still in talks for the league’s leading disgruntled receiver, Randy Moss. The Pats would allegedly give up a conditional 2008 3rd round pick, which could become a second rounder.

Several of the questions at Bill Belichick’s first press conference since the selection of Brandon Meriweather concerned the safety’s checkered off-and-on-field past.

Meriweather was at the center of a much-publicized on-field brawl last season, and previously, had actually drawn and fired a gun at an attacker outside his apartment. Neither act necessarily fits the profile of an ideal first round pick. The fight might be explained; gun ownership harder so.

Still, if the guy can play football and puts his troubles behind him, I can’t see what the issue is. I’d like them to be better and deeper on defense. The chances that he helps in that regard seem pretty good. If he crosses the line again, he’ll pay for it, and gnashing of teeth aside, the Patriots will somehow survive. I trust the Pats due diligence enough not to immediately petition for a ‘Take Back the Night’ rally.

Here’s the summary of the profile written by Rob Rang of NFL Draft Scout:

Compares To: Ed Reed, Baltimore Ravens …Whenever the Ravens need a big play, it is Reed who is likely to come through with it, not Ray Lewis … Meriweather is in the same mold as Reed, as he uses his excellent route recognition skills and range to consistently shut down his pass coverage assignments … He is not the biggest player you will find, but he has enough functional strength and outstanding range to excel at free safety (lacks bulk to be an NFL strong safety).

The Patriots are off the clock - for a good, long time - after trading their pick at #28 to the San Francisco 49ers for the Niners first round pick in 2008, and their 4th round pick (#110) in this draft.

San Francisco used the pick on LT Joe Staley, who I guess Dante didn’t feel that strongly about.

Also getting the slight appears to be Michigan LB David Harris, who was thought to be a perfect fit for the linebacker starved Pats, and I guess just about everybody else who I’ve been listing for the last hour.

Surprising and disappointing. It makes you wonder what the Patriots intend to do about replenishing their linebacker group, which you would have thought to have been a given in this draft. They saw a run on corners and edge rushers before they could get to the podium, but they passed on Harris, Jon Beason, Anthony Spencer and Paul Posluszny. They will not pick again until pick 91, by which time many of the most promising prospects will be off the board. Barring a trade (which is possible, as they now have nine picks for tomorrow - five that can be traded, including two fours), they will end the day not with three, or four picks, but just two.

Being that its 2007, and its the 2007 draft, its hard for me to get too fired up about next April. Besides - weren’t the 49ers around .500 this year?

I’m shall go sit quietly now, until further notice.

Make this one good, boys - this is the last (planned) pick for a very long time.

Some ideas:

Michigan LB David Harris - the latest rumors say this happens.
Michigan DE LaMarr Woodley - the Pats would stand him up on the outside, you’d figure
C. Michigan OT Joe Staley - will they pass on him twice?
Auburn G Ben Grubbs - a promising guard compared to Alan Faneca.
Penn State LB Paul Posluszny - the Pats still need linebacking help, particularly inside.
Arkansas CB Chris Houston - as the last few years have shown, you can always use more, though this doesn’t seem very likely.
Maryland CB Josh Wilson - from the Pats mold, but will they reach for him here after taking Meriweather already?

I suppose a trade back is very much a possibility, though you’d hope if they give it up, they’d somehow get a second and a third in return, giving them three more picks today.

This has been fun so far. By the way, for the record, Brandon Meriweather was listed on our Draft Rumor Inventory, countering the argument that every draft rumor is simply deception by the mysterious Patriots.

The Patriots have selected Miami safety Brandon Meriweather with the 24th pick of the first round.

The Patriots worked Meriweather out in March during a visit to the Miami campus.

And with this, the Deion Branch case is closed.

Meriweather wasn’t my first choice, but with the way the first round went today, it is at the very least logical. He’s an experienced, versatile kid from a big time program, a leader on his team, and he stands to make an immediate impact in the Patriots backfield, perhaps even at corner.

There will be time enough for this to soak in as we go along. This is a bit of a victory for the BSMW Mock Masher, which had Meriweather as a likely Pats selection (albeit at #28).

The Pats are back on the clock in three more picks, if they elect to stay there. Perhaps David Harris, the good fit linebacker from Michigan, will be the choice. If so, that would be a first round haul that would please most Patriots fans, I suspect.

Just running down the mock list and noticed a few more names to add to the 24-28 area:

OT Joe Staley, who the Pats did eyeball pretty good
CB Josh Wilson, another F15 member from this morning
G Ben Grubbs, one of the highest rated players left on Mel’s board
DE LaMarr Woodley, the pass rusher from Michigan
DE Anthony Spencer, another pass rusher
CB Tanard Jackson, a big corner than may also play a safety
WR Anthony Gonzalez, another one of those players your friends are always trying to fix you up with.

The Cowboys have just traded pick 22 to the Browns, who finally selected Brady Quinn. Quinn suddenly has a very different appreciation for Joe Thomas.

One more pick. Kansas City is supposed to pick a receiver.