With the 2010 NFL Draft just hours away, let’s take a final look at the list of college prospects that have had significant contact with the Patriots over the last several weeks.

For these purposes, we define ‘significant contact’ as either a prospect site visit to Foxborough, or a private workout with Pats coaches and scouts. Interviews at post-season all-star games, the Combine, or at college pro days are not tracked. We’ve only included contacts that could be confirmed by media report (links).

There are those that will tell you that any interest on the part of the Pats that is made public is simply a ruse, or a ‘smokescreen’, to mask their interest in another, unnamed player.

As we’ve asserted many times before, that’s just untrue. Last year, Patriots Daily tracked visits by Patrick Chung, Brandon Tate, Tyrone McKenzie and Rich Ohrnberger before they were selected by the Patriots. In 2008, pre-draft contacts with Jerod Mayo, Terrence Wheatley and Shawn Crable were also noted.

Okay, so maybe there are some mixed reviews there, but that’s not the point. When the Pats make their picks later this week, it’s likely that two or three of the selections – if not more – will come from this contact list.

Note – if you see any that we’ve missed, please speak up in the comments section, and include a link to the reported contact.

Team Visits – Offense

QB Tim Tebow, Florida
RB Montario Hardesty, Tennessee
RB Charles Scott, LSU
WR Dez Bryant, Oklahoma State
WR Arrelious Benn, Illinois
WR Eric Decker, Minnesota
C Maurkice Pouncey, Florida

Private Workouts – Offense

QB Tony Pike, Cincinnati
QB Mike Kafka, Northwestern
QB Zack Robinson, Oklahoma State
QB Rusty Smith, Florida Atlantic
RB Jonathan Dwyer, Georgia Tech
RB Manase Tonga, BYU
RB Dexter McCluster, Mississippi
RB James Starks, Buffalo
WR Andre Roberts, Citadel
WR Mardy Gilyard, Cincinnati
WR Scott Long, Louisville
WR Taylor Price, Ohio
TE Dennis Pitta, BYU
TE Aaron Hernandez, Florida
TE Nate Bynam, Pittsburgh
TE Scott Sicko, UNH
OT Nic Richmond, TCU
OG Phil Costa, Maryland
C Jim Cordle, Ohio State
OT Daniel Baldridge, Marshall

Team Visits – Defense

DE Brandon Graham, Michigan
DE Corey Wootton, Northwestern
DE Daniel Te’o-Nesheim, Washington
DE Hall Davis, Louisiana-Lafayette
DE Chris McCoy, Middle Tennessee State
DT Dan Williams, Tennessee
DT Tyson Alualu, California
DT Brian Price, UCLA
DT Cam Thomas, North Carolina
OLB Sergio Kindle, Texas
OLB Jerry Hughes, TCU
ILB Jamar Chaney, Mississippi State
LB Donald Butler, Washington
CB Kyle Wilson, Boise State

Private Workouts – Defense

DE Antonio Coleman, Auburn
DE Alex Daniels, Cincinnati
DT Al Woods, LSU
DT Torell Troup, UCF
DT Arthur Jones, Syracuse
DT Corey Peters, Kentucky
DT Aleric Mullins, North Carolina
DT Jeff Owens, Georgia
DT Ricardo Mathews, Cincinnati
LB Brandon Spikes, Florida
LB Jason Worilds, Virginia Tech
LB Ricky Sapp, Clemson
LB Kavell Conner, Clemson
LB Thaddeus Gibson, Ohio State
LB Dekoda Watson, Florida State
LB Matt Mayberry, Indiana
S Earl Thomas, Texas
S Kam Chancellor, Virginia Tech
S Myron Lewis, Vanderbilt
CB Kareem Jackson, Alabama
CB Chris Cook, Virginia
CB Dominique Franks, Oklahoma
CB Nolan Carroll, Maryland
CB Robert McClain, Connecticut
CB Brandon Ghee, Wake Forest
CB Sherrick McManis, Northwestern
P Brent Bowden, Virginia Tech
P Zoltan Mesko, Michigan

Even if the Pats don’t select any of the players from this list, the direction of their efforts may tell us something. For example, by our count, the Pats have made ‘significant contact’ with 66 draft prospects. 39 of them, or nearly 60%, are defensive players.

Of the defensive contacts, more than half were defensive linemen (18 contacts). Linebackers represented 28% of all defensive contacts.  20% of contacts were with cornerbacks. Safety was apparently the only defensive position not focused on (just 2 of 39 contacts).

Nearly half of the 27 offensive contacts were either running backs (22%) or receivers (26%). Oddly, only 4 of 27 offensive contacts were with tight ends, a position that is considered a top need for New England. Offensive line contacts were concentrated on late round or priority free agent prospects. The Pats also looked at 5 quarterback hopefuls, including Tim Tebow.

This would seem to indicate the Pats will focus on their front seven and their offensive skill positions in this draft.