Patriots begin pro day circuit watching dual-position player

With the NFL Combine in the books, the pro day circuit began this week. Pro days are Combine-like workouts schools on campus for NFL evaluators leading up to the draft.

On Thursday there was only one pro day on the schedule - Purdue. The Patriots were in attendance at the workout, with Ryan Fowler of The Draft Network reporting the team sent running backs coach Taylor Embree.

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Embree being the Patriots' representative at Purdue makes sense given the lone projected draft pick from the Boilers is running back Tyrone Tracy Jr., who was among the better performers at the Combine. At the pro day, Tracy ran a 4.48-second 40 with a 4.06-second shuttle and 6.81-second 3-cone at 5-foot-11, 209 pounds.

Tracy is an interesting prospect in that he just started playing running back last year. Before that he spent four years as a wide receiver - the first two at Iowa before transferring to Purdue prior to the 2022 season.

In his first season as a full-time running back, Tracy carried the ball 113 times for 716 yards (6.3 yards per carry) and eight touchdowns. He also caught 19 passes for 132 yards. He also returned kicks for the Boilermakers, including a kick return touchdown last season.

If the Patriots want to get another true passing-down back back on the roster, Tracy would be among the targets in this year's draft. He's currently projected to be a Day 3 pick.

The pro day circuit continues next week. Notable workouts next week include Oklahoma, Oregon and Georgia.

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Prior to Friday, any New England Patriots mock draft was guessing the exact selections of the Patriots' picks in Rounds 4 through 7. As of Friday afternoon though, the full list of Patriots draft picks is complete.

On Friday afternoon, the NFL announced the compensation (or comp) picks rewarded to each team. Comp picks are placed at the end of Rounds 3 through 7, so picks after the comp picks start are not confirmed until that list is released.

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UPDATE: On Monday the NFL announced it made a change to the initial comp picks, awarding the Bengals a third-round pick instead of the sixth that was originally announced. That change moves all of the Patriots draft picks from Rounds 4 to 6 down one spot from where they were initially reported. This entire post has been updated to reflect that change. 

The Patriots themselves did not receive any comp picks this year. Comp picks are based on players teams gain or lose in free agency, and the Patriots' 2023 signings and losses canceled each other out (OverTheCap.com does a great job of illustrating this here).

However, the rest of the league's comp picks needed to be assigned to lock in the Patriots' final four draft slots. With that done, the Patriots draft picks are now set at...

-Round 1, Pick 3
-Round 2, Pick 34
-Round 3, Pick 68
-Round 4, Pick 103
-Round 5, Pick 137
-Round 6, Pick 180
-Round 6, Pick 193 (from JAX*)
-Round 7, Pick 231 (from CHI**)

*This is the pick the Patriots received after trading Mac Jones.

**The Patriots own the Bears' seventh round pick thanks to a 2022 trade that sent wide receiver N'Keal Harry to Chicago. Their own seventh-round pick belongs to the Las Vegas Raiders, after a pick-swap trade involving tackle Justin Herron.

Of course the Patriots can - and likely will - move around the board to some extent and now end up picking in every single one of those seven assigned slots. For now though, the Patriots have the fifth-most draft capital in the NFL, per Tankathon's evaluation of the trade chart.

How have the Patriots done in each of those slots in the past? Here's a look at their history with each pick.

-- 1966: OT Karl Singer, Purdue

The Patriots have never picked third overall since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. Their lone pick in this slot came in the 1966 AFL Draft when they took singer, who played 39 games over three years. Pro Football Reference also lists running back Tommy Mason as the third overall pick by the Patriots in 1961, but other outlets list his selection as second overall.

-- 1974: LB Steve Nelson, North Dakota St.
-- 2009: S Patrick Chung, Oregon

The Patriots have done O.K. for themselves at 34th overall. Nelson played 14 years in New England and has his No. 57 retired by the team. Chung, who was drafted with the pick the Patriots acquired after trading away Matt Cassell and Mike Vrabel, was a cornerstone member of the second half of the Dynasty. Both are all-time great Patriots defensive players.

Given the team's needs this year though, assuming they keep the pick, look for an offensive player to be added to this list. Then the question is, can he make the same kind of impact as Nelson or Chung?

-- 1968: OL/DL Len St. Jean, Northern Michigan

68th overall is another slot the Patriots haven't picked in since the AFL Draft. Their one selection is a strong one though, as St. Jean played 140 games in 10 years for the Patriots as both an offensive and defensive lineman. He was a member of the Patriots' All-1960s team.

-- 1963: FB Ralph Ferrisi, Southern Connecticut State
-- 1965: QB Charlie Green, Wittenberg

A couple of more selections from the AFL Draft era. Neither player ended up playing for the Patriots, so it shouldn't be hard for them to top their previous 103rd picks this year (assuming they keep the pick).

-- 1965: E David Lee, Louisiana Tech
-- 1986: OT Greg Robinson, Sacramento State
-- 2022: QB Bailey Zappe, Western Kentucky

The Patriots are back in the 137th overall draft slot for the second time in three years. In 2022 though they acquired the pick by trading down and then selected Zappe, who has gone on to start games for them the last two years. The Patriots are expected to take another quarterback in this year's class - could that pick come at 137 once again?

-- 1964: OT Dave Humenik, Notre Dame
-- 1967: RB Bobby Leo, Harvard
-- 1980: IOL Tom Kearns, Kentucky
-- 1999: DB Marcus Washington, Colorado
-- 2001: TE Arther Love, South Carolina State
-- 2007: LB Justin Rogers, SMU

These six players went on to play a combined 3 games for the Patriots - all three by Leo. Rogers would have a three-year career as a backup linebacker in Dallas.

-- None

In all these years, the Patriots have never selected 193rd overall. They did draft 192nd last year, and took punter Bryce Baringer

-- 1963: G Dick Kelly, Georgia

The Patriots' only 231st overall pick never played for the team. He was traded in the 29th (!) round of the AFL Draft.

Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at abarth@985TheSportsHub.com.