Patriots Urged to Avoid NFL Draft's 'Most Underrated Prospect'

While the vast majority of the NFL Draft chatter surrounding the New England Patriots concerns what they are going to do with the No. 4 overall pick, they still have selections in six other rounds to try and fill out their roster.

Given all of the holes that the Patriots' still have even after a free-agent spending spree, a first-round draft choice is not going to solve all of their issues.

New England will need to strike big throughout the draft, and Keagan Stiefel of NESN has turned everyone's attention to a player he calls the "most underrated prospect" in this upcoming class: Texas Longhorns defensive lineman Alfred Collins.

Collins is widely expected to be a Day 2 pick later this month, and Stiefel ran through all of the pros and cons of the 6-foot-5, 320-pound defensive tackle in his piece.

However, Stiefel came to the conclusion that Collins may not be a fit in Terrell Williams' defensive scheme thanks to the presence of Milton Williams and Christian Barmore on the interior.

"New England defensive coordinator Terrell Williams will deploy some new ideologies during his transition into calling plays, as the plan is to bring speed and aggression to his front line," Stiefel wrote. "Collins can do that, but not better than guys who are already in the building."

The Pats wasted no time addressing their defensive front in free agency, signing Williams to a massive four-year, $104 million contract. It was probably an overpay, but the Patriots desperately needed help in the trenches.

Collins would certainly be able to provide that, and given Barmore's unfortunate medical history, New England may want to double down at the defensive tackle position in a couple of weeks.

However, the Pats have too many other glaring needs to spend a second or third-round pick on Collins, who registered 55 tackles, six tackles for loss and a sack during his final season at Texas.