Because of “Camera-gate”, or as I like to call it the “camera incident”, back in NFL Week 1 the New England Patriots and head coach Bill Belichick were penalized. Belichick was personally fined $500,000 by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Goodell also socked the Patriots as an organization for $250,000 and took away their first round draft pick. The Patriots were penalized because they filmed the New York Jets coaches, from the New England sideline, sending in the signals for the defense.

So what has happened since then? Well Belichick and the Patriots have destroyed 9 out of 12 opponents on their way to an 12-0 record and the Jets have floundered at 4-8.

But what is more interesting is that the Patriots, who may win the Super Bowl, still have a 1st round pick in April courtesy of a trade with the San Francisco 49ers. The Niners have been pretty pathetic this season and are currently 3-9 with the fourth worst record in the league.

So with that said lets take a look at ten current college players who may end up with New England. There appears to be one guy a lot of places have listed and continue to list at the #1 overall pick and because of that we will put him in the #1 slot. After that there is no real consensus on slotting or even who is in the top ten and based on talent and need, I’m going to do my best to mock a top ten draft. These are the teams in the slots as listed by ESPN.com as of NFL Week 12. The players listed include some members of the junior class who may come out a year early. I included these players to try to keep it more realistic but as we know some players may choose to stay in school for their senior season and obviously fortunes change during Bowl season and at the combines and team interviews. So this is far from scientific.

  1. Miami Dolphins DT Glen Dorsey, LSU
  2. Atlanta Falcons QB Brian Brohm, Louisville
  3. St. Louis Rams DE Chris Long, Virginia
  4. San Francisco 49ers RB Darren McFadden, Arkansas
  5. New York Jets DE Calais Campbell, Miami
  6. Kansas City Chiefs OT Jake Long, Michigan
  7. Cincinnati Bengals LB James Laurinaitis, Ohio State
  8. Oakland Raiders WR DeShaun Jackson, Cal
  9. Baltimore Ravens DT Pat Sims, Auburn
  10. Chicago Bears DE Vernon Gholston, Ohio State

It is very possible that if the Pats pick fourth they could go after McFadden if he comes out early. Other than that you have Laurinaitis or possibly safety Kenny Phillips from Miami. Belichick usually doesn’t pick linebackers or secondary guys in the first round. I’d say after watching McFadden run this year if he’s there they need to take the guy and make him and Maroney a scary 1-2 punch from the backfield.

You can follow along on a weekly basis by checking out Niner Watch over at Patriots Daily.