Ras-I Dowling and Shane Vereen might not exactly be household names right now in New England but come this fall, don't be surprised if they're both getting significant playing time for the Patriots.
Both rookies signed contracts today although as always, the terms were not disclosed.
Dowling is a cornerback out of the University of Virginia and he was the first pick of the second round (33rd overall). I've seen Patriots beat reporters already project him to be in the nickel and dime substitutions for the corners.
Vereen is a running back out of the University of California that was 56th overall in the second round. Tonight in a Q&A with Mike Reiss (in my opinion, the best Patriots reporter) on Twitter, he said Vereen could be 1B on the running backs depth chart (behind BenJarvus Green-Ellis at 1A) so we should see plenty of the shifty but undersized Vereen.
The only 2011 draft pick that remains unsigned by the Patriots is first round pick and offensive lineman Nate Solder. I assume that could happen any day now, no reason for him to miss any more time. The good news is that Matt Light is back so Solder likely will begin the season as a backup (although offensive lineman drop like flies once the hitting starts for real).
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