The first day of the 2008 NFL Draft is in the books for the Patriots, and they predictably chose to get help at two positions onlookers thought they needed to: Tennessee linebacker Jerod Mayo is a solid player, taken with the 10th overall pick, and Colorado cornerback Terrence Wheatley appears to be a ball hawk, aka Asante Samuel.

The question is, could they have had either at picks further down the draft? Many felt Mayo wouldn't be picked until late in the first round, and Wheatley was, according to one publication, a fifth rounder at best.  But they appear to be solid players. Wheatley had 14 career interceptions, third all-time for the Buffaloes. Mayo seems to be a tackling machine. And a smart one at that, with his degree already attained and his wit is pretty good, as evidenced by his media conference call. "What headlines am I going to get with the Mayo last name?" he asked. ".....Oh, so everybody goes quiet now?"

Wheatley, meanwhile, is third on Colorado's all-time interception list with 14 picks. But some say he lacks the strength to really make an impact.

"Anybody who has watched tape (of Wheatley) knows that he's pretty good," Colorado coach Dan Hawkins told the Denver Post late last October. "We've kine of been on him a little bit because his expectations are high, and ours are as well. We kind of challenged him a little bit. He definitely answered."

--- TOM KING