Mike Reiss reports draft analyst Todd McShay shared his insight as to some of the "value" areas that could be there for the Patriots in the late first round.

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I have a shocking confession to make: before I met my girlfriend, I didn't go on too many dates. You may find it almost impossible to believe, but I'm not exactly a ladies man.

I know, I know. Hard to believe. I mean, what woman wouldn't want a lazy, overweight, crude slob who spends most of his free time obsessing over the New England Patriots and is more likely to notice Tom Brady's new haircut than his girlfriend's? What lady wouldn't swoon over a man who can recite the entire Pledge of Allegiance in a single belch and whose idea of a romantic evening is watching Dumb & Dumber by candlelight? What's not to love in a man who hasn't bought a new article of clothing in over six years?

My glaring personal flaws aside, I also just wasn't a fan of the whole dating scene. I imagine a lot of it was because I got more than my share of polite "Nos" (and more than a few "HELL Nos") when asking women out, but there was more to it than that. Honestly, I just found the whole process exhausting. Once you finally do work up the courage to ask a woman out, it's only just beginning; you still have to put on pants, go out for meals, be on your best behavior, wonder what she's thinking, navigate that miserably awkward end-of-date-do-I-kiss-her-or-not moment, and then go through a whole back and forth as the two of you figure out if you're compatible and whether it's worth entering into a relationship. I always found it more enjoyable to just skip the whole process altogether and spend my evenings poring over my fantasy lineups.

I think another part of it was I that knew, underneath all of this flab and shame and powdered cheese dust, that I was a nice guy. And women didn't like nice guys. They liked good looking jerks who rode motorcycles to their modeling shoots and tipped valets with bills instead of coins. For a long time, it seemed that nice guys really do finish last, and so I didn't go on too many dates.

But then, one day, I realized something. Sure, I may not be the sexiest pick out there. I may not have the most money. And I may not see the use in showering every single day. But you know what? I'm stable. I'm honest. I look out for the greater good and put others before myself. I'm the kind of guy you want buying tiny little Tom Brady jerseys for your children. Once ladies get tired of riding on the back of motorcycles and pissing off their parents, I'm exactly the kind of guy they come looking for. There are plenty of women out there who value what I'm able to offer. Those that don't? Well there's the door.

And maybe that's why I love Free Agency so much. It's like knowing that on March 13, 2012, a whole bunch of gorgeous women are going to simultaneously hop off their loser boyfriends' bikes and come looking for a nice, stable guy who toes the line, puts others first, knows the meaning of hard work, and has a reputation for doing things the right way.

That he has a whole lot of money to throw around and desperately wants a ring on his finger certainly isn't hurting any, either.

The 2012 Free Agent Class is as solid as any I can remember in recent years. The Patriots have needs at wide receiver, defensive end, and in the secondary, and there are players available at all of those positions that will be a great fit for New England and can make a huge impact on this team. And, unlike me during my formative years, the Patriots present an attractive option for someone looking for something other than some jerk with a big mouth and a fat wallet.

I've compiled a wish list of sorts, broken down by position, that I'm going to be sharing over the next few weeks as Free Agency approaches. Some of the players on my list have virtually no chance of playing in New England, but that's why it's a wish list, right?

There is plenty to talk about in regards to all of the free agents out there, on these lists and otherwise, and I'm sure we'll be breaking them down in more detail down the line. For now, though, time to dust off the ol' aftershave and start wooing.

I figured I'd start with wide receiver. It is the most exciting position and one that is going to receive a lot of attention this month.

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Mike Reiss highlights what Mike Mayock had to say about the Patriots in his conference call yesterday.

Christopher Price reports Wes Welker returns to Twitter for the first time since the Super Bowl.

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Mike Reiss notes Greg Cosell, the executive producer of NFL Matchup and a senior producer at NFL Films for 31 years, calls the 2011 season some of Bill Belichick's finest work.

Rob Gronkowski returns to the Twitter-sphere to thank his fans.

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This isn't exactly a surprise, but Patriots free-agent-to-be running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis has reportedly been in "on and off" contract negotiations with the Patriots. This news comes via his agent Joel Segal, who made an appearance on "PFT Live" earlier today:

Green-Ellis isn't exactly a game breaker, but I think the Patriots highly value his style of play - he simply avoids the big mistakes. He's a solid starter in this league, and he's still relatively young (will turn 27 in July, has just 510 career carries). If the Patriots can get him to sign for about $3 million a year - I think it's a win-win for both sides.

Karen Guregian says Kyle Arrington is ready to see what this young defense can accomplish in 2012, with a full offseason program.

Mike Reiss posts some key NFL dates ahead for 2012.

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Superman had it right. Sometimes you just need a Fortress of Solitude.

There is a fairly large group of people that hasn't heard a word from me since I turned my phone off before the game last Sunday. While a fair number of them are probably rejoicing in this welcome break from any and all contact with me, I'm sure there are a few others who are wondering whether or not I'm still alive. Well to all those who haven't heard from me - I'm fine. I won't be speaking to any of you anytime soon, but you can rest assured that I'm going to be OK.

I've experienced all five stages of grief over the past few weeks. Denial was definitely the hardest step to get over, as I just kept replaying scenarios in my head where Wes Welker makes that catch or Rob Gronkowski comes down with that Hail Mary. I actually allowed myself to get excited for a split second before realizing it was all in my head and I just ended up mad. Luckily for me, Stage 2 in the grieving process is anger. I wasn't so much angry at the Patriots as I was angry at myself; mad for caring so much, mad for investing myself emotionally in this team, and mad for not doing enough touchdown dances or wearing enough pairs of lucky drawers or any other anti-jinx activity that may have made things turn out differently. Stages 3 and 4, Bargaining and Depression, are stages that I realized some time ago that we as sports fans can never truly move past, so the best we can hope for is come to grips with them. I know that I'm NEVER going to stop saying "if only Welker had caught that pass" or "if only Asante had come up with that pick," and so there is no point trying to move on from that. While I will get less and less depressed over it with time, it will never be gone completely, so all I can really do is acknowledge my mania and move on.

Which brings me to the final stage: acceptance. I've accepted the 2011 season. It didn't go the way I wanted it to, but it didn't go the way 30 other teams wanted it to either. As of today, the Patriots have still gone a whopping 7 whole years without a title (which the Boston media seems to have forgotten isn't really a very long time), and that's just the way it is. The doubters will continue to doubt, the haters will continue to hate, lips will continue to flap in the New York/New Jersey area, and the Patriot Way will march on, undeterred.

And you know what? I can live with that.

Sure, there were some moments over the past few weeks I'm not overly proud of. There may have been a lot of sitting at home in the dark. I may have taken more than a few long, hot showers while fully clothed and rocking back and forth with my knees drawn up to my chest. I might have dug my old teddy bear out of the attic and slept with it for a few nights. But that's neither here nor there. The bottom line is that while I'm never going to be over this loss, I'm not about to dwell on it. I'm proud as hell of the 2011 Patriots and am once again blown away by Bill Belichick's ability to get the absolute best out of everyone and Tom Brady's ability to make those around him look like superstars. I'm ready and excited to ride with Tommy B on this last stretch of his career, a career that is NOT tainted in any way by this loss, no matter what anyone else says. I know that New England is going to be right back after it in September, and between now and then we have the combine, free agency, the draft, mini-camps, trading, and pre-season to keep us sane. Once again, the Pats are well-positioned for all facets of the NFL league year, and I for one am very excited to see what this offense will be able to do with a full offseason to gel and Josh McDaniels back at the helm.

One thing you aren't going to see much from me going forward is a whole lot of draft coverage. Unlike Mel Kiper, I'm willing to admit that I have no idea what I'm talking about in regards to the NFL Draft. I don't follow college football as closely as I should, there are people on Pats Pulpit way more knowledgeable about the matter than me, and at the end of the day we all know that Bill Belichick is going to be trading up and down the board like a madman on draft day and will likely select players I have never even heard of anyway. The only thing I can say for sure is that the odds are good the Patriots will come away from this draft with a fair number of "value" picks and a bunch of selections for the following year. I'd love to sit here and speculate on whether this will FINALLY be the year the Patriots move up in the draft, are aggressive in free agency, and surround Tommy B with some serious talent as he gears up for one last push for a ring - but doing that will only get my hopes up and will may cause that first trade down for a cornerback I've never heard of to send me right back to Stage 1.

What I am excited about, however, is this 2012 Free Agent class. There are several big names on the market this year, many of whom would be a great fit for the Patriots, and I can see coach Belichick going after players on both sides of the ball to supplement his draft strategy. I'm currently compiling a wish list of sorts of free agents that I would love to see the Patriots pursue, which I will be sharing with you all over the coming weeks. We are almost exactly a month away from the start of free agency, so there is a lot to cover. And I'm excited to start covering it.

I know it was bad, but it could definitely be worse. It's time for us all to move on.

The Pats are going to be fine. And so are we.

With the 2012 NFL Draft just over two months away, my first attempt at projecting the Patriots' selections:

Round 1, Pick 27: Mohamed Sanu, WR, Rutgers

At this point, Sanu could be seen as a slight reach, but I think he will rise up the draft boards fast in the coming weeks. Sanu is the type of receiver that the Patriots desperately needs. He has good speed - not elite - but at 6'2" and 218 lbs, he has plenty of size and strength. He can beat any corner who presses him - something the Patriots need in a wide receiver. He's also a solid route runner and seems to be one of the most NFL ready receivers in the draft (which is something else the Patriots could use with quarterback Tom Brady's career clock ticking). Sanu would come in, and depending on whether or not the Patriots added any veterans via free agency or the draft, could get the chance to start immediately.

Round 1, Pick 31: Mark Barron, S, Alabama

I sort of struggled to make this pick. A lot of the players that I liked for the Patriots likely will go early on (Michael Brockers, Courtney Upshaw). Mark Barron is a guy the Patriots could use at a position of need - he's a big, physical, instinctive, and smart safety with a lot of talent. There's no question that Barron could make the Patriots' secondary better. The real question is, since he projects as more of a "strong" safety, whether or not he would compliment incumbent strong safety Pat Chung. My feeling is that Patriots coach Bill Belichick could make it work, with Chung playing the deep half of the field more often than not. Barron is just too good to pass up here.

Round 2, Pick 48: Brandon Boykin, CB, Georgia

The Boykin pick is one that I'm really excited to make at this spot. Although he stands at just over 5'9", Boykin has great athleticism, closing burst, and is very experienced playing the slot. At the Senior Bowl, he proved he can play press coverage - in addition to his usual effectiveness in the zone. He also has versatility, playing some offense and also returning kicks. Overall, he seems like a perfect fit for New England's scheme, and he could instantly be plugged in as the team's "star" cornerback.

Final three picks after the jump!

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