ESPN Boston compares second-round WR Aaron Dobson to Miles Austin in terms of size and skill. Reporter Mike Reiss compares Dobson to Austin in that he "isn't necessarily a top-end speed burner," but has good size, reasonable speed and can pull down passes in traffic. Dobson stands in at 6-foot-3, 215 pounds with 4.42 speed compared to 6-2/215/4.47 for Austin. The Pats would likely be ecstatic if Dobson could resemble a poor man's Austin as a rookie.

NFL Films' Greg Cosell believes Patriots second-round pick Aaron Dobson is similar to Larry Fitzgerald in terms of size and hands. Dobson didn't drop a single pass as a senior at Marshall. "This is going to sound crazy, but I thought that his size/hand combination, at times, reminded me of Larry Fitzgerald," Cosell said. "He's not Larry Fitzgerald, obviously, but he's a big kid who can move very well with really good hands. ... Overall an excellent combination of size, fluid movement and hands."

ESPN Boston says the Patriots have had a receiver with Aaron Dobson's size/speed combination since 2010.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick cited second-round pick Aaron Dobson's basketball background as a big plus for his NFL outlook. Dobson was recruited to play basketball at West Virginia, Delaware, and Hofstra out of high school. He's 6-foot-3, 210 and didn't drop a single target as a senior. "Basketball players, most have good hands," Belichick opined. "They have to handle the ball a lot. The ball is on them quick, tight passes and handling the ball in traffic and that kind of thing. Usually, when you get a good basketball player, those guys usually have pretty good ball skills."

The Boston Globe projects second-round rookie Aaron Dobson as the Patriots' starting "X" receiver.