09:29 AM EST on Saturday, April 1, 2006

Leading up to the NFL Draft, the Journal will profile a player at a "need" position for the Patriots each day. New England has a total of 11 picks in the draft, six in the first four rounds. Their first-round pick is the 21st overall. Go to www.projo.com/patriots for past profiles. Profiles are based on our own analysis and interviews, various draft resources and Pro Football Weekly's 2006 Draft Preview book.

TODAY'S PROFILE:

LAURENCE MARONEY

POSITION: Running back

COLLEGE: Minnesota

HEIGHT: 6-feet

WEIGHT: 217

TIME IN THE 40: 4.4

THE LOWDOWN

Ran for more than 1,000 yards in the Big Ten in his first three seasons before declaring for the draft this year. He was a backfield mate of Cowboys back Marion Barber in 2004 and is regarded as a more explosive back than Barber, who was pretty good in Dallas last year. Had 21 100-plus-yards games and put up 4,797 all-purpose yards. Started 11 games in 2005 and ran for 1,464 yards (5.2 per carry).

THE PROS

A patient, intelligent runner who has nice vision and wiggle. Has good top-end speed to turn a marginal gain into a long one. Put up big rushing numbers against some big-time defenses. A little like Curtis Martin in that he's tough to get a clean hit on despite not looking like he's going that fast near the line of scrimmage. Does a nice job of taking care of the ball and -- even though he hasn't caught many balls (17 for 170 in 2005) -- appears to be capable as a receiver.

THE CONS

He has to put some weight on a frame that's relatively slight at this point. Not a pounder inside. He hasn't been asked to be much more than a running back who carries the football so far, and his pass-blocking/blitz-pickup skills are going to be raw. With his lean build, he may be a liability in that regard. Had some hamstring and ankle issues last season.

COULD HE BE A PATRIOT?

Although his production and big-game performances announce him as the type of back the Pats would respect, limitations to his game seem to argue against him. The Patriots like a back who has shown his abilities in pass blocking/catching, and Maroney just hasn't done it. Barring that, they'd like a guy they can give it to on third-and-1 and be assured he'll pick it up even if the daylight isn't there. Maroney isn't that guy, either. He could be a very good back, and a lot of experts see him as being able to excel in a zone-blocking system where he can stretch a play and pick a hole. That's not really the Patriots. Good back, probably not a great fit for the Patriots.