Who can't the Patriots pass up?

SI.com's Don Banks posted today the first of his many NFL mock drafts; he has the Patriots drafting Wake Forest cornerback Alphonso Smith at No. 23 in the first round. Banks projects that several of the players discussed in this space yesterday will be off the board by the time the Patriots draft -- including USC linebacker Brian Cushing (No. 14 to New Orleans), Ohio State running back Beanie Wells (No. 16 to San Diego), Illinois cornerback Vontae Davis (No. 17 to the New York Jets) and Vanderbilt cornerback D.J. Moore (No. 22 to Minnesota).

(This, obviously, is all hypothetical. But teams preparing for drafts have to plan for every contingency, and Banks' projection certainly is a plausible contingency.)

With those players coming off the board, however, a few appealing targets remain. Ohio State linebacker James Laurinaitis, a two-time Defensive Player of the Year in the Big Ten, lasted until No. 25; Georgia running back Knowshon Moreno lasted until No. 28 and Florida wide receiver Percy Harvin lasted until No. 30.

It'd be nice to see the Patriots load up on talented players in their secondary, but corners Jonathan Wilhite and Terrence Wheatley are returning and could be factors as second-year defensive players. And with so much talent still left on the board, it would be surprising to see the Patriots reach for someone like Smith.

Among the options left on the board:

* Laurinaitis is an inside linebacker in the Zach Thomas mold; he would play alongside Jerod Mayo and give the Patriots as hard-hitting a tandem of linebackers as any team in the NFL. He wouldn't, unfortunately, fill the Patriots' more pressing need -- a pass-rushing linebacker to learn from and eventually replace Mike Vrabel. The other downside: The last time the Patriots drafted a highly touted linebacker from Ohio State, it was Andy Katzenmoyer -- and he turned out, thanks mostly to injuries, to be a spectacular bust.

But Laurinaitis has no injury history; he played in all 12 games as a freshman and has been one of the nation's best defensive players since he was a sophomore. Had he gone pro a year ago, in fact, he might have been in the mix to be drafted by the Patriots in the top half of the first round. Instead, he went back to school and finished his senior season with a team-best 130 tackles, including four sacks, and two interceptions and a forced fumble.

Despite Banks' projection, Laurinaitis might not last until No. 23. If he does -- and even Mel Kiper has him lasting until No. 29 -- the Patriots might have a hard time time passing up the chance to pair him with Mayo for the next decade.

* One position where the Patriots don't appear to have a pressing need is at wide receiver, where Randy Moss and Wes Welker return. They also have a bad recent history with highly touted receivers from Florida -- Chad Jackson was probably the team's biggest disappointment out of the draft since, well, Katzenmoyer.

But Harvin is a spectacular dual-threat talent who could make the same impact as Miami's Ted Ginn Jr.; he averaged 9.4 yards per rush and 16.1 yards per reception this season. While Moss is still around, Harvin could step in as the Patriots' third receiver and make a big impact right off the bat. When the 32-year-old Moss departs, Harvin could grow into one of the team's featured playmakers. If he slips to No. 23 -- Kiper has him being snatched up by the Jets at No. 17 -- even though there isn't a pressing need at that position, it'd be difficult for the Patriots to let him keep slipping.

* The best center on the board is named Alex Mack. That might be a secret world worth exploring.