Marvin Austin (AP)

A league source had confirmed a report from Vaughn McClure of the Chicago Tribune that the Patriots had North Carolina defensive lineman Marvin Austin in for an official pre-draft visit on Friday. Austin is a 6-foot-2, 309-pounder who was suspended for the entire 2010 season for what the NCAA called “violations of NCAA agent benefits, preferential treatment and ethical conduct rules,” specifically two trips to California and two trips to Miami.

Each team is allowed up to 30 players for pre-draft visits, and we have been able to confirm three of them for the Patriots — Austin, Miami defensive lineman Allen Bailey and Oklahoma State running back Kendall Hunter.

Despite the off-the-field problems, Austin is considered by many to be a second-round pick. In 2009, he played in all 13 games making 11 starts and finishing with 42 tackles, 6.0 tackles for losses and four sacks. He certainly impressed at the combine, where he ran an unofficial 4.9-second 40-yard dash and bench-pressed 225 pounds 38 times, the second most by anyone regardless of position.

Speaking at the combine, he said the year away from football was one of toughest of his life.

“It’s still hard to watch some of the stuff that’s said about my character,” Austin said. “I’ve never taken a drink in my life, I’ve never smoked in my life. I’ve done everything to get to this point but one mistake, taking a couple of trips — and one of them was taken to help me get better as an athlete — has cost me my whole senior season and my image.

“It was a mental mistake. I got ahead of myself. I learned that I can never take anything for granted. This is a privilege. To be here is a privilege. A lot of guys would kill to be in the shoes of all of the 300 guys here and so you have to take advantage of it and never abuse the privilege. I went from being one of the top players and prospects in the nation to being a guy that is not even talked about. And it was a tough situation having to sit back and watch all the other defensive linemen go out and play and perform and not be able to do anything. It made you put things in perspective a lot more.”

Here’s some video of Austin in action:

Brooks Reed (AP)

A league source says that while the Patriots have worked out Arizona defensive end/linebacker Brooks Reed, they have apparently not had him in to Foxboro for an on-site visit. The source said Reed was one of three Arizona defensive ends New England recently put through a workout — and that the Patriots did focus on Reed — but Reed has not visited the Patriots at Gillette Stadium. (That would run contrary to initial reports that Reed had an official visit with New England late last month.)

Even though it seems incidental, there is a fundamental difference between a workout and an on-site visit. While teams are allowed to conduct as many workouts as possible, they are allowed to host up to 30 prospects on pre-draft visits to the facility. (Thus far, the only two pre-draft visits for the Patriots that we have been able to confirm are Miami defensive lineman Allen Bailey and Oklahoma State running back Kendall Hunter.)

Reed is a 6-foot-3, 263-pounder who was a defensive end in college. He had 114 career tackles at UA and 17 career sacks, and earned first-team All-Pac-10 honors as a senior. However, his size and speed leave many thinking he would make a nice transition to outside linebacker at the next level. His time of 4.65 seconds for the 40-yard dash at the combine was among the fastest for defensive ends and linebackers, and his initial burst of 1.54 over the first 10 yards left many believing Reed will be a late first-round or early second-round selection.

Allen Bailey (AP)

A league source has confirmed a report that the Patriots had Miami defensive lineman Allen Bailey in for a visit on Thursday.

Bailey is a 6-foot-3, 285-pounder who played defensive end and defensive tackle with the Hurricanes, and recorded 19 sacks in his college career, including seven as a senior. He recorded 31 tackles for a loss in with Miami, including 11 in 2010.

His numbers are off the charts for a many of his size: he’s posted a 4.71 in the 40, as well as a 36 1/2 inch vertical leap and a 9-foot-9 broad jump. Projected as a possible late first-round or early second-round selection — NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock said “there’s no way [he] gets out of the second round” — the Patriots worked out Bailey early last month, then got another good look at him at Miami’s Pro Day. Bailey reportedly also has visits lined up with the Falcons, Broncos and Buccaneers.

A converted linebacker, Bailey has some positional versatility. In an interview at the NFL scouting combine last month, Bailey — who stayed at Miami for all four years, playing 50 games, just two shy of Brandon Meriweather for most in school history — talked a little but about his ability to play both defensive tackle and defensive end, as well as how the transition went as a collegian.

“It was an adjustment. I’d played strictly outside the last three years, so it was an adjustment going inside,” Bailey said, “[But] I got the swing of everything and adjusted pretty well.”

Bailey is the second confirmed player to make a pre-draft visit to Foxboro — Oklahoma State running back Kendall Hunter was the other. Teams are allowed to host up to 30 prospects at their facility prior to the draft.

For more on Bailey, check out our profile on him here. And here’s some video of his work at Miami:

Here’s a list of players who have had or will have private workouts or meetings with the Patriots. This is by no means a complete list — simply a rundown of those we have independently verified:

Offense
Hillsdale wide receiver Andre Holmes
Florida offensive lineman Mike Pouncey
Maryland wide receiver Torrey Smith
Kentucky wide receiver Chris Matthews
Virginia Tech running back Ryan Williams
Nevada tight end Virgil Green
TCU quarterback Andy Dalton
TCU wide receiver Jeremy Kerley

Defense
Citadel defensive back Cortez Allen
Miami defensive lineman Allen Bailey
Northwestern defensive lineman Corbin Bryant

In addition, Patriots coaches and scouts have been confirmed as being in attendance at the following Pro Days: Florida, Miami, Michigan State, Alabama, Auburn, Cal, Fresno State, Kentucky, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Colorado, Arkansas, FIU and Oklahoma State.

Here’s a look at the Pro Day schedule for this week:
March 17: Appalachian State, Lehigh, Marshall, Michigan, Missouri, Slippery Rock, Stanford, Virginia, Virginia Tech, West Virginia.
March 18: Arkansas State, Missouri State, New Mexico State, Richmond, Temple.
March 21: Abilene Christian, Iowa.
March 22: Georgia, Iowa State, Mississippi, Nevada.
March 23: Arizona State, Boston College, Central Florida, Connecticut, East Carolina, North Carolina State, Syracuse, Tennessee-Chattanooga.
March 24: Boise State, Fort Hays State, San Diego State, South Florida.

With pre-draft workout season well underway, here’s a quick check on the Patriots’ recent activities:

• This is by no means a complete list — instead, it’s list of confirmed meetings and/or workouts, compiled by WEEI.com with help from our friends over at NEPatriotsDraft.com: New England has already held private workouts with defensive back Cortez Allen of The Citadel, defensive lineman Allen Bailey of the University of Miami and tight end Virgil Green of Nevada. In addition, TCU quarterback Andy Dalton and wide receiver Jeremy Kerley, as well as Northwestern defensive lineman Corbin Bryant all have workouts scheduled with the Patriots.

•In addition, the Patriots have been present at several Pro Days. Coach Bill Belichick was seen at Miami’s Pro Day, while offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia was one of a few members of the New England braintrust who were at Alabama’s Pro Day. In addition, Scarnecchia was seen working out Auburn center Ryan Pugh. And members of the Patriots personnel staff have been confirmed as being in attendance at the following Pro Days: Cal, Fresno State, Kentucky, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Colorado, Arkansas, FIU and Oklahoma State.

•Looking forward, here’s a look at the Pro Day schedule for the upcoming 10 days (information courtesy NFL.com). Based on history, expected Belichick to show up at Florida on Tuesday, as well as (possibly) UConn on March 23.

March 15: California (Pa.), Delaware, Florida, Kansas State, Montana State, Pittsburgh, Southeastern Louisiana.
March 16: Florida State, Hampton, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan State, Mount Union, Penn State, Villanova.
March 17: Appalachian State, Lehigh, Marshall, Michigan, Missouri, Slippery Rock, Stanford, Virginia, Virginia Tech, West Virginia.
March 18: Arkansas State, Missouri State, New Mexico State, Richmond, Temple.
March 21: Abilene Christian, Iowa.
March 22: Georgia, Iowa State, Mississippi, Nevada.
March 23: Arizona State, Boston College, Central Florida, Connecticut, East Carolina, North Carolina State, Syracuse, Tennessee-Chattanooga.
March 24: Boise State, Fort Hays State, San Diego State, South Florida.

Allen Bailey (AP)

According to multiple sources, Miami defensive lineman Allen Bailey has a meeting and workout with the Patriots scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday of this week.

Bailey is a 6-foot-3, 285-pounder who played defensive end and defensive tackle with the Hurricanes, and recorded 19 sacks in his college career, including seven as a senior. He recorded 31 tackles for a loss in with Miami, including 11 in 2010.

His physical measurables are off the charts — he’s been timed at 4.77 in the 40, and has posted 27 reps on the bench at 285. As a result, many mock drafts have him as a possible late first-round or early second-round pick in next month’s draft, which would mean he could be available to New England with either the No. 28 or No. 33 overall pick.

In an interview at the NFL scouting combine last month, Bailey — who stayed at Miami for all four years, playing 50 games, just two shy of Brandon Meriweather for most in school history — talked a little but about his ability to play both defensive tackle and defensive end, as well as how the transition went as a collegian.

“It was an adjustment. I’d played strictly outside the last three years, so it was an adjustment going inside,” Bailey said, “[But] I got the swing of everything and adjusted pretty well.”

For what it’s worth, we profiled Bailey in our “Potential Patriots” series here. The fact that Bailey will be working out for New England comes on the heels of the news that Citadel defensive back Cortez Allen also has a workout scheduled with the Patriots on Wednesday.

Miami defensive lineman Allen Bailey (AP)

WEEI.com will continue to offer daily insight and analysis regarding options that may be available to the Patriots when it comes to the 2011 NFL draft.

Allen Bailey

Position: Defensive line

School: Miami (Fla.)

Height: 6-foot-3

Weight: 278 pounds

Achievements: All-ACC second team (2010); All-ACC first team (2009); Miami Strength Training Athlete of the Year (2009, 2010); Nagurski Trophy Watch List (2010)

What he brings: Though he is somewhat undersized for the defensive line, Bailey features tremendous strength, speed (he has been timed as low as 4.65 in the 40) and athleticism. While he spent his senior season lining up primarily as a defensive end, he also has experience as an interior lineman, having played defensive tackle through the first half of his junior year. Bailey admitted in a recent interview that he is still working to improve his technique and hands so that he can shed blocks. He recorded 19 sacks in his college career, including seven as a senior. He recorded 31 tackles for a loss in his career, including 11 in 2010.

Where the Patriots could get him: Bailey projects as a possible late-first round or second round pick, so he could be available to the Patriots with either the No. 28 or No. 33 pick.

Notes: His time in the weight room has turned him into a physical specimen who once measured as having just 8 percent body fat. His vertical leap has been measured in excess of 36 inches. … He stayed at Miami for all four years, playing 50 games, just two shy of Brandon Meriweather for most in school history. … Though he spent most of 2010 as a defensive end, he moved to the interior line on some third-down plays. … Comes from a small town called Hog Hammock on Sapelo Island in Georgia. Once killed an alligator with a shovel.

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