Logan Mankins (AP)

Patriots offensive lineman Logan Mankins checked in at No. 64 overall in the NFL Network’s list of Top 100 players of 2012, presented Wednesday night.

The offensive guard, who just wrapped up his seventh season with the Patriots, was at No. 39 last year. The Fresno State product is the second member of the Patriots to make this year’s Top 100 — defensive lineman Vince Wilfork was the first member of the franchise to make this year’s list at No. 81.

One of the players who discussed Mankins and his impact was Indianapolis defensive lineman Raheem Brock. Brock and Mankins have been longtime foes, but it was clear Brock has a lot of respect for Mankins, saying he’s “a great overall offensive lineman.”

“He’s not just a great pass blocker — he’s a great run blocker, too. He’s pretty good at trying to disguise the run and the pass. In Indy, they know how we played: We spin a lot, and one play or another, he might set me up, knowing I’m going to spin and the other guy is coming to clean me up. They’d kind of laugh at you because it was kind of a setup.”

As for the idea that Mankins occasionally gets overshadowed by quarterback Tom Brady, Brock chuckled.

“I don’t see too many people pay to go see offensive linemen play, but he’s one of the best,” he said with a smile. “He’s one of the best.”

Matt Light and Logan Mankins formed the left side of New England's offensive line for several years. (AP)

FOXBORO — Matt Light’s teammates knew he was getting close to the end of his career after a series of late-night, postgame talks this past season, according to teammate and fellow offensive lineman Logan Mankins.

“We’re pretty close, so I’ve know for a while,” said Mankins, who lined up at left guard next to Light for the better part of the last seven seasons. “I don’t want to get into dates and everything. But most of us knew it was coming.

“We had some late nights after games here celebrating and we had heart-to-heart talks about stuff like that. I think he was sharing it and bouncing it off people. We always told him that whatever he felt was right, we’d support him.”

That was much was clear on Monday morning, as several of Light’s teammates were in attendance at his retirement ceremony at the Hall at Patriot Place. Just about every offensive lineman that was on the roster last season — save for veteran guard Brian Waters — was in attendance. In addition, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, as well as former teammates Sammy Morris and Russ Hochstein were present. (Quarterback Tom Brady and offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia spoke as part of a video tribute to Light.)

And even though they knew this day was coming, it was a bittersweet moment to see their teammate say goodbye to the game.

“The young guys, they came out here — they just wanted to be there for him and say goodbye in a sense, even the guys he’s only know for one year,” said center Dan Koppen. “He’s had a huge impact on their careers and how to conduct themselves as a professional. A guy who just comes in every day and just works hard. He’s just going to be missed. It’s sad, sad in a way. But we’re going to have to move on.”

“It’s a little weird,” Mankins said. “I’ve been with Matt for seven years. We’ve played next to each other. It’s been great. He’s been a great teammate, a great friend. It’s a little surreal still. You don’t believe he’s leaving yet.

“It’s hard to imagine going to practice or playing in a game and not having Matt sit behind me on the bus. Or we sat next to each other on the plane. He was a locker mate pretty close to me. It’s going to be a little different this season. It will be my first season without Matt.”

“I obviously enjoyed playing alongside Matt for four years,” Morris said. “At the same time, I kind of realized that I learned about him away from the field has had more of an impact than Matt wearing No. 72. He’s a great guy. It didn’t take much for me to come out here today.”

A former All-Pro, Light developed a reputation as a world-class prankster. Light recalled an incident where he snuck an electric mouse into Bill Belichick’s office that shocked the head coach not once, but twice.

“The shocking thing in Bill’s office, that was probably one of them,” Koppen recalled with a smile. “He did … Bill wasn’t the only guy he got. He got [Scarnecchia] on that as well. We’ve had a lot of good ones. He’s done so many. You really can’t remember them all. He really does have most of them on video. That’s a good thing.”

Mankins somehow managed to avoid getting pranked, saying he was “more of an assistant than a co-prankster.”

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Dan Koppen has reportedly agreed to a two-year deal to return to the Patriots. (AP)

With the news that veteran Dan Koppen has agreed to a two-year contract to return to the Patriots, it creates an interesting dynamic along New England’s veteran offensive line.

The 32-year-old Koppen, who was out for the bulk of the 2011 season with a fractured ankle, now faces a strong positional battle from Dan Connolly, who started in his place last year and has moved from versatile backup to important cog in New England’s offensive line. Earlier this offseason, Connolly signed a three-year deal worth more than $9 million, suggesting that he would now assume the role of primary starter and Koppen would be free to look elsewhere for work. (Koppen did reportedly have one free-agent visit with Tennessee.)

However, Koppen has been a steady and dependable presence up from since he was a rookie — a 2003 fifth-round pick out of Boston College, has started 120 of 121 games over nine seasons with the Patriots, and went to the Pro Bowl in 2007. When it comes to winning his spot back on a permanent basis, Koppen can lean on a lot of things in his favor, most notably the fact that he is close friends with quarterback Tom Brady.

If Koppen is at 100 percent — as many believe he is — that would free up Connolly to serve as either a stopgap for left guard Logan Mankins if Mankins is forced to sit for a stretch because of ACL surgery the Fresno State product underwent following an injury in the Super Bowl. Connolly could also provide support at the other guard position, as it remains unclear as to whether or not starting veteran Brian Waters will be back for a second season with the Patriots.

This move also means that Ryan Wendell returns to his role as a primary backup among the interior offensive linemen, leading a group that includes Nick McDonald and Donald Thomas.

Wes Welker got the franchise tag from the Patriots. (AP)

A decade or so ago, when the Patriots hit a guy with the franchise tag, it was usually the first step in the eventual dissolution of the relationship — like one person telling the other: “We have to talk.” Tebucky Jones, Adam Vinatieri (the second time around), Asante Samuel and Matt Cassel all weren’t around Foxboro soon after they were hit with the franchise tag. In the case of Vinatieri and Samuel, they eventual left via free agency, or as a trade chip like Jones and Cassel.

But when the last two players — Vince Wilfork (in 2010) and Logan Mankins (in 2011) — were hit with the franchise tag, it was seen as part of the negotiation process. Neither individual was particularly happy about it, but it was done as a way of extending the negotiating window between the player and the team. And in both cases, despite some early acrimony, both players ended up signing big new deals with the Patriots.

When it comes to Welker, early indications are that his situation is a lot closer to the latter than the former. The wide receiver, who is expected to receive a roughly $9.4 million contract as the result of the tag (the league has yet to officially announce the tag numbers), has a very good working relationship with the franchise since he signed a five-year, $18 million deal prior to the start of the 2007 season. That was reflected in the overall optimistic tone of the statement issued by the franchise shortly after the news became official: “Wes Welker is a remarkable football player for our team and has been a vital component to our offense and special teams since we traded for him in 2007. Utilizing the franchise designation allows both sides more time to try to reach an agreement, which is the goal. Wes remains a contractual priority and we are hopeful that he will remain a Patriot for years to come.”

When it comes to Welker, despite the fact that he’s been wildly underpaid when compared to his output against other receivers (no one has caught more passes over the last five seasons), he has never publicly feuded with management. In addition, his representation (Athletes First) has had a very good working relationship with the Patriots: This was the agency that helped make Drew Bledsoe the richest player in the history of the league with a 2001 contract. They also represent several current members of the roster, including tight end Aaron Hernandez, running back Shane Vereen, offensive lineman Nate Solder and punter Zoltan Mesko.

So if/when Welker and the team can reach a long-term deal, what sort of numbers are we talking about? Reports indicate that the two sides have been working together to find some common ground for some time — a Boston Globe report says the Patriots offered Welker a two-year, fully-guaranteed contract for $16 million during the 2011 season, which was declined. Now, if the team did decide to franchise him for back-to-back seasons, he would get the equivalent of a two-year deal worth roughly $20 million.

Ultimately, early indications certainly appear that a four-year deal worth $8 million to $9.5 million annually would be about right, especially when you consider the market and Welker’s production. One analyst offered this as a model, which seems to make a lot of sense.

Is Ben Jones a future Patriot? (AP)

With Dan Koppen and Dan Connolly apparently poised to enter free agency and Brian Waters still reportedly contemplating retirement, it should come as no surprise if the Patriots try and shore up the interior of their offensive line. Greg Cosell, a senior producer for NFL Films for the last 33 years, watches more game film than just about anyone, and believes that the interior of the Patriots’ offensive line could be in a state of flux.

“I think they feel that they’re set at tackle, and they are,” said Cosell, who also serves as the producer of ESPN’s NFL Matchup. “Because I think Nate Solder was drafted to play left tackle because of his athleticism. And obviously, with a year under his belt where he played both left and right, and was used in a variety of ways as well, as a sixth offensive lineman in tight end-type of situations — they’ll expect him to play left tackle next year. [Sebastian] Vollmer, when healthy, is a very solid right tackle. So you can argue that they are set at the tackle positions.

“Logan Mankins isn’t going anywhere. Now … I think Mankins hasn’t been as consistent a player. He wasn’t as consistent at times this year as he has been in the past. He’s not done. He’s not a stiff. You don’t need to replace him. But I don’t think he was quite the same player.”

Cosell buys into the theory that the slippage in Mankins’ play last season was due in part to having had to work with four different centers over the course of the season. Koppen and Connolly were injured for some or part of the year, causing the Patriots to rotate Ryan Wendell and Nick McDonald at times through the 2011 season.

“I talked to someone well connected in the league who said that the Patriots o-line is the most cohesive and best-coached unit in the NFL. And now that you just said that, it would make perfect sense, in that Mankins is playing with a different guy on his right throughout the season, that will have a meaningful impact on both his play and the lines play.

“I don’t think Mankins makes a lot of mental mistakes. But if you pair him with a center, and there’s no unit on the field that has to work together more than the o-line, and particularly when a quarterback sets the protection and there’s 15 seconds left on the play clock … I think that’s a very fair statement.”

As for the other guard spot, Cosell said that Brian Waters had a great season, but it might be too much to expect another similar season from the veteran.

“He had a really good year,” Cosell said. “But I think you have to look … I’m not saying he’s not coming to camp and starts as the starter and all that, but at some point, there will be a dropoff. It’s natural. It’s not a knock on Brian Waters. Its just age.”

As for the man in the middle, Cosell loves what Koppen brings to the field, but refuses to make any predictions about his future because of Bill Belichick’s track record.

“I don’t think they’re going to give him a big, big contract,” Cosell said of Koppen, who has been New England’s regular center since his 2003. “I don’t know … Bill’s the toughest guy in the league for me to figure out. Because it just seems like there’s no rhyme or reason to what he does. Bill’s the kind of guy, he could put you at safety next year if he thought it would work. That’s just the way he is.

“He could think, ‘You know what? I could draft this center out of Georgia named Ben Jones.’ I’ve ended up watching three Georgia games because of the teams they’ve played, and Georgia is the team I’ve watched the most on tape leading up to this. I love that kid. I think Belichick would love him. I think Dante Scarnecchia would love the kid. Maybe he thinks, ‘We could draft that kid and he’ll play center.’ I don’t know how Bill thinks.

“But my point is that the position is important the way they play because a lot of stuff is done at the line of scrimmage. So it’s not just taking a good athlete and putting him in. It’s an important position mentally.”

INDIANAPOLIS — Kelvin Beachum is a guy who already knows more about the Patriots than your average college prospect.

First, the offensive lineman out of SMU had Adrian Klemm as his positional coach with the Mustangs the last three years. Klemm was New England’s second-round pick in 2000 and spent five injury-plagued seasons with the Patriots. Second, current SMU defensive coordinator Tom Mason was at Fresno State when current Pats’ offensive lineman Logan Mankins was there, and talked up Mankins’ to Beachum on a consistent basis. And third, Beachum was a college teammate of current Patriots defensive back Sterling Moore.

All this makes Beachum eminently qualified to discuss the possibility of playing in New England. He loved the opportunity to play for Klemm, who has since moved on to become the offensive line coach and running game coordinator at UCLA

“It was wonderful. He brought the intensity,” Beachum said of Klemm. “The calm, cool and collected side of things that you need to have in the game, but he also talked about seven seconds of violence, which was our motto for our offensive line. Being able to establish a violent nature for seven seconds and then be able to regain your composure then go out and do it again.”

Beachum is a 6-foot-3, 306-pound offensive lineman who played left tackle all four seasons at SMU, but figures to move to guard in the NFL. It was a move made by Mankins out of college, who became one of the best interior linemen in the league relatively quickly. While at SMU, Mason certainly gave him an idea of Mankins’ journey.

“He talked about [Mankins] a lot. He just talked about how massive he was, how he was just a big mauler for them when he was still in college,” Beachum said of Mason. “He didn’t have any tape on him, but [he talked about] the type of work ethic, the type of man he was, the type of character he had both on and off the field. He just talked about the qualities he had and what made him a good player.”

Beachum, who projects to be a late-round pick in April, can lean on his former college teammate Moore to provide him with some idea of what it takes to survive in the league as a relatively unheralded player coming out of college. Moore, who was an undrafted free agent coming out of SMU who cut by the Raiders in September, became a key member of the New England secondary over the second half of the season.

Beachum talked about some of the good times the two had as teammates.

“Man, he was a funny guy. He always had some jokes to go along with whoever he was locking down in practice,” Beachum said of Moore. “We used to call him 210. He was about 210 pounds and we called him a fat corner. But he dropped the weight. He’s done a wonderful job adapting to the NFL and is becoming a real good corner.”

Beachum said he tried his best to remain close to Moore during this past season but wasn’t always easy.

“We stayed in contact,” Beachum said. “Any time I was able to see him play — sometimes in Texas, you don’t get all the New England games — any time I was able to see him play, just shoot him a text and say, ‘Good game, bro.’ He’ll text me back and say, ‘Appreciate it, just keeping grinding.’“

Vince Wilfork is our highest-rated defensive player. (AP)

With the 2011 season in the rear-view mirror — and the Patriots facing a number of key personnel decisions — it seems like a good time to break down the current 53-man roster, taking a look at who might be the most valuable members of the franchise.

We arrived at this list by considering a combination of factors, including overall ability, positional versatility, expectations, contract situation and place on the depth chart. We also looked at what might be best described as intangibles — loosely defined as a mixture of clubhouse character and willingness to work. In all, it helped us determine the overall value of each player within the Patriots system.

A quick note: The 53 players were taken straight from New England’s postseason media guide, the most up-to-date listing available. That means injured players such as Andre Carter, Mike Wright, Jermaine Cunningham, Dan Koppen and Ras-I Dowling, as well as practice squadders, are not included for purposes of this exercise.

We started with No. 53 through No. 26. Here’s No. 25 through No. 1:

25. Punter Zoltan Mesko: A borderline Pro Bowler, Mesko had an excellent year and was singled out earlier this season by an NFL scout we spoke with who acknowledged his work when it came to helping the Patriots win the battle of field position, especially early in games when New England was struggling to score points. Should be one of the best in the league for years to come.

24. Defensive back Sterling Moore: Released by the Raiders in September, he ended up playing significant minutes down the stretch and into the postseason. He made what was likely the defensive play of the year when he knocked the ball out of the hands of Baltimore’s Lee Evans in the AFC championship game. Regardless of what the Patriots do in free agency or the draft, he has played his way into the regular rotation of defensive backs going forward.

23. Tackle Sebastian Vollmer: It was a lost season for the big German, who struggled with back and foot issues for much of the season. Presuming that left tackle Matt Light will return as the starting left tackle in 2012, Vollmer will face a fight for his starting job next year at the right tackle spot with Nate Solder.

22. Kicker Stephen Gostkowski: A very good year for Gostkowski, who remains one of the more steady and consistent kickers in the league.

21. Defensive lineman Kyle Love: Love is likely the best and most consistent young defensive lineman on the roster. He played roughly half the snaps for the Patriots this season at the defensive tackle spot, and gained a wealth of knowledge playing much of the season alongside Vince Wilfork. It will be interesting to watch his progression into 2012, especially with a lockout-free offseason.

20. Wide receiver Deion Branch: He’s not the receiver he once was, but he maximizes the tools that are still at his disposal, including his smarts, his knowledge of the game and his relationship with Tom Brady. Prior to a couple of ill-timed drops in the Super Bowl, he still showed a knack for coming up big in big moments. A free agent, he’s one of the really intriguing decisions the Patriots face this offseason.

19. Running back Stevan Ridley: An interesting rookie year — he showed genuine flashes of greatness at times, running the ball for 5.1 yards per carry with real explosiveness. But there were a couple of fumbles late in the season, which ultimately meant that an occasionally promising year ended on something of a sour note. With a good offseason (lockout-free), he could push BenJarvus Green-Ellis for the role of lead back in 2012.

18. Defensive end Mark Anderson: One of the pleasant free agent surprises of 2012 (along with Andre Carter and Brian Waters), Anderson saw his role expand over the course of the season from that of a pure third-down pass rusher to a more complete defender. He’s not quite a complete three-down player yet in the New England system, but certainly progressed over the course of the season. Like Carter, his better-than-expected performance on a one-year deal will leave the Patriots with a decision to make at the start of free agency.

17. Tackle Nate Solder: The Patriots’ Rookie of the Year, he had a very good rookie season, working as a right and left tackle, a part-time tight end as well as getting reps on special teams. (According to Pro Football Focus, he was eighth on the offense in total snaps with 1,044, more than veterans like Dan Connolly, Deion Branch and BenJarvus Green-Ellis.) He struggled in the Super Bowl, but will almost certainly push Vollmer for the starter’s job at right tackle in 2012.

16. Running back Danny Woodhead: An up-and-down season for Woodhead, but when he was on, it was clear he’s emerged as a mostly positive heir to Kevin Faulk as the teams’ third-down/changeup back. (He’s not the blocker Faulk is, but has shown himself to be a statistical equal in several other areas.) Woodhead had a very good Super Bowl, and stands ready to be an integral part of the New England offense going forward.

15. Cornerback Devin McCourty: A mixed bag this season for McCourty, who struggled mightily in coverage over the first half of the season but did show some improvement over the second half, returning to his old physical self. He flashed some versatility late in the regular season and into the playoffs with a move to safety on third down and other passing situations, and he didn’t appear overwhelmed when he made the switch. Like Julian Edelman, he’ll bear watching in minicamps and other OTA’s when it comes to where he lines up. What the Patriots ultimately decide to do with him could have a sizable impact on the rest of the secondary.
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