BY NICK ST. DENIS
It wouldn't have been much of a surprise if the New England Patriots decided to trade down and out of their No. 29 overall pick.
The Patriots, however, stood pat.
New England took University of Florida defensive lineman Dominique Easley to round out the night in AFC East draft action.
Easley suffered an ACL injury in each of his past two seasons -- one in the left leg and one in the right. However, when healthy, Easley was considered one of the more explosive defenders off the line in college.
The run-stuffer tallied 72 tackles and 5.5 sacks in his shortened collegiate career, with four of those quarterback takedowns and 8.5 tackles for loss coming in 2012, according to CBSSports.com.
He'll post up alongside defensive tackle Vince Wilfork to help create a formidable front that includes Rob Ninkovich and Chandler Jones, though Easley has the versatility to work on the outside, as well -- assuming he can stay healthy.
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