A handful of 2019 NFL draft prospects attending his week’s Reese’s Senior Bowl

will be New England Patriots by the end of April.Leading up to Saturday’s 2:30 p.m. ET exhibition at Ladd-Peebles Stadium Color Rush Joejuan Williams Jersey , all are on the same playing field. All are installing and executing assignments out of the same syllabus. And “certainly a high percentage of whom are going to be drafted,” as Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said on WEEI during his last scouting trip to Mobile, Ala., in January 2016.“After draft choices are free agents,” added Belichick, “so that’s a large chunk of players and they’re playing football against each other and the competition is relatively equal, which is a lot different than the combine where it’s a few workout drills and that type of thing. So, it’s a totally different situation. But, again, the football part is valuable. Seeing these guys work against each other – and they’re competing because they’re trying to help themselves and look good in this environment – that’s good to see.”It’s closer to what they will see at rookie minicamps and organized team activities.“The all-star games, everybody starts from scratch. They’re all in a new system, if you will,” said Belichick. “That’s what they’re all going to be doing when they go to a new team in a few months anyway.”As for which ones will find themselves in New England, that’s a dart throw between the North and South rosters. But some darts will hit the board. Belichick, director of player personnel Nick Caserio, director of college scouting Monti Ossenfort and Co. have drafted 20 Senior Bowl prospects over the last five years. An additional seven Senior Bowl prospects over that span signed their first NFL contracts with New England as undrafted free agents.Here’s a five-year glance through the index.2018Isaiah Wynn, OT, Georgia – first roundDuke Dawson, CB, Florida – second roundJa’Whaun Bentley Youth Joejuan Williams Jersey , LB, Purdue – fifth roundBraxton Berrios, WR, Miami – sixth round2017Derek Rivers, DE, Youngstown State – third roundAntonio Garcia, OT, Troy – third roundConor McDermott, OT, UCLA – sixth roundHarvey Langi, LB, Brigham Young – undraftedDwayne Thomas, CB, Louisiana State – undraftedDamarius Travis, S, Minnesota – undraftedKeionta Davis, DE, Tennessee-Chattanooga – undrafted2016Cyrus Jones, CB, Alabama – second roundJacoby Brissett Womens Joejuan Williams Jersey , QB, North Carolina State – third roundMalcolm Mitchell, WR, Georgia – fourth roundJonathan Jones, CB, Auburn – undraftedBryce Williams, TE, East Carolina – undrafted2015Geneo Grissom, DE, Oklahoma – third roundTrey Flowers, DE, Arkansas – fourth roundTre’ Jackson, G, Florida State – fourth roundShaq Mason, G, Georgia Tech – fourth roundJoe Cardona, LS, Navy – fifth round2014Jimmy Garoppolo, QB, Eastern Illinois – second roundBryan Stork Authentic Joejuan Williams Jersey , C, Florida State – fourth roundJames White, RB, Wisconsin – fourth roundJemea Thomas, CB, Georgia Tech – sixth roundJon Halapio, G, Florida – sixth roundTyler Ott, LS, Harvard – undraftedGeorgia’s Isaiah Wynn, who earned the offensive lineman of the week award in 2018, stands as the lone first-round draft investment New England has gone on to make over the last five Senior Bowls.Florida’s Duke Dawson, Alabama’s Cyrus Jones and Eastern Illinois’ Jimmy Garoppolo check in as the trio of second-round investments. Youngstown State’s Derek Rivers, Troy’s Antonio Garcia, North Carolina State’s Jacoby Brissett and Oklahoma’s Geneo Grissom, meanwhile, all went in the third round.Three from that range remain in Foxborough.The Patriots have also filled out cards for 11 Senior Bowl invites on the final day of the draft since 2014, with Purdue’s Ja’Whaun Bentley, Miami’s Braxton Berrios, Arkansas’ Trey Flowers Joejuan Williams Jersey Boys , Georgia Tech’s Shaq Mason, Navy’s Joe Cardona and Wisconsin’s James White still in the fold as the new league year draws near.And as for those who partook in the Senior Bowl and originally entered the league as members of the Patriots’ undrafted classes, Tennessee-Chattanooga’s Keionta Davis and Auburn’s Jonathan Jones are the two currently with the organization.A myriad of others over that stretch – including former Indianapolis Colts wideout Phillip Dorsett, former Cleveland Browns nose tackle Danny Shelton, former Detroit Lions linebacker Kyle Van Noy, former Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Eric Rowe and former Oakland Raiders safety Obi Melifonwu – have joined the company on secondary NFL stops.Time will tell just whom arrives three months from now on their first. Until 2012, getting placed on the injured reserve list ended an NFL player’s season. Since then, however, the rules have changed drastically: nowadays, teams have the chance to bring up to two injured players back onto their active rosters following a minimum absence of eight weeks. Today, the New England Patriots handed out their first such designation of the year: they plan to reactivate cornerback Duke Dawson.Dawson joined the Patriots as a second-round draft pick earlier this year. He showed plenty of promise as a slot cornerback early on during offseason workouts and training camp but in mid-August started to be limited by a hamstring injury. Due to the issue, the Florida product was able to appear in only one preseason contest and in early September was finally placed on injured reserve as a candidate to be brought back at a later point.This point has been reached now: Dawson returned to practice earlier today and has officially been designated the Patriots’ first IR-return player of the season. Making his comeback today opens a 21-day window during which New England has to activate him to its 53-man squad. If this does not happen – as was the case with both of last year’s return players – Dawson will revert back to injured reserve and see his season come to an end.The rookie being back impacts the team in two obvious ways. First, it means that only one return designation is left: as things stand right now, running back Rex Burkhead appears to be the most realistic candidate to be brought back further down the line. Second, New England will have to make a corresponding roster move at one point to activate Dawson. As things stand right now, placing fellow cornerback Eric Rowe on injured reserve could be it.