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Updated: April 20, 2011, 6:10 PM ET

On the final day that NFL teams can host prospects at their home facility, the New England Patriots welcomed Southern Cal’s Tyron Smith to town, according to a league source.

The 6-foot-5, 307-pound Smith enters the NFL after his junior season, with analysts touting him as one of the top offensive tackles in the draft.

NFL teams are allowed up to 30 in-house visits with out-of-town prospects before the draft. The visits are often used to double-check medical information or to conduct one final interview before placing a grade on a prospect.

Another reason the Patriots might be taking a closer look at Smith is that Matt Light, their starting left tackle since 2001, is an unrestricted free agent.

The Patriots have third-year pro Sebastian Vollmer returning at right tackle, and Vollmer also has experience at left tackle. That flexibility gives the Patriots options when assessing this year’s tackle class.

Seven-year veteran Nick Kaczur, who missed the 2010 season after undergoing back surgery, also returns as an option at tackle, along with reserves Mark LeVoir and Steve Maneri.

Mike Reiss covers the Patriots for ESPNBoston.com. ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter contributed to this report.

Follow Mike Reiss on Twitter: @MikeReiss

Feel free to leave your comments below.

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Updated: April 20, 2011, 6:10 PM ET

On the final day that NFL teams can host prospects at their home facility, the New England Patriots welcomed Southern Cal’s Tyron Smith to town, according to a league source.

The 6-foot-5, 307-pound Smith enters the NFL after his junior season, with analysts touting him as one of the top offensive tackles in the draft.

Another reason the Patriots might be taking a closer look at Smith is that Matt Light, their starting left tackle since 2001, is an unrestricted free agent.

Seven-year veteran Nick Kaczur, who missed the 2010 season after undergoing back surgery, also returns as an option at tackle, along with reserves Mark LeVoir and Steve Maneri.

Mike Reiss covers the Patriots for ESPNBoston.com. ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter contributed to this report.

Follow Mike Reiss on Twitter: @MikeReiss

If anybody needs tickets to games, remember to click the tickets link at the top.

Posted in patriots-news | No Comments »

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The Patriots schedule…is the same as it is every year? Obviously, there’s the same divisional goodness, but as always, we’ve got the ubiquitous Colts and Steelers games going on, which make for some TV awesomeness. As always, the Colts game is on NBC, while we get a Patriots-Jets game on NBC in Week 10.Â

The full schedule is below, courtesy ofÂ NFL.com:

Wk	Date	Matchup	TV	Time
1	Mon, Sept. 12	atÂ Miami Dolphins	ESPN	7 p.m.
2	Sun, Sept. 18	vs.Â San Diego Chargers	CBS	4:15 p.m.
3	Sun, Sept. 25	atÂ Buffalo Bills	CBS	1 p.m.
4	Sun, Oct. 2	atÂ Oakland Raiders	CBS	4:15 p.m.
5	Sun, Oct. 9	vs.Â New York Jets	CBS	4:15 p.m.
6	Sun, Oct. 16	vs.Â Dallas Cowboys	FOX	4:15 p.m.
7	Bye
8	Sun, Oct. 30	atÂ Pittsburgh Steelers	CBS	4:15 p.m.
9	Sun, Nov. 6	vs.Â New York Giants	FOX	4:15 p.m.
10	Sun, Nov. 13	atÂ New York Jets	NBC	8:20 p.m.
11	Mon, Nov. 21	vs.Â Kansas City Chiefs	ESPN	8:30 p.m.
12	Sun, Nov. 27	atÂ Philadelphia Eagles	CBS	4:15 p.m.
13	Sun, Dec. 4	vs.Â Indianapolis Colts	NBC	8:20 p.m.
14	Sun, Dec. 11	atÂ Washington Redskins	CBS	1 p.m.
15	Sun, Dec. 18	atÂ Denver Broncos	CBS	4:15 p.m.
16	Sat, Dec. 24	vs.Â Miami Dolphins	CBS	1 p.m.
17	Sun, Jan. 1	vs.Â Buffalo Bills	CBS	1 p.m.