12:39pm: The Patriots have signed tight end Steve Maneri using the roster spot vacated by Easley, according to Shalise Manza Young of the Boston Globe (via Twitter).
11:20am: Patriots defensive tackle Dominique Easley will see his rookie season come to an early end, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who reports (via Twitter) that the team is placing Easley on the injured reserve list.
Easley, 22, underwent ACL surgery before the 2014 draft, which may have caused him to slip a little further down the board than he otherwise would have. New England snagged him at the end of the first round, and while the rookie appeared in 11 games this season, he dealt with nagging knee issues throughout the year. The Pats told Easley last week to begin preparing for the 2015 campaign, tweets Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald.
When Easley officially lands on IR, the Pats will either open up a spot on their 53-man roster, or announce a corresponding move to immediately fill that opening.