Patriots don't sign UDFA DT John Drew; sign UDFA NT Anthony Rashad White instead

[patsinthesnow]

Mike Reiss ‏@MikeReiss 7m
DT John Drew passed his conditioning test this morning with Patriots. 6-2, 335. Had turf toe injury that sidelined him in pre-draft process.


Mike Reiss ‏@MikeReiss 8m
As @RavensInsider reported, Patriots agree to terms with rookie DT John Drew (North Carolina Central). Drew fills 90th spot on roster

The roster is set at 90. (for now)

John Drew*|*North Carolina Central,*DT*:*2013 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile

Well, NFL draft scout has him ranked 999 out of 175 DTs, so uh, anyone know anything about this guy?

Edit: O, great.

http://www.heraldsun.com/sports/x60...DT-John-Drew-waits-to-dip-toe-into-NFL-waters

Drew was a heralded recruit out of Columbus, Ga., and as a true freshman in 2009 appeared in all 12 Duke games, starting one of them.

But Drew and two freshmen teammates, all from Georgia, were arrested for their involvement in the firing of a gun on campus. Duke coach David Cutcliffe kicked them off the team.

 

[manxman2601]

Well one thing that made me WTF!

The 6-foot-2, 330-pound defensive tackle was unable to work out for scouts this offseason, but he has reportedly run a 4.79 40-yard dash, according to the Herald Sun.

Source: Patriots sign rookie DT John Drew | masslive.com


That's 100th of a second slower than Michael Buchanan.

 

[Mack Herron]

Mary Paoletti ‏@Mary_Paoletti 25m

Drew is 6-2, 333. Started at Duke, but pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm on educational property & carrying a concealed weapon in 2010

After Dennard and this one, I 'm re-thinking the notion that the Patriots are going to do things differently now.

 

[mgteich]

The team needs to have a criminal lawyer on staff.

After Dennard and this one, I 'm re-thinking the notion that the Patriots are going to do things differently now.

 

[Sicilian]

The team needs to have a criminal lawyer on staff.

I know just the guy...

 

[manxman2601]

I know just the guy...

Is it just me or is he pointing at me? I'm not a lawyer d%#*!@t!

 

[jah]

I know just the guy...

Saul needs a spinoff show ASAP.

 

[Efstratios]

Saul needs a spinoff show ASAP.

20 more days or so till the beginning of the end... Man these final eight episodes are going to be so brutal that they'll make the 08 Lions look pretty.

 

[manxman2601]

Not confirmed yet:

For the record, signing of rookie DT John Drew to fill 90th roster spot not yet confirmed. Was told to "hold" on that being official.

https://twitter.com/tomecurran/status/359383865002967042

 

[Sicilian]

Not confirmed yet:



https://twitter.com/tomecurran/status/359383865002967042

Bob Kraft: "Oh, so we signed another UDFA DT. That's good, we need some competition there and... wait, he did WHAT?!"

 

[manxman2601]

Bob Kraft: "Oh, so we signed another UDFA DT. That's good, we need some competition there and... wait, he did WHAT?!"

Nice. My thoughts exactly.


Or maybe they've found yet another no-hope WR to bring in.

 

[manxman2601]

Re: The hold on Drew.

The Eric Wright trade between TB and SF has just fallen through and it's being reported that the Bucs will release him. Bearing in mind that we have a habit of taking on Bucs rejects (well two anyway), are they considering possibly signing Wright and that's why they're pausing on signing this 90th man?

I know Wright didn't perform all that well last year and has some character issues but as the 90th man, worth the risk perhaps?

 

[mgteich]

If Belichick see any chance to sign a player for a reasonable amount of money who might help the team, he will do so. There are at least a dozen players who could be cut by supper time and not missed.

Bob Kraft: "Oh, so we signed another UDFA DT. That's good, we need some competition there and... wait, he did WHAT?!"

 

[Sicilian]

If Belichick see any chance to sign a player for a reasonable amount of money who might help the team, he will do so. There are at least a dozen players who could be cut by supper time and not missed.

My quote was a joke relating to Bob Kraft discovering the gun charge in the kid's history, not to the rapid sign/release.

 

[bruinator]

Another brother Drew. Can't people figure out the JD and Steven sux.

 

[manxman2601]

They've signed Anthony Rashad White instead.

The Patriots have signed NT Rashad Anthony White, an UDFA out of Michigan St., per a league source. Brings roster to 90 players.

https://twitter.com/FieldYates/status/359418231515131904


Anthony Rashad White vs TCU (2012) - YouTube

 

[jmt57]

I thought the roster was already at 90?
Or does this mean that somebody has been released?

Twitter | Field Yates

The Patriots have signed NT Rashad Anthony White, an UDFA out of Michigan St., per a league source. Brings roster to 90 players.

 

[manxman2601]

I thought the roster was already at 90?
Or does this mean that somebody has been released?

Twitter | Field Yates

The Patriots have signed NT Rashad Anthony White, an UDFA out of Michigan St., per a league source. Brings roster to 90 players.

They didn't sign Drew. It was reported earlier that they put his signing on hold. I suspect the gun thing gave them PR cold feet.

 

[Sciz]

Just when I thought the Pats signed an end of the roster guy that I got excited about, they didn't actually sign him :bricks:

 

[jmt57]

Anthony Rashad White | National Football Post

STRENGTHS - Thickly built below the waist, White looks the part of a nose tackle "on the hoof." Quick out of stance, White's consistency "getting a good fit" vs. blocker combines with his natural strength so that he can consistently anchor against one on one run blocks. Not only does he easily hold ground, but he consistently has been able to defeat run blocks to make/disrupt running plays at/behind the line of scrimmage. Good hand use, strength and excellent balance allow White to work down LOS while fighting blocker to make tackles on running plays within the TE box. Unlike many DT's who can anchor vs. one man blocks, White makes it look easy holding ground vs. double team. Not only does he hold ground most of the time, but is able to split it to make tackles behind the LOS. He flashes the ability to defeat blocks with a quick arm over move and gets some pressure on the QB thru great effort, strengtha nd good use of hands.

WEAKNESSES - A little pear shaped on film, White is definitely not the sleek looking DT who is going to shoot gaps and be a dominating interior play-maker / pass-rusher. He is much more of a try-hard pass rusher than one who has the quickness and burst to shoot gaps and blow things up. When he does not get hands on OL first, he can be tied up and he struggles to shed in time to make the play. He will need to get quicker shedding blocks to be more than a 2-Gap DT in the NFL. While he can make some plays along the LOS within the TE box, he does not have the speed to chase down plays on outside runs or down the field. More than anything, White is not an all-around DT, but rather a traditional 2-Gapper who will never make many impact plays.

SUMMARY - Not a player that I expected much from, White quickly impressed me with his strength, consistency and interior production against the run. While he will not fit every team's defensive scheme, those teams that play a 34 defense would like him as a potential nose tackle and some would also consider him as a defensive end. For those team that play a 43 defense, only those that play a 2-Gap scheme or use a nose tackle and an under tackle would have an interest in White. Overall, I am confident in White's ability to become a solid, work-man-like starting nose tackle in the NFL (Or at one of the other positions I mentioned previously). He will never be an impact, play-maker who consistently makes game changing plays or pressures the quarterback often, but he can be a good, contributing starting player.​

Steelers waive NT Anthony Rashad White from Injured reserve List | Yardbarker | May 14, 2013

A week ago we reported that former Michigan State nose tackle Anthony Rashad White reverted back to the Pittsburgh Steelers injured reserve list following him clearing waivers after being waived injured on May 6. On Tuesday, White was waived from the injured reserve list which means that he is fully recovered from whatever injury he may have had.

White was signed as an undrafted free agent immediately following the 2013 NFL draft, but according to Bob Labriola of steelers.com, the 335 pound nose tackle showed up to the Steelers rookie camp extremely out of shape.​