Patriots Add 16 Undrafted Free Agents

PatsFans.com Article · Apr 28, 2013

Patriots Add 16 Undrafted Free Agents
By: Ian Logue

Here's a list of the undrafted free agents the Patriots added following this weekend's NFL Draft....

CLICK HERE TO READ THIS STORY

Rhodey · Apr 28, 2013

T.J. Moe Provides Great Value for Patriots as Undrafted Free Agent With Wes Welker-Like Short-Area Quickness

Read more at: T.J. Moe Provides Great Value for Patriots as Undrafted Free Agent With Wes Welker-Like Short-Area Quickness | New England Patriots | NESN.com

EwanSellars · Apr 28, 2013

i think we got a solid group i was a fan of grissom and tj moe for sure

State · Apr 28, 2013

OG Chris McDonald from Michigan State, Nick's younger brother who plays backup on the offensive line as well, is someone to keep your eyes on. He played on the right side.

He started for three years, showed durability, and tremendous leadership. He's a great young man.

Furthermore, his offensive line coach has been criticized by many, including NFL scouts, for repeated mistakes by his players. Unlike Dante, the best in the business, Chris McDonald has excelled in less sanguine circumstances.

Not invited to the Combine, he made the most of his Pro Day. This is where he scores would have ranked: the sixth fastest time in the forty, 4.96, and the tenth best effort lifting, hoisting the bar 31 times at 225 pounds.

Michigan State pro day: Chris McDonald makes most of chance | Detroit Free Press | freep.com

Although it will be difficult to make the team, I feel confident McDonald will perform admirably enough to earn at least a berth on the practice squad. He's someone we can use.

jsull87 · Apr 28, 2013

Pretty happy we got another Rutgers pick in there. Wouldn't have really completed the draft without them.

BlueThunder · Apr 28, 2013

BB does it again with his TE pickups in UDFA.

Wouldn't be a BB draft without TE or two

JoeSixPat · Apr 28, 2013

I'm rooting for Moe to make the team - in part because I want to see a "MOE" Patriots jersey.

But I'd be happier if Thompkins was able to provide some competition deep as well as in the slot.

Keeping in mind that usually a few of these guys do in fact pan out, there are some guys here with a lot of upside like Klein and Fisher ... Get Fisher a little more bulked up and he could be a keeper.

VJCPatriot · Apr 28, 2013

Yup. they are UDFAs for a reason. But if two or three make the practice squad that still helps improve our depth. Good luck youngsters!

The Scrizz · Apr 29, 2013

I was prepared to like Moe because I love the small, shifty 'smurfs'. Maybe it was just the crappy QB or sieve-like O-Line, and I realize it was one game, but that is one of the worst 'highlight' videos that I've ever seen.

I saw more slow than quickness. Why bother show him returning kicks to the 20? I figured he was going to break one. And his one run playing he got a yard and a half. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt but that video made him look like a poverty-stricken man's Edelman or a one-legged Wes Welker.

I can definitely see him taking a year on the practice squad assuming the Jags don't scoop him up.

DarrylS · Apr 29, 2013

Interesting commentary by Chris Price at the end of the article... I did not think it was this many....

For you guys asking "Who?" when it comes to the UDFA's, Pats had 29 undrafted guys on the roster before draft opened. HUGE part of team.

jmt57 · Apr 29, 2013

Interesting opinions from Mike Loyko:

2013 Patriots Undrafted Free Agent Signings | NEPatriotsDraft.com - 2013 NFL Draft

Joe Vellano, DT, Maryland (6’1″ – 306 – 5.35)
I speculated prior the draft that the New England Patriots would have interest in Joe Vellano and it turns out they did. Vellano is a max-effort player that leaves it all out on the field. He was an All-American selection as a Junior when he tallied 94 tackles from his DT position. I’d compare Vellano to a cross between Mike Wright and Dan Klecko. Yes he is undersized, yes he is a limited athelte, but he gets off the ball quickly, has an extremely strong upperbody and can win in a 1 gap scheme. Vellano will never give up on a play, even when he is blocked he will fit like crazy to shed and give chase down the fied. Outside of TJ Moe, Vellano has the next best shot to make this roster out of training camp. He’s full of character, heart and determination. This is the type of player that usually makes it after going undrafted. As you can tell I was a fan of his game and I am pleased he ended up in New England.

captain stone · May 1, 2013

Glad to see the Ryan Allen signing, but was extremely, extremely disappointed that not even one
Placekicker was signed.

Also a bit bummed that a higher quality of C/G - Braxton Cave, PJ the Sting Lonergan, Matt Summers Galvin,
Alvin Bailey, Chris Barker, Sam Brenner, Blaize Foltz, Joe Madsen & UMass' Stephane Milhim - was not signed.

FredFromDartmouth · May 1, 2013

The Scrizz said:
I was prepared to like Moe because I love the small, shifty 'smurfs'. Maybe it was just the crappy QB or sieve-like O-Line, and I realize it was one game, but that is one of the worst 'highlight' videos that I've ever seen.

I saw more slow than quickness.

Indeed. He had the slowest 40 among the WRs at the combine but he is shifty....

jmt57 · May 2, 2013

Getting to know New England Patriots WR T.J. Moe | masslive.com

-- When looking at Moe's stats, the only thing you see is the 1,045 receiving yards and 92 catches he had a sophomore and the 94 combined catches and 1,048 yards he had over the next two seasons.

Without context, that one season of production looks like a huge outlier.

But he explained that, in the right offense, those are the kind of numbers he can put up. During his sophomore year, he was catching passes from current Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blaine Gabbert. The offense changed during his junior and senior seasons and things became more geared toward utilizing the running skills of quarterback James Franklin.

And, if you watch the tape, Moe believes that you will see a better receiver in those later seasons.

"I became a lot better blocker. I'm a lot better receiver today than I was in 2010 as a sophomore," Moe said. "I had a lot of catches, but it was really sloppy routes and I just made plays. I just didn't get the opportunities I had back then. It's a little give and take."

On his 40 time:

-- One reason many people that Moe wasn't drafted was because his 4.74 40-yard dash at the combine was the slowest among wide receivers. At Missouri's Pro Day, where he ran a 4.5, Moe cracked that he "could have run backwards today and done better."

But what Moe lacked in straight-line speed, he made up for in other areas. His 26 bench press reps, 6.53 in the three-cone drill, 3.96 in the 20-yard shuttle and 10.87 in the 60-yard shuttle were tops among receivers.

As Chris Price of WEEI often points out, the Patriots have a history of drafting players at skill positions who can quickly change directions, which is demonstrated in the three-cone drill. The importance of that ability becomes even more important for a player working the short area of the field.

That isn't lost on Moe.

"You're not going to draft me to put me outside and run a fade route," Moe told reporters at the combine. "You're going to draft me because I can get open underneath and make things happen."

There is also a look at some of Moe's sense of humor in the article.

jmt57 · May 2, 2013

Gil Brandt ranks the top ten UDFA classes, placing the Pats 10th. He puts Jacksonville 1st, the Bills 2nd, and the Dolphins 5th. The only other teams with winning records last year in his top ten were Houston and Minnesota.

Matt Scott, Da'Rick Rogers head undrafted free-agent signings - NFL.com

Key signees: Cory Grissom, DT, South Florida; Zach Sudfeld, TE, Nevada; Matt Stankiewitch, C, Penn State.

Grissom was a top-notch high school wrestler, and wrestlers often make for good defensive linemen. The three-year starting nose tackle can be a good player against the run. Sudfeld moves well for a big guy. He's the type of player New England routinely molds into a contributor. The same goes for Stankiewitch, a smart overachiever who looks like a good developmental project.

jmt57 · May 3, 2013

Pats officially announce the signings of the 19 undrafted free agents today. I would have to go back and look, but that seems like a lot more UDFAs than in previous years under Belichick.

Patriots sign 19 rookie free agents - New England Patriots Blog - ESPN Boston

One player that signed had not previously been mentioned: Ian Sluss, a LB from Portland State.

Portland State Vikings - Ian Sluss - 2012 Football

Ian Sluss*|*Portland State,*OLB*:*2013 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile

Pro Day numbers:
5' 11", 233 lbs
4.60 40
2.62 20
1.52 10
25 bench reps
35 1/2 vertical
9' 02" broad jump
4.39 20 yard shuttle
6.94 3-cone drill

Here is a story on his unorthodox college football journey:

Portland State Vikings - Once Unrecruited, Ian Sluss Now Plays A Dominant Role

sebman2112 · May 3, 2013

The Scrizz said:
I was prepared to like Moe because I love the small, shifty 'smurfs'. Maybe it was just the crappy QB or sieve-like O-Line, and I realize it was one game, but that is one of the worst 'highlight' videos that I've ever seen.

I saw more slow than quickness. Why bother show him returning kicks to the 20? I figured he was going to break one. And his one run playing he got a yard and a half. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt but that video made him look like a poverty-stricken man's Edelman or a one-legged Wes Welker.

I can definitely see him taking a year on the practice squad assuming the Jags don't scoop him up.

That wasn't a highlight video...the video shows you where he lined up, and what he did on every play he was on the field.

Here is more of a highlight video:
2013 Draft Prospects - T.J. Moe, WR

Note: this highlight video seems to be mostly from this past season, doesn't feature much of his performance from 2010, when he had Blaine Gabbert at QB, and racked up over 1,000 yards receiving. I also know they left out his long TD that won the game against San Diego State...maybe they didn't have that tape.

jmt57 · May 4, 2013

At least seven of the UDFA received signing bonuses, and at least two received some guaranteed salary. Not surprisingly WR TJ Moe led the group with the most in both of those categories; I am slightly surprised to read that Jeff Fisher's kid was second in line in terms of bonus and guaranteed funds, and that the long snapper is one of those that received a signing bonus.

The Pats spent $45,000 on signing bonuses on the undrafted free agents, with Moe receiving half of that amount.

TJ Moe, Elvis Fisher got Pats' most lucrative undrafted free agent contracts | The Blitz with Jeff Howe & Karen Guregian | Boston Herald

The Patriots signed 19 undrafted free agents yesterday, and the numbers have been filed. Per the CBA, undrafted rookies get three year deals worth a minimum of $1.44 million, including $405,000 in 2013, $408,000 in 2014 and $555,000 in 2015.

The bonuses tell the story, and seven of the 19 got something, which speaks to a relative level of competition to sign them. Based on the figures, TJ Moe and Elvis Fisher are two undrafted players to watch throughout camp.

Wide receiver TJ Moe: $8,000 signing bonus, $22,500 fully guaranteed in 2013 base salary

Offensive lineman Elvis Fisher: $7,500 signing bonus, $7,500 fully guaranteed 2013 base salary

Safety Kanorris Davis: $5,000 signing bonus

Cornerback Brandon Jones: $3,500 signing bonus

Wide receiver Kenbrell Thompkins: $2,500 signing bonus

Defensive lineman Dewayne Cherrington: $2,000 signing bonus

Long snapper Mike Zupancic: $2,000 signing bonus

If my math is correct the difference between the minimum and the maximum the Pats can spend on the seven draft picks is just $129,995, so signing them should not be an issue.

Updating Patriots' salary cap and rookie pool figures | The Blitz with Jeff Howe & Karen Guregian | Boston Herald

Salary cap: The Patriots have $8,680,435 of salary cap space when counting the top 51 contracts. They're comfortable, but they've still got to factor in the rookie pool, roster bonuses, players who go to injured reserve and things of the like that they'll encounter this season.

Rookie pool: The Patriots have a maximum of $3,750,922 against the salary cap to sign their seven draft picks. That money only figures into the first year of their deal. Their minimum to sign the seven picks is $3,620,927.

mgteich · May 4, 2013

I am surprised that the punter didn't require a signing bonus.

I guess Moe and Fisher are likely to be Practice Squad players with a more than minimum salary.

jmt57 said:
At least seven of the UDFA received signing bonuses, and at least two received some guaranteed salary. Not surprisingly WR TJ Moe led the group with the most in both of those categories; I am slightly surprised to read that Jeff Fisher's kid was second in line in terms of bonus and guaranteed funds, and that the long snapper is one of those that received a signing bonus.

The Pats spent $45,000 on signing bonuses on the undrafted free agents, with Moe receiving half of that amount.

TJ Moe, Elvis Fisher got Pats' most lucrative undrafted free agent contracts | The Blitz with Jeff Howe & Karen Guregian | Boston Herald

The Patriots signed 19 undrafted free agents yesterday, and the numbers have been filed. Per the CBA, undrafted rookies get three year deals worth a minimum of $1.44 million, including $405,000 in 2013, $408,000 in 2014 and $555,000 in 2015.

The bonuses tell the story, and seven of the 19 got something, which speaks to a relative level of competition to sign them. Based on the figures, TJ Moe and Elvis Fisher are two undrafted players to watch throughout camp.

Wide receiver TJ Moe: $8,000 signing bonus, $22,500 fully guaranteed in 2013 base salary

Offensive lineman Elvis Fisher: $7,500 signing bonus, $7,500 fully guaranteed 2013 base salary

Safety Kanorris Davis: $5,000 signing bonus

Cornerback Brandon Jones: $3,500 signing bonus

Wide receiver Kenbrell Thompkins: $2,500 signing bonus

Defensive lineman Dewayne Cherrington: $2,000 signing bonus

Long snapper Mike Zupancic: $2,000 signing bonus

If my math is correct the difference between the minimum and the maximum the Pats can spend on the seven draft picks is just $129,995, so signing them should not be an issue.

Updating Patriots' salary cap and rookie pool figures | The Blitz with Jeff Howe & Karen Guregian | Boston Herald

Salary cap: The Patriots have $8,680,435 of salary cap space when counting the top 51 contracts. They're comfortable, but they've still got to factor in the rookie pool, roster bonuses, players who go to injured reserve and things of the like that they'll encounter this season.

Rookie pool: The Patriots have a maximum of $3,750,922 against the salary cap to sign their seven draft picks. That money only figures into the first year of their deal. Their minimum to sign the seven picks is $3,620,927.

jmt57 · May 4, 2013

For those wishing that the Pats would have some competition at kicker, here's a morsel of hope from Saturday's rookie mini-camp:

There were 5 tryout players, including a kicker (5), QB Osiecki (7), OL Halloran (71), and two LBs/DBs (41, 42)

One more player to add to the list of those getting a tryout is the pride of Hanover MA, Thayer Academy, and UNH, LB Matt Evans.

UNH's Evans in for a tryout with Patriots - New England Patriots Blog - espnBoston

University of New Hampshire linebacker Matt Evans, who grew up in Hanover, Mass., is a die-hard Patriots fan. That's why what has unfolded the last few days has been, in many ways, a dream come true for him.

Evans is among a handful of players at Patriots rookie minicamp on a tryout basis. He was spotted on the practice field Friday.

"To be out there on the field with the Patriots logo obviously means a lot to him," said Evans' agent, Abu Toppin, of Reliance Sports Management. "It's been a lifelong dream of Matt's to have this opportunity."

Evans, who attended high school at Thayer Academy, naturally would have jumped on any NFL opportunity but the fact it's the Patriots makes it particularly special. At the University of New Hampshire, he finished his career with more than 450 tackles and in 2011 was the Buck Buchanan Award winner as the national Football Championship Subdivision defensive player of the year.

At 6-foot-0 and 227 pounds, Evans is considered undersized for a linebacker. At UNH's Pro Day, his best time in the 40-yard dash was 4.62, and his movement skills -- particularly in coverage -- could give him his best chance to potentially earn a contract.

Another player getting a tryout is Bentley OT Nick Halloran:

Bentley tackle Nick Halloran invited to rookie camp - Extra Points - Boston.com

A two-time Northeast-10 Conference first team pick for the the Falcons, Halloran started his first two seasons at right tackle, protecting the blind side for lefthanded quarterback Bryant Johnson, and then shifted over to the left side last fall with Danny Guadagnoli directing the Falcons' spread attack.

"We wanted him protecting the blindside, because in my opinion, he was the best offensive lineman in the league," said Bentley coach Thom Boerman.

"When he transferred from BC, it was a lucky day for us. And when he first came here, we told him that a pro career was still within his reach. He came to us with a pretty good skill set. His size alone stands out, and physically, he is a pretty strong kid. He was just dominant in our league."

Halloran undoubtedly made a favorable impressive at the Harvard Pro Day, March 14, where he worked out under the watchful eye of Patriots offensive line/assistant head coach Dante Scarnecchia. Only two other linemen were in attendance, guards John Collins (Roxbury Latin/Harvard) and Ryan Moores (Governor's Academy/Middlebury), who has been invited to the Falcons' rookie camp.

With Halloran the anchor up front, Bentley averaged 388 yards and 26.3 points per game in an 8-2 season in 2012, while controlling the ball for 33 minutes.

"When we needed an inch, or a yard, we went over Nick," said Bentley line coach Rob Velasquez, who believes Halloran's future is at guard, where he got his indoctrination to the college game at Boston College.

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