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From Chris Price on WEEI.com:
Q: Now that it appears that Julian Edelman will get a lot of playing time, can you talk about what you saw in him coming in and how you thought he might be able to make the transition to wide receiver? And what you did you see that may made you believe that?
NC: The thing about Julian [Edelman], when you saw him play at Kent State, he was really good with the ball in his hands. I guess you would call him the dual threat. He ran the ball, they threw the ball with him as well, but he ran the ball. He was good with the ball in his hands and he was good in space. He was a good runner, he had good quickness, and he was a strong runner. Really, you see that particular skill set during the spring as you go through your scouting process and drafting process. You just try to find out positionally where that type of player fits best and in some cases, it’s not always going to be in receiver or running back; you’re going to have to do your homework. We spent some time with him, we worked him out specifically as a receiver and we actually did some things with him in the return game to see if he could field some punts. There’s a little bit of a projection element to it but in terms of his athleticism, in terms of his running ability, in terms of his quickness, in terms of his strength with the ball. He actually caught the ball well when we did work him out, so you’re basing that information saying, ‘OK, this is where we feel that he fits best for us.’ There was a little bit of a leap of faith but we did our homework and we felt comfortable. So that is why we made the decision that we did to draft him, and play him at receiver.