The Patriots have planned Gillette Stadium visits for South Carolina WR Sidney Rice and Washington QB/ATH Isaiah Stanback.
Rice is a potential first-round pick with outstanding tools who left Columbia after his redshirt sophomore season. At the combine, the Game**** checked in a shade under 6-foot-4 and at 200 pounds even, while clocking a 4.57 in the 40-yard dash. He improved on that time with a 4.51 at his Pro Day. In Steve Spurrier’s offense, he became the first South Carolina receiver to record back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and, while he certainly needs polish, he may be the kind of athlete the Patriots feel they can mold. Remember that the Patriots had success with Spurrier receivers Reche Caldwell and Jabar Gaffney where others didn’t.
Stanback, meanwhile, was a two-sport athlete for the Huskies, playing football and running track. He threw for 1,325 yards, 10 touchdowns and three picks, and rushed for 350 yards, before suffering a lisfranc (foot) injury in the season’s eighth game. Fast enough to be a sprinter at UW — though his injury kept him for running at the combine — Stanback is open to the idea of playing receiver. He could serve in that role, and develop behind Matt Cassel in reserve of Tom Brady.
“I’m very open but I definitely want the opportunity to play quarterback,” Stanback said at the Combine. “That is one thing I really want to push for but I’m not going to be closed-minded and against it. I’m a team guy.”
QUICK HITS: According to those around the program, the Patriots have had close contact with Ohio State RB Antonio Pittman and WR Anthony Gonzalez. The team is said to be taking a very keen interest in Gonzalez, a strong character player with a polished game. Also, the team sent offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels to Texas recently to privately work out Houston QB Kevin Kolb. The interest in Kolb and Stanback may signal the team looking for a younger option as a third quarterback, with Cassel entrenched at No. 2.
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