2021 UDFA Signings Thread

[Jimke]

I just wonder why, except for Harry, the Patriots seem to have an aversion every year to drafting
highly ranked wide receivers. It carrys over to the UDFAs where they pass on the higher ranked
wide receivers.

Edelman's quickness was otherworldly, it doesn't change that Nixon's cone and shuttle were both really good. 4.4 speed is fast, he was also pretty strong for a WR. There's no guarantees with draft picks. He originally attended Ole Miss in the SEC before transferring after a coaching change, he isn't a stranger to higher levels of competition. Every rookie starts at zero, he has a good skillset to work with.

One of the draft experts, Max Zeirlein

I don't know about Nixon. I watched some highlights, but I could not get a feel for how good he was; it looked like he was playing against some high school teams. Sure he could get open, but against who?

Maybe he is good, but his 3-cone (6.81) is not going to make anyone forget Julian Edleman (6.62 in the three-cone). Heck, Chad Jackson ran a 6.73. His 40 time (4.44) is not very special by today's standards; decent but not exceptional. Of course, these measurables are not the last word; let's see how he does against NFL corners in the pre-season.

I believe that the 2021 draft was one of the best the Patriots has had recently, but I am reserving judgement on Nixon. It would certainly be wicked cool if the Ernie Adams pick was big hit.

One of the draft gurus, Lance Zierlein, picked Nixon as a 7th round surprise. Ernie Adams was
also a fan of Nixon. Supposed to be able to get open.

 

[Ross12]

One of the draft experts, Max Zeirlein

One of the draft gurus, Lance Zierlein, picked Nixon as a 7th round surprise. Ernie Adams was
also a fan of Nixon. Supposed to be able to get open.

Even if he’s a 1 trick pony, if that 1 trick is an ability to get open deep, he can make the team.

 

[upstater1]

Tom Brady wasn’t a world beater back in 2001-2004, he became Tom Brady.

Troy Brown and Edelman weren’t Julio Jones... have some perspective please. Gunner is almost the exact same “athlete” that Amendola was, they could be twins.

Nixon is a better athlete than Welker ever was, doesn’t mean he’s a better WR, but if he doesn’t make it the reason won’t be a lack of athleticism. The receivers on this team are at a distinct disadvantage with Cam at QB. If Mac Jones is for real and starts relatively soon fans will awake to the fact QB’s make receivers, not the other way around. AJ Brown didn’t do jack with Mariota, insert Tannehill and like magic Brown has “talent.”

Please no, not another Brady thread. And I have no idea what 2001-2004 has to do with this. We're talking about 20 years. OK, I'll take the bait, Brady's stats in 2003 and 2004 were sensational, especially in the playoffs. In the Super Bowl in 03, he gave the second greatest performance in SB history (350+ yards) at the time, and his WRs were David patten, Troy Brown and David Givens.

I have no idea what you're even arguing here. Someone said Edelman was Julio Jones? Haven't read anything like that.

I commented that WR is a weakness on this team. It is. We need more good WRs. We don't have them.

 

[Wozzy]

Please no, not another Brady thread. And I have no idea what 2001-2004 has to do with this. We're talking about 20 years. OK, I'll take the bait, Brady's stats in 2003 and 2004 were sensational, especially in the playoffs. In the Super Bowl in 03, he gave the second greatest performance in SB history (350+ yards) at the time, and his WRs were David patten, Troy Brown and David Givens.

I have no idea what you're even arguing here. Someone said Edelman was Julio Jones? Haven't read anything like that.

I commented that WR is a weakness on this team. It is. We need more good WRs. We don't have them.

Did you just say Tom put up the second greatest Super Bowl performance ever with Patten, Brown and Givens?

So we need better QB play in 2021 and the WR’s will perform better.

I’ve got nothing more to add.

 

[upstater1]

Did you just say Tom put up the second greatest Super Bowl performance ever with Patten, Brown and Givens?

So we need better QB play in 2021 and the WR’s will perform better.

I’ve got nothing more to add.

I can't believe how Patriot fans like you consistently trash Tom Brady. It's crazy.

 

[Wozzy]

I can't believe how Patriot fans like you consistently trash Tom Brady. It's crazy.

I’ve never trashed Tom Brady in my life... what I’ve been consistent on in near two decades of discussing football online is that QB’s are entirely overrated by casual fans who miss the big picture.

The Texans weren’t 4-12 last season because Deshaun Watson was worse than the year prior, or didn’t try hard enough, or didn’t possess some unquantifiable “winning gene” that irrational fans ascribe to their heroes.

TEAMS win championships, for every postseason game Tom lifted his teammates up I can produce another game where his teammates carried him.

Good QB play is necessary, not every championship QB has to be Tom Brady, otherwise Eli Manning wouldn’t have won twice, Flacco/Foles wouldn’t have won once and Joe Gibbs wouldn’t have won three different championships with three different journeyman QB’s.

There are no unicorns... that’s fanboy nonsense. Tom was consistently great and always on the best teams when they brought home a ring.

 

[captain stone]

Should've been the Shortest Thread Ever...

 

[upstater1]

I’ve never trashed Tom Brady in my life... what I’ve been consistent on in near two decades of discussing football online is that QB’s are entirely overrated by casual fans who miss the big picture.

The Texans weren’t 4-12 last season because Deshaun Watson was worse than the year prior, or didn’t try hard enough, or didn’t possess some unquantifiable “winning gene” that irrational fans ascribe to their heroes.

TEAMS win championships, for every postseason game Tom lifted his teammates up I can produce another game where his teammates carried him.

Good QB play is necessary, not every championship QB has to be Tom Brady, otherwise Eli Manning wouldn’t have won twice, Flacco/Foles wouldn’t have won once and Joe Gibbs wouldn’t have won three different championships with three different journeyman QB’s.

There are no unicorns... that’s fanboy nonsense. Tom was consistently great and always on the best teams when they brought home a ring.

Tom was the main reason we won.

Belichick had a large hand in it too.

A top Pro Bowl type QB doesn't elevate all the players that Brady elevated. And we know this because many of those players with career years w/ Brady went on to do very little elsewhere, like Givens with Steve McNair, or Reche Caldwell, or Chris Hogan, or Brandon Lloyd, or Donte Stallworth, etc.

"Better QB play" isn't going to make a difference at all with JAGs like that.

Brady's play is consistently underrated by many, which is evident in your post.

 

[Mark Morse]

We finally signed a UDFA! Michigan K Quinn Norbin. This news was released by Kornblue Kicking, the Kicking coach Norbin has been using. The article I read stated that Norbin was "somewhat erratic at times in his Michigan career". He was 42 for 58 on FGs and 119 of 124 for extra points. His long FG was 57 yards vs Alabama.

Perhaps players are being told to shut their mouths (social media) until the Patriots release the list of signings and tryout players.

I am in agreement with previous posters about QB KJ Costello. I believe they have signed him but are waiting until just before the Rookie Camp to announce the signings. I think next weekend will be the rookie camp.

 

[Wozzy]

Tom was the main reason we won.

Belichick had a large hand in it too.

A top Pro Bowl type QB doesn't elevate all the players that Brady elevated. And we know this because many of those players with career years w/ Brady went on to do very little elsewhere, like Givens with Steve McNair, or Reche Caldwell, or Chris Hogan, or Brandon Lloyd, or Donte Stallworth, etc.

"Better QB play" isn't going to make a difference at all with JAGs like that.

Brady's play is consistently underrated by many, which is evident in your post.

TEAM was the main reason they won, the person most responsible for assembling the team and football operations I guess comes next.

Gunner led the NFL in punt return yards, yards per return, return TD's while making the All-Pro Team...

And I don't think much of PFF player evaluations, but they called Jakobi Meyers a top 25 WR in the NFL.

Calling a couple of kids "jags," especially after producing when called upon is shortsighted at best.

 

[upstater1]

TEAM was the main reason they won, the person most responsible for assembling the team and football operations I guess comes next.

Gunner led the NFL in punt return yards, yards per return, return TD's while making the All-Pro Team...

And I don't think much of PFF player evaluations, but they called Jakobi Meyers a top 25 WR in the NFL.

Calling a couple of kids "jags," especially after producing when called upon is shortsighted at best.

I guess I'm wrong and you're right even though 99.999999999% of anaylysts have made the point about the lack of quality with Patriots WRs.

I mean, you're talking about Jakobi and Gunner to me to prove I'm wrong! Think about that.

I like Jakobi as a 3rd or 4th. But I did notice that in a year in which the Patriots were woeful at WR in 2019, Belichick did not play Jakobi vry much at all. These are not the stellar WRs we're going to need in the future without Brady.

 

[Wozzy]

Tom was the main reason we won.

Belichick had a large hand in it too.

A top Pro Bowl type QB doesn't elevate all the players that Brady elevated. And we know this because many of those players with career years w/ Brady went on to do very little elsewhere, like Givens with Steve McNair, or Reche Caldwell, or Chris Hogan, or Brandon Lloyd, or Donte Stallworth, etc.

"Better QB play" isn't going to make a difference at all with JAGs like that.

Brady's play is consistently underrated by many, which is evident in your post.

BB drafted Brady, he didn’t appear out of the aether.

Brady is constantly given super powers by fanboys. By this point in Patrick Mahomes contract Tom already had three Super Bowl wins. The team of value vet free agents Bill put around Tom in 2001 was nothing short of amazing in his ability to pluck unwanted players off the scrap heap and plug them into positions.

Yeah BB contributed... by placing some of the best O-Lines, Defenses and Special Teams units around him for two decades... beyond that it was Tom’s magic powers... which for some reason didn’t help in 2002 or between 2005-2013 when he was one of the highest paid QB’s in the league.

The Texans dropped to 4-12 last season because Deshaun Watson’s magic talent levels dropped like a video game... sounds legit.

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

I just wonder why, except for Harry, the Patriots seem to have an aversion every year to drafting
highly ranked wide receivers.

I recall this discussion between Jimmy Johnson and Bill Belichick (paraphrasing from memory):

JJ: "Don't ever draft a dumb guy"
BB: "You taught me that. You just can't do it"

I would bet that more people get taken off the Patriots draft board, especially on offense, for looking like a lost puppy at the whiteboard, rather than having a workout number or measurement being a little off

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

(deleted. wrong thread)

 

[long distance]

If anyone is still coming here for UDFA topic . let me add this great anecdote about an UDFA from 1982 - Baldy himself

Its a great football talk altogether if you have time - but a least take a few min to hear this UDFA story from 32:00 min mark.

Cowboys drafted 15 players that year and then signed 110 ! UDFAs in the next days.
Since they were running low on personnel they sent equipment guy to sign Baldy.
Of 125 rookies they signed only 6 made the roster - 5 draftees and Baldy.

 

[upstater1]

BB drafted Brady, he didn’t appear out of the aether.

Brady is constantly given super powers by fanboys. By this point in Patrick Mahomes contract Tom already had three Super Bowl wins. The team of value vet free agents Bill put around Tom in 2001 was nothing short of amazing in his ability to pluck unwanted players off the scrap heap and plug them into positions.

Yeah BB contributed... by placing some of the best O-Lines, Defenses and Special Teams units around him for two decades... beyond that it was Tom’s magic powers... which for some reason didn’t help in 2002 or between 2005-2013 when he was one of the highest paid QB’s in the league.

The Texans dropped to 4-12 last season because Deshaun Watson’s magic talent levels dropped like a video game... sounds legit.

Not turning this into another Brady thread other than to say you underrate the guy incredibly, on the border of delusion.

 

[Patsgofor4]

I guess I'm wrong and you're right even though 99.999999999% of anaylysts have made the point about the lack of quality with Patriots WRs.

I mean, you're talking about Jakobi and Gunner to me to prove I'm wrong! Think about that.

I like Jakobi as a 3rd or 4th. But I did notice that in a year in which the Patriots were woeful at WR in 2019, Belichick did not play Jakobi vry much at all. These are not the stellar WRs we're going to need in the future without Brady.

Anyone who watched Meyers as a 2nd year player last year and thought “WR4” is not equipped to judge NFL WRs.

 

[upstater1]

Anyone who watched Meyers as a 2nd year player last year and thought “WR4” is not equipped to judge NFL WRs.

I said 3 or 4.

But I wonder what you guys are watching. Are you serious? It's hard to take you seriously. Jakobi is going to be a key guy for us.

The teams we play though have bonafide 1s and 2s. Patriots fans are so starved for serious outside threats that we think Jakobi (a guy who is a very good 3rd/possession receiver) is in that range. He's not.

This is crazy.

If Tom Brady were the QB, I wouldn't be saying anything about our WRs since he works well with these types. Brady is gone. We need studs at WR now.

 

[Wozzy]

Not turning this into another Brady thread other than to say you underrate the guy incredibly, on the border of delusion.

Yep, been calling him the best of all-time since 2007... delusional.

Meanwhile your estimation about what a QB can do with a poor O-Line or Defense is realistic.

 

[upstater1]

Yep, been calling him the best of all-time since 2007... delusional.

Meanwhile your estimation about what a QB can do with a poor O-Line or Defense is realistic.

Yes, a great O-line. Full of UDFAs and people who never played football in college like Stephen Neal. Not to mention Compton, Andruzzi, Connolly, Donald Thomas, Ted Karras, Nate Solder, Trent Brown and a bunch of other guys who made good money by signing contracts elsewhere and then falling on their faces. Oh, we've had a few studs over the years w/ premium draft picks, like Mankins, Vollmer and Thuney, but by and large, when your QB gets the ball out in 1.5 seconds, your O-line will look stellar.

Not to mention that Tampa OL that was a sieve last year and gave up a ton of sacks. Suddenly they're a great OL, I wonder why.