With plenty of question marks along the edge this offseason, the Patriots signed Xavier Holmes after he participated in rookie minicamp as a tryout player. Positional coach Mike Smith was originally surprised by the rookie.
"He's one that shocked me," Smith said. "You know, those guys that just get that tryout, it's not a priority free agent. I mean, that's a tough deal to do and to make it. But what I saw from him, a bigger guy that can move. He's got some athletic ability, more than people think. Running his tail off to the ball. He's in there asking questions, asking good questions.
"I get a feeling in my stomach sometimes. Not always right. Nobody's [always] right. But there's something about him that I like, and there's something about him that he seems tough."
Holmes, who Smith acknowledged has plenty of work to do when the pads come on, began his collegiate career in Maine where he earned Second Team All-CAA honors. He eventually transferred to James Madison and posted six sacks.
"X was a productive college player," Vrabel said. "There's a lot of reasons guys fall through the draft or maybe don't sign as a free agent. He came here. You're just looking for little things. Are they coachable? They make a mistake, and can they correct it? You look at effort, you look at skill set. Sometimes when they're doing the drills, X was able to do that. Most of the guys, you have to do something to kind of stand out, and he did that."
