Today in Patriots History
May 2 Drafts & Transactions
May 2, 1978:
Day One (rounds 1-6) of the NFL Draft, from the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City
- 1.18 --- G Bob Cryder, Alabama
- 2.50 --- QB Matt Cavanaugh, Pittsburgh
- 3.77 --- WR Carlos Pennywell, Grambling
- 4.102 -- OT
Dwight Wheeler, Tennessee State
- 5.129 -- LB Bill Matthews, South Dakota State
- 6.156 -- LB Ken Coleman, Mississippi
Chuck Fairbanks had plenty of great drafts, so we can forgive him for this whiff. Cryder spent six seasons with the Pats, but only two were as a starter. Cavanaugh was a five year backup, going 5-10 in spot starts. Pennywell had twelve receptions in four years. Wheeler performed the best of the group, starting at left tackle from 1979-81. Matthews was a three-year backup, and Coleman never played in the NFL.
At least the decision making wasn't as bad as Tampa's. Owner Hugh Culverhouse reportedly wanted to trade out of the number one overall pick in order to save himself some money, so the Bucs traded doen from #1 to #17 - but only picked up a 2nd, 3rd and 5th in return. The Houston Oilers used that draft pick on Hall of Fame running back Earl Campbell, who would run for 118 yards and a touchdown in a playoff victory against the Pats later that year at Schaefer Stadium.
May 2, 1984:
Day Two (rounds 4-12) of the NFL Draft, from the Omni Park Central Hotel in New York City
(Pats had traded away their 4th to New Orleans the previous year, for a 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th in the '83 draft)
- 5.124 -- G
Paul Fairchild, Kansas
- 6.151 -- DB
Ernest Gibson, Furman
- 7.184 -- K Bruce Kallmeyer, Kansas
- (Pats had received 7.192, an '85 8th and '86 7th from San Francisco for QB Matt Cavanaugh on 8/10/83)
- 7.192 -- WR Derwin Williams, New Mexico
- 8.211 -- OT James Keyton, Arizona State
- 9.238 -- OT Scott Bolzan, Northern Illinois
- (Pats had received 9th round pick from Washington for Tony McGee on 9/2/82)
- 9.251 -- LB David Windham, Jackson State
- (10.265 used in trade up for Irving Fryar)
- 11.292 -- G Charlie Flager, Washington State
- 12.319 -- TE Harper Howell, UCLA
Fairchild spent seven seasons with the Patriots, two as a starter, and Gibson was adequate as a nickel back and occasional spot starter due to injuries. The previous year's trading away of the fourth for extremely late round draft picks was very questionable. New Orleans used that pick on Pro Bowl center Joel Hilgenberg, who had a ten-year career with the Saints.
May 2, 1995: Pats sign two players.
- ERFA
Vernon Lewis was a DB from Pitt. He played in 44 games for the Pats from 1993-96; a knee injury landed him on IR midway through the '96 season, ending his NFL career.
- UDFA Texas A&I (now Texas A&M-Kingsville) DE/OLB Sean Holcomb spent most of the '95 season on the practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster in December, but never saw any playing time. Holcomb later became a
personal trainer and nutrition coach, specializing in weight loss for women. At age 33 he
returned to playing football in something called the Intense Football league, a semi-pro version of Arena Football.
May 2, 2002: Patriots waive TE
Jermaine Wiggins.
The East Boston native was a local hero in the 2001 playoffs just a few months prior. Wiggins caught ten passes in the Snow Game - eight of which came in the fourth quarter and overtime. His four catches set up Tom Brady's six-yard TD to close the gap to three points. Then in OT it was all Wiggins and JR Redmond, with one of Wiggins' three catches eeking out a crucial first down on a 3rd-and-five from the 40.
In Super Bowl 36 Wiggins had an 8-yard catch to extend the drive just before halftime that led to the TD pass to David Patten. Then in the waning moments of the game his six-yard catch set up Adam Vinatieri's game-winning field goal.
May 2, 2003: New England signs fifteen undrafted rookies.
The only one to ever play for the Pats from this group was
Shawn Mayer, a defensive back from Penn State. Mayer bounced between the practice squad and active roster in 2003-04, then spent two seasons in NFL Europe. Shawn played in fifteen games for the Patriots, including all three of the 2003 postseason games - with the Pats going a perfect 15-0 in games that he played in.
May 2, 2012:
Jason Licht, Director of Pro Personnel for the last three seasons, resigns to accept the same position with the Arizona Cardinals. Light has been General Manager of the Buccaneers since 2014.
May 2, 2012: Patriots sign three players.
- UDFA
Brandon Bolden, a RB from Ole’ Miss.
- UDFA Justin Francis, a defensive end from Rutgers.
- Veteran free agent WR
Jabar Gaffney, who had just been cut by Washington. The son of Jet WR Derrick Gaffney ('78-'87) and cousin of Eagle Lito Sheppard (NFL CB '02-'11) had 85 receptions for the Pats in 2006-08, with 8 touchdowns.
Jabar Gaffney then played with Denver for two seasons and Washington for one before re-signing with the Patriots in May of 2012. He was released at the end of training camp before finishing his pro football career with the games for Miami that season. In 158 NFL games Gaffney had 447 receptions for 5,690 yards, and 24 touchdowns.
In 2006 Gaffney was arrested for unlawful possession of a handgun, and in 2010 was charged for resisting arrest. Then in 2016 he was arrested for marijuana and drug possession, and again in 2017 for domestic battery. His latest visit to the courtroom is for a 2018 charge of felony criminal mischief, for $14,000 worth of damage from vandalizing Shephard's vehicle.
Lito Sheppard's Car Vandalized by Jabar Gaffney, Girlfriend in Jacksonville
Arrest warrant issued for former Gators star Jabar Gaffney
Jury selection set for Jabar Gaffney felony vandalism case
May 2, 2013: LeGarrette Blount signs a restructured contract.
The Pats had just acquired Blount from Tampa a week earlier; he would go on to rush for 772 yards and seven touchdowns in 2013.
May 2, 2015:
Day Three (rounds 4-7) of the NFL Draft, from the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago
(Pats had received a 4th round pick along with Tim Wright in the Logan Mankins trade to Tampa on 8/26/14)
- 4.101 -- DE
Trey Flowers, Arkansas
- (Pats had traded down the previous day, sending 3.96 and 7.219 to Cleveland for 4.111, 5.147 and 6.202)
- 4.111 -- G
Tre' Jackson, Florida State
- 4.131 -- C
Shaq Mason, Georgia Tech
- Pats trade down, sending 5.147 to Green Bay for 5.166 and 7.247
- 5.166 -- LS
Joe Cardona, Navy
- (Pats had traded their 5th (5.168) to Tampa for their 6th (6.178) and Jonathan Casillas on 10/28/14)
- 6.178 -- LB Matthew Wells, Mississippi State
- 6.202 -- TE A.J. Derby, Arkansas
- (Pats had traded 6.208 to Tennessee for Akeem Ayers and 7.219 on 10/22/14)
- 7.247 -- CB Darryl Roberts, Marshall
- (Pats had traded 7.249 to the Rams for WR Greg Salas on 9/1/12)
- (Pats received a 7th round compensatory draft pick for the free agent loss of LeGarrette Blount/Brandon Spikes)
- 7.253 -- LB Xzavier ****son, Alabama
May 2, 2016: Patriots waive LB James Vaughters and CB Rashaan Melvin; decline option on G Jonathan Cooper.
Vaughters had been signed to a future contract and was let go before OTAs even began; he later played for the Packers and Falcons.
Melvin played in 74 NFL games from 2014-2021, eight of which came in 2015 for the Patriots.
Cooper came to New England in the Chandler Jones trade; he would be waived in October without ever having played a single down for the Pats.
May 2, 2018: Pats decline 2019 contract options on DT Danny Shelton, DT Malcom Brown and WR Phillip Dorsett.
All three were former first round picks: by the Browns (Shelton), Pats (Brown) and Colts (Dorsett).
May 2, 2019: Patriots sign ten undrafted rookie free agents and two veteran free agents.
- TE Andrew Beck, Texas
- OT
Calvin Anderson, Rice/Texas
- CB
D'Angelo Ross, New Mexico
- WR
Jakobi Meyers, North Carolina State
- S Malik Gant, Marshall
- RB Nick Brossette, LSU
- WR Ryan Davis, Auburn
- LB
Terez Hall, Missouri
- OT Tyler Gauthier, Miami
- OT Tyree St Louis, Miami
- former Buccaneer DT
Nick Thurman, Houston
- former Raider DE
Shilique Calhoun, Michigan State
May 2, 2022: In a move that shocked absolutely nobody, the Patriots declined to exercise the 2023 option on WR
N'Keal Harry.
May 2, 2024:
New England adds the veteran days after Jacksonville released him
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