Every year, we tend to see a surprise name end up on the roster in September, and one name seems to be making a push to be that player for the Patriots.
Undrafted free agent Brock Lampe has quietly been a surprise so far this training camp, with the former standout from Northern Illinois having seen a fair amount of time with the first offense.
He’s been someone who has seen a fair amount of action here in the early going. One key factor that should help him is the fact New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels has been a fan of the fullback spot in the past, although the team had previously moved off that position prior to the arrival of Vrabel and McDaniels this offseason.
For Lampe, that seems to have opened the door for him being someone who could carve out a niche for himself in the coming months. Greg Bedard of the Boston Sports Journal appeared on Felger & Mazz on 98.5 The Sports Hub on Friday and noted that he’s surprised at how much time Lampe has seen to this point.
“I will say that I was surprised at how much the fullback, Brock Lampe, was involved, especially early in the team periods,” said Bedard. “That was a surprise. I didn’t think it was a definite that the fullback would be part of this offense.”
For Bedard, at least when it comes to Lampe, the Patriots seem to like him as a player. He’s a guy who was a I-AA walk on who made a name for himself both as a linebacker and a running back in high school prior to his collegiate career.
Clearly the Patriots have been impressed by him, which was something Bedard said might open the door for Lampe to potentially end up on the roster in September.
“I think the way I understand it, it’s more about the player,” said Bedard. “If they have a player worthy enough at fullback, and Lampe has a good reputation, then they’ll make room for a fullback. If they don’t have a guy, then they won’t.”
To this point, one other area that should help Lampe is the fact that he’s been a good special-teams player, and the Kenosha native also has experience playing tight end. For his size, he’s also fairly fast, with the 6’1″, 250-pound rookie having put up a 4.8 40-yard dash earlier this year.
As a result, he’s a pretty unique player who brings some versatility and athleticism to a team that could definitely use it. With the pads set to come on Monday, he’ll be a name to watch as he’s certainly someone who is a physical player.
While it’s still early, Lampe was confident heading into training camp. He told the Kenosha News last month that he felt pretty good about his chances at carving out a spot for himself on the roster.
“Cuts are typically after the second and third preseason games, and I’m feeling confident that I will make the team,” Lampe told the newspaper via Mike Ramczk. “Right now I’m just continuing to work out and stay in shape and reviewing the playbook to give me the best chance to go out there and play my best.”
So far, he seems to be off to a good start.
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Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
