The Patriots’ draft class is being universally panned. Could some undrafted diamonds in the rough make up for it?
Every year since 2004, the Patriots have had at least one undrafted free agent make their roster: Malcolm Butler, J.C. Jackson, David Andrews, Jakobi Meyers, Brandon Bolden. That is not an ancillary list of players, either. Butler and Jackson developed into No. 1 corners, Andrews is the starting center, Bolden was a useful complimentary back and Meyers led the team in receiving last season.
Who will shine this year? The undrafted class is below:
D'Eriq King QB/WR, Miami: It shouldn’t be surprising the Patriots signed King, considering the dual threat out of Miami worked out for Joe Judge prior to the draft. Over six seasons of college football — four at Houston, two at the University of Miami — King completed 63.1 percent of his passes for 76 touchdowns and threw 19 interceptions. Before shifting to QB, he caught 58 passes for 492 yards in two seasons as a receiver for Houston.
Famously, the Patriots nabbed a mid-tier college quarterback named Julian Edelman in the seventh round, and he became one of Tom Brady’s favorite targets. Maybe King, who’s already 24, will follow a similar path.
Liam Shanahan OL, LSU: The Marlboro product spent his summers working on the grounds crew at Fenway Park. Could he now spend his falls in Foxborough?
Shanahan was the starting center for LSU over the last two seasons after playing three years at Harvard. New England drafted one of Shanahan’s line mates, Chasen Hines, in the sixth round.
Jake Julien P, Eastern Michigan: Since Jake Bailey is now the highest-paid punter in the league, there was a lot of speculation the Patriots would select his replacement in the draft. Instead, they signed Julien, who was the No. 31 overall pick in the Canadian Football League draft in 2021.
Despite being undrafted, it’s fair to surmise Julien will be given a strong chance to compete for a roster spot. Cutting Bailey would save the Patriots roughly $4 million in cap space.
DaMarcus Mitchell LB, Purdue: The Patriots worked out Mitchell prior to the NFL Draft, so they were clearly targeting him. He recorded 4.5 sacks for Purdue last season.
Notably, the Patriots did not draft a linebacker, despite it being a position of need.
LaBryan Ray DT, Alabama: The Patriots didn’t draft a player out of Alabama for the first time since 2018. But they did sign one. Ray, who stands at 6-foot-5 and weighs 295 pounds, could line up next to his former teammate Christian Barmore on the interior line.
Brendan Schooler WR/S, Texas: Another versatile player, Schooler caught 55 passes for 661 yards and six touchdowns over the course of his college career. Prior to transferring to Texas, he played four seasons at Oregon, where he recorded four interceptions as a freshman in 2016.
Kody Russey C, Houston: The Patriots reached and drafted undersized Houston corner Marcus Jones in the third round. Then they signed Russey. The center said he’s been “working his entire life” for the opportunity to make an NFL team. We’ll see how he fares.
Lastly, the Patriots also invited URI’s Coby Tippett to minicamp. The defensive back is Andre Tippett’s son.