FOXBORO -- Thursday was the was the fifth OTA session of the spring for the Patriots and second that was open to the media.
The session lasted roughly two hours and players wore just helmets, as pads are not permitted this time of year. It was held on the upper grass fields behind Gillette Stadium on a beautiful late May morning.
Here are the players who were completely absent from the session: quarterback Tom Brady, tight end Rob Gronkowski, wide receivers Malcolm Mitchell and Cody Hollister, cornerback Cyrus Jones, safeties Nate Ebner and David Jones, running back Brandon Bolden and guard Joe Thuney. In addition, there were a number of players who appeared to be rehabbing on the lower field: rookie cornerback Keion Crossen, offensive tackles Marcus Cannon, Trent Brown and Isaiah Wynn, defensive tackle Malcom Brown, cornerback Jonathan Jones, rookie receiver Braxton Berrios. Jason McCourty stayed on the upper field, but did not participate in team drills.
Although OTAs are non-contact and viewed as a teaching camp, here are some quick observations.
-- It was a good sign that Dont'a Hightower, Julian Edelman and Trey Flowers were all full participants. Edelman left halfway through the last session that was open to the media as he comes back from a torn ACL last preseason, and then Hightower and Flowers weren't out there at all.
-- Mitchell missing the session again is not a good sign, as the third-year receiver missed all of last season with a knee injury. He was shown in photos at last Monday's session, but hasn't been spotted since.
-- After a rough session last Tuesday when the media was present, Brian Hoyer was much better this time around. The veteran backup went 5-of-5 in 7-on-7 work and 12-of-18 in 11-on-11s. He didn't have as many bad passes as last week and seemed more in control. Rookie Danny Etling appears to be a work in progress, but it seems the potential is there. The LSU product went 4-for-5 in 7-on-7 drills and 2-for-6 in 11-on-11s. (All numbers per Mark Daniels of the Providence Journal.)
-- Etling continued to spend a lot of time with assistant quarterbacks coach Jerry Schuplinski. He's worked extensively with the young quarterbacks who have come through New England in recent years.
-- Tight end Jacob Hollister had a nice practice, making a few nice grabs. He's in the mix at tight end behind Gronkowski and Dwayne Allen.
-- Keep an eye on undrafted cornerback J.C. Jackson who started opposite of Stephon Gilmore in 11-on-11 drills and had a nice pass deflection. It appears they are giving him a hard look and he took advantage Thursday.
-- Rookie Sony Michel had a up-and-down day, fumbling on one occasion which drew attention from the coaches.
-- Safety Damarius Travis picked off Hoyer in 11-on-11 work on a pass deflected by rookie Duke Dawson.
-- There appears to be a real punter competition as rookie Corey Bojorquez stood out again showing off his monster leg. Ryan Allen is in the final year of his contract.
-- The session concluded with field goal work and overall there wasn't as much 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills as last week.
-- Overall, the session lacked the same intensity as when Brady and Gronkowski have been there in the past, but it was a little better than last week.
-- Coaches from Boston College were in attendance.
