Patriots undrafted free agent tracker
The Patriots 2022 Draft class is wrapped up, but they’ll still add to their 2022 rookie class. In New England, you can never discount undrafted free agents. We’ve seen it time and time again with undrafted players coming to Foxboro, making the team and making major impacts.
The Pats have had an undrafted free agent make their 53-man opening day roster for 18-straight seasons. That’s the third longest streak in the NFL behind the Los Angeles Chargers (25) and Indianapolis Colts (23). Last year, kicker Quinn Nordin was the only undrafted player to sign with the Pats and he made the initial 53-man roster before landing on the injured reserve.
Other undrafted standouts include Jakobi Meyers, Malcolm Butler, David Andrews, J.C. Jackson, Adam Butler and Jonathan Jones.
With the 2022 NFL Draft over, we'll keep track of every undrafted free agent that the Patriots bring in.
D’Eriq King, quarterback/receiver, Miami
King, who is 5-foot-8, 196 pounds, is one of the most fascinating undrafted players to sign with the Patriots in quite some time. He’ll transition to the receiver position and undoubtedly draw comparisons to Julian Edelman, who did the same thing out of Kent State. King started his collegiate career in Houston where he played receiver, quarterback and kickoff returner. He transferred to Miami where he was a standout quarterback in 2020 before getting injured last year. He threw for 8,378 yards and ran for 2,055 yards in his collegiate career. King also caught 61 passes in college for 520 yards. He worked out for Joe Judge after the Patriots were at his Pro Day. (Source)
Brenden Schooler, safety, Texas
Schooler is another prospect with plenty of versatility. He started his career at Oregon where he played safety, making 74 tackles with four interceptions. He moved to receiver, catching 20 passes for 274 yards the next season. He transferred to Texas where he played receiver for one year before moving back to safety last season. All together, Schooler had 143 tackles, four interceptions to go with 55 receptions and 661 receiving yards in his college career. Schooler was also a special teams ace for Texas and a former standout sprinter in high school. (Source)
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Kody Russey, center, Houston
Russey is a 6-foot-2, 292-pound interior offensive lineman. He started his career at Louisiana Tech where he started 46 games in four seasons. He earned 2020 Conference USA All-Conference First-Team honors. Russey transferred to Houston where he started all 14 games last year at center en route to earning American Second-Team All-Conference honors. He was also a team captain. (Source)
Labryan Ray, defensive end, Alabama
Ray came to Alabama as a five-star recruit, but ran into injury issues. A 6-foot-4, 285 defensive lineman, he suffered a broken foot as a freshman. He played his entire sophomore season in 2018, but was arrested for public intoxication. The next year, he played in just three games due to a foot injury and ankle surgery. In 2020, he missed six games due to an elbow injury. Last season, Ray played 13 games, making 11 tackles but dealt with a groin injury and dislocated left elbow. (Source)
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DaMarcus Mitchell, outside linebacker, Purdue
Mitchell played linebacker and defensive end at Purdue. Last season, as a defensive end, he finished with 4.5 sacks to go with 25 tackles in nine games. In 2020, he played as a linebacker, finishing with 34 tackles in five games. Mitchell is 6-foot-3, 265 pounds, which suggests he’ll be trying to play outside linebacker in the Patriots system. Mitchell came to Purdue from Southwest Mississippi Community College. He had 71 tackles in 2019. He also played running back that season. (Source)
Liam Shanahan, center, LSU
Shanahan is local, hailing from Marlborough, Mass. He originally went to Harvard where he started for three years at right guard and right tackle, earning All-Ivy League honors. Shanahan transferred to LSU in 2020 where he started 10 games at center, leading the team in snaps and didn’t miss a single play on offense the entire season. Last year, he started all 13 games for the Tigers at center, starting 23 games in a row for LSU. He earned a spot on the 2021 SEC Academic Honor Roll. (Source)
Jake Julien, punter, Eastern Michigan
Julien is a 6-foot-2 punter who played the last five seasons at Eastern Michigan. He finished his collegiate career with 221 punts for 9,726 yards, averaging 44.0 yards per boot. Julien recorded multiple 70-plus yard punts at Eastern Michigan and landed 51 punts inside the opponents 20-yard line. At the end of last season, he played in the College Gridiron Showcase and was drafted by the Ottawa RedBlacks in the 2021 Canadian Football League Draft. (Source)
Devin Hafford, cornerback Tarleton State
Hafford is a 6-foot-1 cornerback who is coming off a successful collegiate career at the FBS level. Last season, he was named an All-American and the Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year after finishing with 50 tackles, six interceptions, seven pass breakups and two fumble recoveries. His eight takeaways were the third-most in NCAA Division 1 football. Hafford was also a standout special teams player, recording a blocked kick.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: New England Patriots undrafted free agent tracker
