NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/11/20
We’ll keep track of today’s late round signings here:
- The Patriots and third-round tight end Dalton Keene have reached agreement on his contract, a source tells Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Pats have motored through their draft class quicker than most – out of ten draft picks, only one remains unsigned, as shown in PFR’s tracker. Keene, one of two tight ends drafted by New England in the third round, figures to serve as an H-Back and line up at multiple positions in the NFL. He’s a solid blocker, too, though scouts say he needs to bulk up.
Patriots Sign 16 UDFAs
The Patriots have announced agreements with 16 undrafted free agents. Here is their full list:
- Rashod Berry, TE (Ohio State)
- Myles Bryant, DB (Washington)
- Jake Burt, TE (Boston College)
- Nick Coe, DL (Auburn)
- De’Jon Harris, LB (Arkansas)
- Will Hastings, WR (Auburn)
- Trevon Hill, DE (Miami)
- Brian Lewerke, QB (Michigan State; full story)
- Bill Murray, DL (William & Mary)
- Sean Riley, WR (Syracuse)
- J’Mar Smith, QB (Louisiana Tech; full story)
- J.J. Taylor, RB (Arizona)
- Kyahva Tezino, LB (San Diego State)
- Jeff Thomas, WR (Miami)
- Courtney Wallace, DL (Louisiana Tech)
- Isaiah Zuber, WR (Mississippi State)
This four-receiver group will join a Pats team that both did not draft a wideout and one that rosters a soon-to-be 34-year-old Julian Edelman and a soon-to-be 31-year-old Mohamed Sanu. The latter is entering a contract year.
None of the rookie quartet put up standout career numbers. Thomas, who is 5-foot-10 and 174 pounds, left school early. He surpassed 16 yards per catch in two Hurricane seasons. Zuber transferred from Kansas State but barely eclipsed 200 receiving yards at Mississippi State. The 5-8 Riley served as the Orange’s kick and punt returner. Hastings, who is 5-10 and averaged 20.2 yards per catch as a junior in 2018, will see $57.5K of his rookie deal guaranteed, per Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter).
Harris finished his Razorbacks career with three straight 100-plus-tackle seasons and will see a sizable portion of his rookie deal guaranteed. The Pats are guaranteeing $140K of Harris’ contract, per NESN.com’s Doug Kyed (on Twitter). Bryant will receive a $50K guarantee, Kyed adds (via Twitter).
Taylor goes only 5-6, but he surpassed 3,000 rushing yards with the Wildcats in four seasons. While he only topped 30 receptions in one of those (2019), his 2018 season featured 1,434 rushing yards. Berry and Burt bring New England’s rookie tight end total to four, coupling with the two third-round picks the Pats used at the position. The two combined for just 40 career receptions.
Patriots Notes: Stidham, McDaniels, Winovich
Jarrett Stidham will likely be taking over for Tom Brady next season, and his former college coach is optimistic that the 2019 fourth-rounder will be successful.
“It definitely helped him to learn under the best and see what that looks like, but he’s the kind of young man, too, this is what he’s been waiting on,” Auburn’s Gus Malzahn told ESPN’s Mike Reiss. “I’ll tell you, the moment won’t be too big for him. He’ll be up to the challenge, that’s what I expect.
“Even when he got here, before he played his first game, you could just kind of tell he was a mature young man. Like a gym rat, always at the complex trying to learn, study film. When he got drafted by the Patriots [in 2019], I thought it was a perfect spot for him system-wise — spreading the field. He’s so good with protections, changing protections, and scheme-wise everything that goes with it, and just the flexibility the scheme gives him. I think that really applies to his strength.”
Stidham played a pair of seasons at Auburn, including a 2017 campaign where he connected on 66.5-percent of his passes for 3,158 yards, 18 touchdowns, and six interceptions.
Here are some more notes out of New England:
- We’ve heard this plenty of times, but Joseph Person of The Athletic reiterates that Cam Newton won’t be landing with the Patriots. In fact, the reporter notes that Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels wasn’t “necessarily high” on Newton when he interviewed for the Panthers’ head coaching gig.
- Speaking of McDaniels, SI.com’s Albert Breer writes that a successful 2020 campaign (particularly from Stidham) could go a long way in the OC getting more head coaching interviews next offseason. If McDaniels does leave New England, Breer hints that he may take Patriots pro director Dave Ziegler with him; McDaniels planned to recruit the executive when he was interviewing with Cleveland.
- Patriots defensive end Chase Winovich is recovering from hernia surgery, reports Stan Grossfeld of the Boston Globe. The 25-year-old underwent the procedure back in February. The 2019 third-rounder had a solid rookie season for New England, compiling 26 tackles and 5.5 sacks.
- Marqise Lee‘s new one-year deal with the Patriots is worth the veteran minimum, reports Ben Volin of the Boston Globe (via Twitter). The deal could be worth up to $1.0475MM, and it includes $300K in guaranteed money. If Lee makes the team, he’ll have a cap hold of $887.5K.
Patriots Sign Third-Round TE Devin Asiasi
The Patriots are making headway on their 2020 draft class. They’ve signed third-round pick Devin Asiasi, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). 
On Day 3, the Pats moved up from No. 100 to the Raiders’ No. 91 choice for the UCLA product. With Asiasi, they filled a major need at tight end and netted their first offensive player of the weekend.
Asiasi offers speed and solid blocking technique, but scouts say he needs to spend some time in the gym in order to adjust to the pro game. He could wind up as the Patriots’ No. 1 tight end, ahead of Matt LaCosse, Ryan Izzo, and fellow third-round pick Dalton Keene. Then again, there are several notable vets left in free agency and the Patriots could explore their options between now and the start of the season.
With Asiasi officially in the fold, the Patriots have now signed seven of their ten draft picks. The only rookies left to sign are second-round safety Kyle Dugger, third-round tight end Dalton Keene, and sixth-round guard Michael Onwenu. Here’s the full rundown, via PFR’s tracker:
2-37: Kyle Dugger, S (Lenoir-Rhyne)
2-60: Josh Uche, LB (Michigan): Signed
3-87: Anfernee Jennings, OLB (Alabama): Signed
3-91: Devin Asiasi, TE (UCLA): Signed
3-101: Dalton Keene, TE (Virginia Tech)
5-159: Justin Rohrwasser, K (Marshall): Signed
6-182: Michael Onwenu, G (Michigan)
6-195: Justin Herron, T (Wake Forest): Signed
6-204: Cassh Maluia, LB (Wyoming): Signed
7-230: Dustin Woodard, C (Memphis): Signed
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/7/20
We’ll keep track of today’s late round signings here:
- The Ravens inked third-round pick Tyre Phillips. With the Mississippi State offensive lineman under contract, the Ravens have now taken care of seven of their ten draft picks. Phillips played tackle in college, but he’ll likely move to the inside with Marshal Yanda retiring.
- The Texans signed offensive tackle Charlie Heck, their fourth-round tackle.
- The Patriots signed third-round linebacker Anfernee Jennings (Alabama), sixth-round guard Michael Onwenu (Michigan), and seventh-round center Dustin Woodard (Memphis), according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). Jennings wasn’t the most athletic rusher in this year’s class, but his hard-nosed playing style and technique made him a strong fit for Bill Belichick‘s defense. BB’s relationship with ‘Bama head coach Nick Saban likely helped to lead Jennings to New England. The Pats have also inked kicker Justin Rohrwasser, linebacker Cassh Maluia, and tackle Justin Herron (all of whom are Day 3 picks), leaving only three unsigned players in their ten-player draft class.
- The Bills signed a trio of picks from the back of their draft, per a club announcement: sixth-round kicker Tyler Bass, sixth-round wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins, and seventh-round cornerback Dane Jackson. Hodgins, out of Oregon State, managed 86 receptions for 1,171 yards and 13 touchdowns in his final year on campus.
- The Dolphins inked a pair of fifth-round edge rushers in Curtis Weaver (Boise State) and Jason Strowbridge (UNC), as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald tweets. The bulk of their 11-man draft class still remains unsigned, so there’s more work to be done.
Patriots Sign Second-Round Pick Josh Uche
Josh Uche is now officially a member of the Patriots. On Wednesday, the second-round linebacker inked his rookie contract, as NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. 
Uche notched 8.5 sacks in 2019 to lead the Wolverines in the category for yet another year. Pro Football Focus had him rated as one of the very best in the nation at generating pressure and that was further evidenced by his 11.5 tackles for loss.
Leading up to the draft, there was some concern about Uche’s size for the NFL level and some evaluators wondered whether he could last as a linebacker. That didn’t ward off the Patriots, who saw him power through blocks over and over in his highlight reel. Uche isn’t the biggest ‘backer out there, but he seems to find a way. Just ask first-round tackle Jedrick Wills:
“It was Josh Uche,” said Wills when asked to name his toughest matchup in college (video link). “He was a really good pass rusher. Has some counter moves, some speed to him. So it was a good matchup that I went against.”
With the No. 60 overall pick signed, the Patriots have many more deals to go. Here’s the full rundown of the Patriots’ draft class, via PFR’s team-by-team tracker:
2-37: Kyle Dugger, S (Lenoir-Rhyne)
2-60: Josh Uche, LB (Michigan): Signed
3-87: Anfernee Jennings, OLB (Alabama)
3-91: Devin Asiasi, TE (UCLA)
3-101: Dalton Keene, TE (Virginia Tech)
5-159: Justin Rohrwasser, K (Marshall)
6-182: Michael Onwenu, G (Michigan)
6-195: Justin Herron, T (Wake Forest)
6-204: Cassh Maluia, LB (Wyoming)
7-230: Dustin Woodard, C (Memphis)
David Andrews Cleared To Resume Career
The Patriots are on track to have their starting center back. David Andrews, who missed all of last season due to blood clots being found in his lungs, said (via the Associated Press’ Kyle Hightower) he has been cleared to resume football activities.
Andrews is no longer on any workout restrictions, he confirmed Tuesday. After being shut down for the season last August, Andrews spent the remainder of 2019 on medication for the scary issue. The longtime Pats starter said he has stopped taking that medication as part of his progression back to full health.
New England allowed Andrews’ 2019 replacement, Ted Karras, to leave in free agency. He landed with the Dolphins. Andrews is under contract through the 2020 season and set to earn $3MM in base salary this season.
Prior to missing all of last season, the former UDFA had played in 60 Patriots games since coming into the league in 2015. He started 57. He went on to start in three Super Bowls. The Pats are moving forward without acclaimed offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia, who retired again this offseason, so having Andrews back will stand to help their group.
Titans Add Monti Ossenfort As Director Of Player Personnel
The Patriots’ organizational makeover doesn’t only apply to their roster. Albert Breer reports (via Twitter) that New England’s college scouting director, Monti Ossenfort, has been hired as the Titans’ new director of player personnel.
Ossenfort has been in contention for several GM gigs over the past few years, and he interviewed with the Browns this offseason. The Patriots blocked him from joining the Texans in 2018, and New England wouldn’t let Ossenfort or Nick Caserio head to Houston (following Brian Gaine‘s dismissal) in 2019.
While Caserio’s expiring contract was extended in February, it seemed that Ossenfort was inevitably going to switch teams. His contract was set to expire this month.
Ossenfort had held his role as college scouting director since 2014, and he had been with the organization since the early-2000s. As Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com points out, the executive is already familiar with Titans general manager Jon Robinson, who spent almost a decade in New England. Ossenfort was also working for the Patriots during Mike Vrabel‘s playing days.
Patriots Not Inclined To Add Another QB?
- This could be anticipated based on the Patriots‘ offseason decisions — not drafting a quarterback and not signing either Jameis Winston or Andy Dalton to low-level contracts — but they are not believed to be inclined to add another veteran passer, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com writes. Their (virtual) quarterback room consists of 2019 fourth-rounder Jarrett Stidham, on-again/off-again Patriot Brian Hoyer set for his age-34 season and two UDFAs (Michigan State’s Brian Lewerke and Louisiana Tech’s J’Mar Smith).
Patriots, Jaguars Interested In Andy Dalton
The Patriots and Jaguars are among the teams with interest in former Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton, a source tells Tyler Dragon of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter link).
The news of Dalton’s release in Cincinnati only came to light this morning, but it appears the veteran signal-caller already has suitors. No team stepped up to trade for Dalton and his $17.7MM base salary, but he shouldn’t want for interest now that he’s available at, presumably, a much lower financial cost.
New England, for its part, only has 2019 fourth-round pick Jarrett Stidham and free agent addition Brian Hoyer in its quarterback room. Stidham is in line to replace Tom Brady, but it would make sense for the club to add more competition. Head coach Bill Belichick recently said the Patriots’ decision not to draft a passer in the 2020 draft was “not by design,” so it doesn’t appear New England has ruled out bringing in another quarterback.
In Jacksonville, Gardner Minshew will fully take the reins as the Jaguars’ starter in 2020, but Dalton could push the 2019 sixth-rounder if signed. Dalton did some of his best work in Cincinnati under offensive coordinator Jay Gruden, who now holds the same title in Jacksonville.
Indeed, the Bengals did shop Dalton to the Jaguars on more than one occasion, according to Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com (Twitter link), but Jacksonville didn’t express much interest. Of course, Dalton’s salary may have played a role in the Jaguars’ view, and they could be eyeing Dalton now that he’s available for a cheaper price.