Fourth-round pick Hjalte Froholdt will benefit from post-grad year with Professor Scarnecchia

After almost 40 years in the NFL, Dante Scarnecchia doesn’t get surprised by much. But the first time he spoke with Patriots’ fourth-round pick Hjalte Froholdt, he was a little taken aback.


“I expected him to sound a little like Thor,” he said with a laugh, recalling his first interaction with the offensive lineman and native of Denmark who was taken 118th overall last month by New England.

Froholdt doesn’t necessarily sound like Thor, but the sturdy 6-foot-5, 306-pounder might eventually have what it takes to protect the guy some coaches have referred to as the Patriots’ version of “Captain America.”

“(He's an) interesting player,” Patriots’ personnel chief Nick Caserio said of Froholdt shortly after New England took him in the fourth round. “He played against a number of good players and a number of good people. He's smart, got good size. He's got pretty good playing strength. He can play multiple positions inside there. He's a good football player.”

The toughest guys on the Patriots’ roster, year in and year out, are the guards. From Joe Andruzzi to Stephen Neal to Logan Mankins to Shaq Mason and Joe Thuney, they have always distinguished themselves as the most mentally and physically tough players on the roster. According to Arkansas offensive line coach Dustin Fry, Froholdt — who also has a reputation as a joker — fits that mold nicely.

“Off the field, he’s a guy you’ll get along with really well — he can all intelligently about a lot of things and can carry on a great conversation,” Fry said of Froholdt. “Oh, and he has great jokes. And you can bust his balls a bit too — he’s definitely not an uptight guy.

“But when he gets on the field, he’s pretty serious. He’s a guy who loves to be physical — he’s a finisher. That was one of the things we loved about him. We always had to tell him ‘whoa’ and not ‘go.’ ”