The New England Patriots continue to scour the pro day trails, leaving no stone unturned, as several local area schools conducted workouts this past week. It began at Boston College, where the Eagles and head coach Bill O’Brien set the stage for a big week ahead. New England was sure to send a large contingent from the front office and coaching staff to Chestnut Hill, led by head coach Mike Vrabel.
From there, it was a busy week for Patriots personnel coordinator Brian Smith, whose reputation as a grinder has led to numerous under-the-radar selections for the organization over the past two decades. As he has done on numerous occasions, Smith took the lead role amongst NFL scouts in attendance to conduct pro day workouts at Holy Cross, Central Connecticut State (CCSU), and UConn.
While UConn drew representatives from 27 NFL teams, New England was one of the few teams on-site for Holy Cross and CCSU workouts. Quarterback Brady Olson was the main attraction at CCSU. However, he was also invited to participate at the UConn pro day, so the Patriots were forced to wait to see the 6-foot-3, 207-pound signal-caller up close.
Once they did, they were impressed with what they saw from Olson, who demonstrated a quick release, excellent zip on his ball velocity and a very strong arm to air the ball out deep downfield. There were a few hiccups in his intermediate accuracy, and Olson poses as a traditional pocket-passer who doesn’t own much mobility (timed in the 4.8 range on his forty-yard dash runs). However, New England was satisfied enough to invite him to the local rookie pro day on April 7th. “This opportunity means so much,” Olson said. “Especially growing up as a Pats fan, it’s pretty surreal.”
The Patriots recently announced the release of backup quarterback Joshua Dobbs, bumping up four-year veteran Tommy DeVito as the immediate fill-in behind starter Drake Maye. That leaves the door open for the Patriots to possibly bring in a developmental third-string quarterback. Should Olson land with New England, it would not be the first time that the organization has signed a signal-caller from CCSU. Backup Jacob Dolegala had a brief stint with the organization as an undrafted free agent in 2020.
Olson played two seasons for the Blue Devils after spending three years at UMass. This past season, he re-wrote the school’s record books, establishing new single-season marks for completions (271), passing yards (3,123), and touchdowns (25), becoming the first quarterback in the history of the program to lead CCSU to back-to-back NEC Championships. Earlier in the season, he set a new single-game school record with 423 passing yards. He certainly carries a lethal arm, along with prototype size and production that is hard to ignore.
Throwing alongside Olson was UConn signal-caller Joe Fagnano, a potential late-round prospect in the upcoming draft. Measuring in at 6-foot-3 and 226 pounds, Fagnano looked very smooth working the short-to-intermediate throws, while showcasing nice touch on his deep balls and also highlighted his ability to throw on the move with several rollout throws.
“This is something you dream about since you started playing football,” Fagnano said following the workout. “Right when we got on the field and we started doing some drills, all that went away. Just the reps and the stuff that I had with these guys just makes it go that much smoother.” Fagnano was most comfortable when targeting his top wideout, Skyler Bell, a connection that Huskies fans had become accustomed to hearing over the past two years.
It was an arousing overall workout for Bell, who stated a strong case amongst the NFL decision-makers in attendance that he is worthy of a top pick next month. The 5-foot-11, 192-pound wideout is considered a bit undersized but brings extreme speed, registering a 4.40 forty-yard dash time at the combine. He proceeded to lay down some more impressive marks at pro day timing 4.11 in the short shuttle and 6.65 in the three-cone, a testament to his sudden burst and change of direction capability.
A precision route runner, Bell became the first player in UConn history to record 12 receiving touchdowns in a single season, surpassing the previous record of 11 set by Carl Bond in 1998. He admitted to having an in-season text exchange with former Patriots wideout Stefon Diggs, a player he said that he resembles from a playing style. His quick feet, shiftiness and top-end speed were on full display throughout the day.
“It’s football, at the end of the day,” Bell said post-workout. “I come out here, I did my shuttles, and after that, I’m just running routes, man. It is what I have been doing for a while now, so I am just trying to put my skills on display, stay smooth, look fast and catch everything.” The Bronx native has impressed every step of the way throughout the draft performance. With solid showings at the East-West Shrine Bowl, NFL Combine and pro day, Bell has now positioned himself to be a possible Day 2 selection.
Another potential Patriots target participating at UConn pro day was tight end Louis Hansen. An astute blocker who was originally recruited by Jim Harbaugh at Michigan, Hansen was showcased more as a pass-catcher this past year for the Huskies. The Dover, Massachusetts, all-state standout from St. Sebastian’s School measured in at 6-foot-4 and 248 pounds, while posting 22 bench press reps of 225 pounds, a 31” vertical jump, and 9-foot-7 broad jump. In addition, he showed surprising speed, testing in the mid-4.5-range in the forty-yard dash. This is one player worth monitoring following the draft.
One last notable from the Huskies pro day featured linebacker Byrun Parham, who set career-highs in tackles (126), tackles for loss (15.5), sacks (10.5), forced fumbles (three) and fumble recoveries (three). The 5-foot-11, 221-pound heartbeat of the Huskies' defense lacks size and speed (4.78 on both forty-yard dash attempts) but compensates with superb instincts as a read-and-react instinctual linebacker. He would later add a 28” vertical jump, 9-foot-7 broad jump and 16 bench press reps of 225 pounds. During positional drills Parham displayed fluid lateral movement and sticky hands for a defender. He too, also projects as an undrafted free agent.
While Vrabel didn’t make the round for the remainder of the regional workouts, he capped off the big pro day week with an appearance at Arizona State on Friday, offering a glimpse into the Patriots' possible thinking at No.31 overall. The headliner for the Sun Devils is none other than offensive tackle Max Iheanachor, a player who has often been linked to the Patriots in round one, including our most recent Patriots seven-round mock draft.
The Patriots head coach might as well have brought his shoulder pads to the workout, as he