Patriots Sign 1st Round Pick Chandler Jones To 4-Year Deal With 5th-Year Team Option

Today, Chandler Jones-the Patriots' 2012 first-round pick (21st overall)-agreed to a four-year deal with a fifth-year team option. Terms were not disclosed.



The defensive end from Syracuse figures to have a big role on the Super Bowl contender right off the bat, particularly if they don't re-sign Andre Carter (which most believe they will). Jones is the fifth Patriot from the 2012 Draft class to sign, leaving only linebacker Dont'a Hightower and defensive end Jake Bequette as the remaining rookies that haven't gotten that out of the way.



I think I speak for all Patriots fans when I say that I can't wait to see what New England head coach Bill Belichick chooses to do with Jones. It's been a long time since he had a talented youngster on the defensive line, particularly one that's an end (Richard Seymour?). For years, that has basically been a black hole for the Patriots and they've pretended that sacks and quarterback pressures are irrelevant which couldn't be further from the truth. Especially when you have such a bad secondary.



The fact that Belichick traded up to get Jones can only mean one thing: the guy can play.



UPDATE 5/25: Today the Patriots agreed to a contract with free agent guard/center Jamey Richard. The 27-year-old Richard played 48 games (11 starts) with the Colts since being drafted in the 7th round (2008). In other words, he's just a big body to use during OTAs, minicamps and training camp before the real players all return to the field.



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Patriots Sign Their Newest Cult Hero-Nate Ebner

If you were a college star in some manly sport other than football, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick already likes you. Who could forget that Stephen Neal, a champion collegiate wrestler, didn't even play NCAA football but he became a solid offensive lineman with New England before retiring last year.



Now, Belichick will try to work his magic with the team's 2012 sixth-round pick (197th overall), defensive back Nate Ebner from Ohio State. A legendary rugby player for the Buckeyes (look him up on YouTube), Ebner walked on to the football team and was named Ohio State's outstanding special teams player in 2011 after appearing in 12 games.



Today, he became the fourth Patriots draft pick from the 2012 class to sign, joining new teammates Tavon Wilson (defensive back), Jeremy Ebert (wide receiver) and Alfonzo Dennard (cornerback). This leaves first-round picks Chandler Jones (defensive end) and Dont'a Hightower (linebacker) along with third-round selection Jake Bequette (defensive end) as the three rookies that have yet to sign with New England.



Once the preseason starts in August, assuming he's still on the team, it should be fun to see Ebner flying around on special teams and in the secondary. You know Belichick would like nothing more than to mold him into a role player that coaches, fans and other players on his team love.



It's a thankless job but everyone enjoys a guy that can supply some big hits on kickoffs and punt returns that get his team and the lame Gillette Stadium crowd fired up.



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Alfonzo Dennard Is The Latest Patriots Rookie To Sign A Deal

Other than first-round picks Chandler Jones and Dont'a Hightower, no Patriots rookie will have a bigger microscope on him, at least off the field in 2012, than cornerback Alfonzo Dennard.



The seventh-round pick (224th overall) out of Nebraska signed a four-year deal today. He was reportedly a second or third-round talent before he was arrested on April 21 on suspicion of assaulting a police officer. Not that there's ever a good time for something like that but it was especially dumb since it came only a few days before the 2012 NFL Draft.



With Brandon Spikes and Aaron Hernandez being recent examples, the Patriots have proven to not be shy about drafting guys with so called character issues. However, as far as we know all that Spikes and Hernandez did at Florida was smoke some weed. Dennard's incident is a whole other story.



From ESPNBoston.com

After the draft, Patriots coach Bill Belichick said on Sirius XM NFL Radio, "We just don't feel that's who he is, or even how the account of the incident came out in some places, that's what happened. But we'll see. Bottom line is we were comfortable with him, and that if he did make a mistake like so many of us have, that he'll be able to represent our organization and our team the way we want it represented and we were comfortable taking him."



On May 15, Dennard waived his right to a preliminary hearing. He will be arraigned May 30 in Lancaster County District Court.



This was a player that was the top defensive back in the Big Ten last season so New England decided that he was worth the risk, especially in the seventh round. Let's all cross our fingers that Dennard can get his life in order and not get caught up in any other off the field issues while he's in Foxborough.



Dennard became the third Patriots rookie, joining defensive back Tavon Wilson and wide receiver Jeremy Ebert, to sign their first professional contracts in the past week.



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Patriots Sign Their 1st Two Rookies From Draft Class Of 2012

It sure doesn't feel like football season (mostly because that's months away) but the truth is that the New England Patriots have already begun preparations for the 2012 season as they try and defend their AFC championship from last season.



After the first rookie minicamp last weekend in Foxborough, the Patriots signed their first rookies from the 2012 draft class: wide receiver Jeremy Ebert and defensive back Tavon Wilson.



Wilson, the 2nd round pick (No. 48 overall) out of Illinois, inked a four-year deal worth $4.2 million with a $1.5 million signing bonus. Ebert, the 7th round selection (235th overall) signed a four-year deal with a maximum value of $2.148 million.



Of these two guys, clearly Wilson has a much better shot of seeing significant playing time in his rookie season since New England's secondary has been a mess for years. Ebert is a much longer shot since the wide receiving corps is so deep, filled with much bigger names and resumes. If anything, he appears to be a slightly better Julian Edelman or maybe just Wes Welker insurance. Whatever the case, he better be ready to play special teams if he wants to make this squad.



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