While the New England Patriots came out of this year's NFL draft with a productive group of incoming prospects, the front office made sure to do their due diligence on the undrafted free agent pool following the third day of action and were nothing short of busy throughout that process.
In all, the Patriots added 17 undrafted free agents, which ultimately took them six players over the 90-man roster limit, leading to a variety of cuts soon after the draft. A vast collection of guys on both sides of the ball that could present some value going into camp, and for a select few, might be a piece on the main roster for next season.
One of those players who could be in position to make the 53-man roster based on contract value alone could be UC Davis running back Lan Larison, who ESPN's Mike Reiss notes has some of the highest guaranteed money of their UDFAs.
" Of the 17 undrafted free agents the Patriots agreed to contracts with, UC Davis running back Lan Larison has one of the richest deals as he received $175,000 in guaranteed money," Reiss wrote. "That reflects how the Patriots likely had competition from other teams to land Larison, a dual threat who finished his college career with 641 carries for 3,634 yards and 41 touchdowns, and 127 receptions for 1,626 yards and 10 TDs."
The Patriots made sure to upgrade their running back room early in the draft with their addition of Ohio State's TreVeyon Henderson, but he may not be the only rookie set to join New England's backfield if Larison fills out with a strong camp and preseason effort.
During his final season at UC Davis, he had 284 carries for 1,465 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns. He also posed a threat in the receiving game with 62 receptions, 847 yards, and six touchdowns.
With such a productive year, it's easy to see how the Patriots could've been competing with interest from other teams, but in the end, they were the ones to scoop up his services.
It remains to be seen if Larison will have what it takes to make that 53-man cut later this offseason, but he's undoubtedly a name to keep a keen eye on within the roster for the coming months.
