The New England Patriots have officially signed all but one member of the 2016 NFL Draft class, in addition to eight undrafted free agents.
The Patriots have signed 2nd round CB Cyrus Jones, 3rd round OL Joe Thuney and DT Vincent Valentine, 4th round WR Malcolm Mitchell, 6th round ST Kamu Grugier-Hill, LB Elandon Roberts, and OG Ted Karras, and 7th round WR Devin Lucien.
3rd round QB Jacoby Brissett remains the last player unsigned. Brissett is the only member of the entire 2016 NFL Draft not represented by an agent, but he is using qualified advisors to help him through the process. The NFL rookie wage scale has reduced the need of an agent for a player's first contract, but an agent clearly seems to make the process easier.
The Patriots have officially signed eight undrafted free agents: DB V'Angelo Bentley, RB D.J. Foster, DL Woodrow Hamilton, LB C.J. Johnson, DB Jonathan Jones, CB Cre'Von LeBlanc, TE Steven Scheu, and TE Bryce Williams.
It should be noted that both Bentley and Jones were announced as "DB", while LeBlanc was specifically a "CB", even though all three played cornerback in college. The fact that Foster was announced as a running back is important, too, because Foster wanted to play out of the backfield in the NFL, instead of purely in the slot.
Curiously missing from the list are WR De'Runnya Wilson and DB Devonta Burns, both of whom were listed as Patriots signings after the draft. It's probable that both were invited to participate in the team's camp on a tryout basis, or the Patriots need to release two more players before making their signings official.
The Patriots currently stand at 89 members out of a possible 90 on the roster- and that final spot is likely saved for Brissett.
In order to make space, the Patriots released fullback Joey Iosefa. Iosefa was a 6-foot, 245 lbs bruiser out of the backfield that was elevated to a key role against the Tennessee Titans late in the 2015 season after a series of injuries to players in the backfield. There's still a chance Iosefa could return later in the offseason.
Thanks for this memorable play, and good luck!
IOSEFA HAS NO CHILL pic.twitter.com/OnJHl6GEQf
— Rich Hill (@PP_Rich_Hill) December 20, 2015