As expected, teams are not waiting long to sign players now that the NFL lockout is over.
In a period that some have dubbed "the 8th Round of the Draft", teams could negotiate with Undrafted Free Agents (UFA) but had to wait until today at 10 am to make the signings official.
Last night, the Patriots reached an agreement with former Iowa linebacker Jeff Tarpinian. The terms of the deal will be made official today.
Hampered by hand and neck injuries throughout the 2010 season, the 6'3" 238 pound Tarpinian is an inside linebacker who could fit in nicely with the Patriots 3-4 defensive scheme. Tarpinian was moved from defensive back to linebacker in 2007, after he redshirted during his freshman year.
Last year, he was limited to just eight games but recorded 47 tackles over the course of the season while earning Academic All-Big Ten Honors.
Most scouting reports have Tarpinian projected to be a special teams contributor to start, which is where he would most likely get the bulk of his playing time with the Pats. He could also be called upon in nickel packages, using his speed and prior experience as a defensive back to make life difficult for opposing quarterbacks.
Like every other rookie this year, Tarpinian wont have long to learn the playbook, so he will have to use his head to separate himself from the other rookies trying to make the opening day roster. Considering his academic honors it shouldn't be too hard.
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The Patriots also signed offensive tackle Corey Woods out of Akron and WR/KR Jeremy Ross from Cal. Woods was a four-year starter who played both sides of the line and could possibly shift to guard. The 6-foot-3, 303 pounder has a shot to make the club but probably will have to move to guard to make that happen.
Ross is 6-feet, 209 pounds and started here and there for Cal but is most dangerous in the return game. He will have a lot of competition in that regard and will have to earn his spot with the club.
He's on Twitter: @J_Ross_3
FYI check out @NEPatriotsDraft on Twitter. They had all the scoops on these signings last night, in fact many well known Patriots writers were retweeting their valuable info.
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