FOXBORO, Mass. — The New England Patriots took it easy Monday in their final offseason practice open to the media.
The Patriots worked heavily on technique and situational drills during the organized team activities session, forgoing most team drills at full speed.
Quarterback Tom Brady was 10 of 11 overall in full-speed team drills, going 4 of 4 in 11-on-11s. Jimmy Garoppolo was 6 of 10 overall in team drills and 3 of 4 in 11-on-11s. Rookie Jacoby Brissett was 15 of 24 with an interception in full-speed team drills and 12 of 19 in 11-on-11s. Safety Brock Vereen had the interception during 3-on-5 drills.
Here are some more notable moments from Monday’s OTA:
— Undrafted rookie cornerback Jonathan Jones was the biggest standout of the session, breaking up four passes, including Brady’s lone incompletion. He defended one pass from Garoppolo and two from Brissett. Jones has the best chance of all undrafted rookies to make the Patriots’ initial 53-man roster. He was at one point projected to be a fourth-round draft pick. The performance was reminiscent of some of the practices cornerback Malcolm Butler had as an undrafted rookie with the Patriots in 2014.
— Rookie wideout Malcolm Mitchell was working on catching punts for the first time this spring. He certainly has the athleticism for the job.
— Tight end Rob Gronkowski participated in positional and individual drills in his first practice of the spring, but he only worked on half-speed team drills.
— Running back Dion Lewis participated in full-speed 3-on-5 drills seven months removed from a torn ACL. It was clear Lewis wasn’t at 100 percent, but that’s to be expected this early.
— Rookie offensive lineman Ted Karras saw time at center during 11-on-11s. The Patriots also have Joe Thuney, Bryan Stork and David Andrews snapping the ball.
— Rob Ninkovich continued to play linebacker, not defensive end, his usual position. He still looks comfortable in the new role.
— Undrafted rookie tight end Bryce Williams led the team with five receptions during team drills. Tight end Martellus Bennett had three catches, while Donald Brown, DeAndre Carter, Malcolm Mitchell, James White, Keshawn Martin, Tyler Gaffney, Steven Scheu and Devin Lucien each had two.
Thumbnail photo via Doug Kyed/NESN
