Shortly after the Patriots were reportedly inching closer to a deal with second-round draft pick Sebastian Vollmer , news surfaced that the team had already signed seventh-round selection Darryl Richard, the Boston Globe’s Mike Reiss reports.
Richard, a defensive lineman out of Georgia Tech, was the final pick of the Patriots in this year’s draft, taken at No. 234.
The 6-foot-4, 290-pounder from Destrahan, La., was the third defensive lineman drafted by the Patriots, joining Ron Brace (No. 40) and Myron Pryor (No. 207). Pryor reportedly signed with the Pats earlier in the week, while Brace, the team’s second overall pick, is still without a contract.
Richard’s accomplishments on the field were nothing to scoff at, though he is known equally for his smarts. The 23-year-old graduated from Georgia Tech with a degree in management in 2007 and then began working on his MBA. He made the ACC Academic Honor Roll from 2004-06, and he was recognized as the top scholar-athlete on Georgia Tech’s football team. Reiss reports that Richard scored a 37 on the Wonderlic test, which was the highest of any defensive lineman selected in the draft and highest among all Patriots draft picks this year.
On the field, Richard compiled 98 tackles and 12.5 sacks for the Yellow Jackets while earning an East-West Shrine Bowl invite, the 2008 ACC Tatum Award, first-team All-ACC honors, a Lowe’s Senior Class Award nomination, 2007 second-team Academic All-American and a 2007 Wuerffel Trophy finalist nomination.
