The New England Patriots used one of their 30 allotted official visits to host Florida cornerback Teez Tabor on Monday, a source told NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.
Tabor also met with the Patriots at the NFL Scouting Combine in February, according to MassLive.com’s Kevin Duffy.
Once considered a probable first-round draft pick, Tabor’s stock has fallen after he posted disappointing 40-yard dash times at both the combine (4.62 seconds) and Florida’s pro day (4.77 seconds).
Tabor blamed these slow times on a minor hamstring injury suffered shortly before the combine.
“Teams have been shocked that I ran that slow, because they know I don’t play slow — they watch the film,” he told Rapoport last week. “It’s ridiculous. I just want to let everyone know what was going on.”
Regardless of his less-than-stellar 40 times, Tabor is renowned for both his size (6 feet, 199 pounds) and his quickness, which he flashed during his three seasons with the Gators. Tabor intercepted eight passes and broke up 28 in 37 games as a collegian.
“Turn on the tape and see me running step for step with 4.3, 4.4 guys in the SEC — (current Patriots wide receiver) Malcolm Mitchell and Reggie Davis at Georgia, Josh Malone at Tennessee, guys like that,” he told Rapoport. “Everyone I’ve visited with said they really don’t care about that, I play faster.”
The Patriots currently do not own a selection in the first two rounds of the 2017 NFL Draft after swinging trades for Brandin Cooks and Kony Ealy last month. Barring another deal, New England will not pick until No. 72 — the eighth pick of the third round.
Given his recent slide down draft boards, Tabor could be available at that spot, and the Patriots could be in the market for cornerback help, especially if they are unable to re-sign restricted free agent Malcolm Butler.
Thumbnail photo via Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports Images
