The New England Patriots have officially signed the remaining members of their most recent draft class, the team announced.
First-round offensive lineman Cole Strange, second-round wide receiver Tyquan Thornton and fourth-round quarterback Bailey Zappe have all signed the dotted line, wrapping up the contracts on the 2022 class. The terms of the contracts were not announced.
Strange was the 29th overall pick coming out of Chattanooga at 23 years old. Due to COVID-19, he was granted an extra year of eligibility and was a starter in all five of his seasons. The 305-pound, 6-foot-5 OL started all 11 games of 2021, where his offense averaged 205.5 rushing yards per game. He started 44 of 49 games over the course of his college career.
Thornton, out of Baylor, was chosen 50th overall at the age of 21. Coming in at 6-foot-2 and 182 pounds, he was a starter in all 14 games he was a part of in 2021. He led his squad with 10 receiving touchdowns and 62 receptions for a total of 948 yards. He concluded his college career with 2,242 receiving yards, good for 10th all-time in Bears history.
6-foot-1, 220-pound Zappe was the 137th overall pick by the Patriots. The 23-year-old attended Western Kentucky for the 2021 season where he earned the title of Conference USA MVP. He was given this honor after completing 475-of-686 passes for a total of 5,967 yards, and threw 62 touchdowns (both good for NCAA records) with just 11 interceptions. Prior to transferring for his final year, the QB attended Houston Baptist from 2017 through 2020.
The Patriots will need to make additional roster moves to fit these signings under the NFL salary cap.
