When Sidy Sow picked up his iPhone on Saturday and heard a representative from the New England Patriots on the other end, his mind went blank. "Into scrambles," was how he described it.
Sow, a big-bodied offensive lineman out of Eastern Michigan, couldn't believe the Patriots chose to select him in the fourth round (117th overall) of the 2023 NFL Draft, making him the first player from his school to be drafted since 2019 and one of just five Canadian-born prospects picked this year.
"I had a hard time understanding what was happening," the 24-year-old admitted.
But once Sow composed himself and the reality of where he landed set in, he quickly grabbed his phone again and pulled up FaceTime.
"The first person that I called was Chad," he said. "... I just thought that was the craziest thing in the world, so I needed to talk to him."
"Chad" was kicker Chad Ryland, whom the Patriots had traded up to take with pick No. 112 about 10 minutes earlier. Ryland finished his college career at Maryland, where he established himself as one of this year's top draft prospects at his position. But he spent his first four seasons at Eastern Michigan, playing on the same oddly colored turf field as Sow.
The two Patriots draftees, it turns out, have been great friends for years. Naturally, they were pumped to learn they'd be reuniting in New England.
"Sidy's my guy," Ryland said. "We actually had a FaceTime call together not too long after he got drafted. I think there were a little bit of tears in both of our eyes. It was a pretty emotional moment for us. We've been really, really, really good friends from the time we were both at Eastern Michigan. We're still in a couple of group chats together. We like to joke back and forth with each other and whatnot.
"But Sidy is an awesome dude, awesome competitor, super strong, and just overall a really hard worker and great guy."
A high school defensive lineman in his native Quebec, Sow started 44 games at left guard and 11 at left tackle for EMU, setting school records for career starts and games played (57). Scouting reports praise his power as a run blocker, and he allowed just six career sacks while committing only one penalty (a false start) last season.
Sow projects as a guard at the NFL level, but at 6-foot-5, 323 pounds, the Patriots could try him out at tackle after surprisingly ignoring the position in the draft. New England also selected two other interior O-linemen in Troy's Jake Anderson (fourth round) and UCLA's Atonio Mafi (fifth).
Ryland, meanwhile, went 19-for-23 on field-goal attempts (82.6%) in his lone season at Maryland after leaving Eastern Michigan as the school's all-time leader in points scored. As a fourth-round pick and the Patriots' highest-drafted specialist of the Bill Belichick era, he'll be expected to beat out veteran incumbent Nick Folk in training camp.
"Chad is a stud," Sow said. "He's the best kicker in the nation, and he's going to be one of the best kickers in the NFL. That's 100% fact. And as a person, I love him. He's a great dude. We've known each other for a while. We still talk to each other to this day. We're big 'Call of Duty' partners, and it's crazy that we're once again teammates."
Ryland also has a prior connection with another Patriots draft pick, sixth-round punter Bryce Baringer. The two got acquainted while Ryland was at Eastern Michigan and the bespectacled Baringer was punting at Michigan State, and the two linked back up at the 2023 Senior Bowl, where they were teammates on the National Team.
"Chad and I have known each other for a long time, back from his days at Eastern Michigan then into the Big Ten with him at Maryland this year," said Baringer, who will battle veteran newcomer Corliss Waitman for a roster spot. "Then also some familiarity, we were teammates at the Senior Bowl. So that was really awesome just to see him go, and then be able to get the call. It'll be fun to be able to get with him."
The Patriots drafted a total of 12 players -- their largest draft haul since 2010 -- and had signed three additional undrafted free agents as of Monday morning. The first-year pros will take part in rookie minicamp before New England holds its first full-squad spring practice May 22.
