Patriots Rookie Reveals Story Behind Edelman-Esque Position Change

FOXBORO, Mass. — Last week, Bill Belichick compared a typical Patriots rookie’s first few months in the NFL to “drinking out of a firehose.”

Imagine, then, what this experience must be like for Malik Cunningham, who’s not just making the leap from college to the pros, but doing so at a position he’s never played.

From pee-wee football all the way through his prolific collegiate career, Cunningham always was a quarterback, always at the center of the action. But now, as an undrafted rookie, he’s trying to carve out an NFL role at a different spot: wide receiver.

“I’d never ran a route ever in my life,” Cunningham said after Day 1 of Patriots minicamp. “… I always had the ball. Now, it’s kind of different. It’s good, though, becoming a team player. I like it.”

“I’m doing all this off raw athleticism.”

Patriots QB-turned-receiver Malik Cunningham

Cunningham was a four-year starter at quarterback at Louisville, and the Patriots’ official roster lists him as one. He knew, though, when he signed a UDFA contract with New England that included a hefty $200,000 in guaranteed money, that he’d be changing positions.

The Patriots were the only team to work Cunningham out as a wideout before the 2023 NFL Draft, with offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien doing so personally. He saw a small handful of reps behind center in New England’s first open spring practice but has worked almost exclusively with the receivers, including attending their positional meetings rather than QB ones.

“We’re giving him some work at receiver,” Belichick said last week. “We’ll see how it goes. He’s an athletic kid, smart. He’s able to learn two spots. We’ll see.”

Despite his inexperience, Cunningham is hoping his work ethic, football IQ and supreme athletic traits will help him make a successful transition. Listed at 6 feet, 188 pounds, he rushed for more than 3,100 yards and 50 touchdowns in college and ran the 40-yard dash in 4.53 seconds at the NFL Scouting Combine.

“I’m doing all this off raw athleticism,” Cunningham said. “So I’m just trying to get better, trying to find the little looks that Mac (Jones) sees and Bailey (Zappe) and Trace (McSorley), trying to get on the same page.

“Because I’ve been in their position (as a QB) and knew kind of where I wanted my guys to be. Now, I’m one of their guys, so I’ve just got to get where they need me to be.”

Of course, being in New England, Cunningham has a clear source of inspiration as he makes the switch from throwing passes to catching them. O’Brien already showed him Julian Edelman film during rookie minicamp, and Cunningham has heard Edelman’s name mentioned “once a week at least” since arriving in New England.

Knowing that Edelman came to Foxboro as a dual-threat Kent State quarterback and developed into one of the greatest receivers in franchise history strongly influenced Cunningham’s decision to join the Patriots.

“He played quarterback in college, of course,” Cunningham said. “Just seeing the success he had at receiver, it just goes to show that it can be done.”

Cunningham, who said he has not spoken with Edelman, clearly still needs some seasoning in his new role. He has not been a standout performer during spring practices, but that’s not surprising given his nearly nonexistent background as a pass-catcher.

“There’s some days where I’m like, ‘Man, I’m overwhelmed,’ ” Cunningham admitted. “But you’ve just got to take a deep breath, relax and just keep chipping away and trying to get better each and every day.”

In Monday’s practice, Cunningham caught just one of his four targets in 7-on-7 drills and was not targeted in competitive 11-on-11s. He’s working to gain a foothold in a Patriots receiving that features a clear top four (JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne and Tyquan Thornton, though Smith-Schuster and Thornton have been sidelined by injuries) followed by a collection of young and inexperienced roster hopefuls (Tre Nixon, Raleigh Webb, Demario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte, Ed Lee and Cunningham). There’s also still the possibility of a DeAndre Hopkins signing with the five-time Pro Bowler reportedly set to visit the Patriots this week.

“It’s definitely different,” said Cunningham, who looks like a roster long shot at this early stage. “But I’m a team player, so whatever the team needs me to do, I’m going to do it to the best of my ability even though I never did it before. Just keep working every day and try to get better at it.”