New England did not draft a wide receiver, but Grambling State wide receiver/running back Walter Williams is among the undrafted free agents the Patriots will bring in for rookie orientation this weekend.
A spokeswomen for the Grambling football department confirmed that Williams has agreed to a deal, which will be signed Thursday, when the rookies report. The 6-1, 210-pound Williams went virtually undetected on NFL radar screens because he had to sit out the 2000 season after he found out his college eligibility had run out.
Williams' only season at Grambling was 1999, when he caught 29 passes for 678 yards and six touchdowns to help the Tigers finish 7-4 and in third place of the Southwestern Athletic Conference East Division. He also gained 158 rushing yards on 31 carries and averaged 19.7 yards on 10 kick returns.
Williams' teammate, Scotty Anderson, a wide receiver drafted in the fifth round by Detroit, was the first Grambling player drafted in seven seasons. The two are the first are the first pair of Tigers to get signed in the same year since defensive back Roderick Mullen (5th round, New York Giants) and receiver Curtis Ceaser (7th round, New York Jets) were selected in the 1994 draft.
