Though the team was fairly quiet in the first two rounds, Bill Belichick and Co. were very busy on the third day of the Draft. With their first pick in the fourth-round, the Patriots selected Bryan Stork, a center from Florida State. At 6-foot-4, Stork is larger in comparison to past Patriots centers and he won the Rimington Trophy as the nation's best center in 2013. Belichick continued to bolster his offensive line later in the fourth by picking Stanford tackle, Cameron Fleming. Fleming is graduating with a degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics and was selected to the second-team All Pac-12 in 2013. In between the two offensive lineman picks, the team selected running back James White from Wisconsin. The 5-9 back is known for his quickness and showed an ability to catch the ball out of the backfield with 39 receptions in his senior season. Also important to note is that he only fumbled twice in his 754 career touches at Wisconsin.
Though the team did not have a pick in the fifth round, they had three picks in the sixth and made good use of them. With the first pick in the round, the team selected it's third offensive lineman of the day. Jon Halapio, a 6-4 guard from Florida, is known for his warrior mentality according to NFL.com and was a highly respected team captain. Later in the round the Patriots selected Zach Moore, a 6-5 defensive end from Concordia in Saint Paul, MN and Jemea Thomas a defensive back from Georgia Tech. Moore set the school record for most career sacks with 33 over his four years at Concordia. He is also the first player from his school to be drafted by an NFL team. And finally, with their last pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots selected wide receiver Jeremy Gallon. Gallon is a rather short receiver at only 5-foot-7, but averaged more than 100 yards receiver per game in his final season at the University of Michigan.
And with that, the Patriots 2014 Draft came to a close and the team now has nine new members on its roster. Jackie Brittain and PFW's Andy Hart broke down the team's draft as a whole and highlighted some of the rookies that will have the biggest impact on the upcoming season.
Here is a full breakdown of our coverage from Day 3 of the NFL Draft:
ARTICLES & BLOGS:
Bryan Stork Conference Call Transcript
James White Conference Call Transcript
Cameron Fleming Conference Call Transcript
Jon Halapio Conference Call Transcript
Zach Moore Conference Call Transcript
Jemea Thomas Conference Call Transcript
Bill Belichick Press Conference Transcript
Patriots draft seven on final day of the draft
VIDEO:
Bryan Stork College Highlights
James White College Highlights
Cameron Flemming College Highlights
AFC East draft grades
Jon Halapio College Highlights
That's a wrap on Day 3
AUDIO:
Stork 5/10: This is where I wanted to be
White 5/10: Ball security is job security
Fleming 5/10: Very happy to be chosen by Patriots
PFW in Progress 5/10: Draft show day three
Moore 5/10: Ready to put the work in
Halapio 5/10: Glad I got that phone call!
Thomas 5/10: Excited to play with friend, Dennard
Gallon 5/10: Can't wait to play with Brady
PHOTOS:
Patriots 4th Round Pick (105) - Bryan Stork, C, FSU
Patriots 4th Round Pick (130) - James White, RB, Wisconsin
Patriots 4th Round Pick (140) - Cameron Fleming, T, Stanford
Happy Mothers Day from the Patriots
Patriots Sixth Round Pick (179) - Jon Halapio, G, Florida
Patriots Sixth Round Pick (198) - Zach Moore, DE, Concordia
Patriots Sixth Round Pick (206) - Jemea Thomas, DB, Georgia Tech
Patriots Seventh Round Pick - Jeremy Gallon, WR, Michigan
Meet the Patriots 2014 Draft Class
