Sports
Pats sign four more
![]() Kevin O'Connell throws a pass for the Patriots during mini-camp. The rookie QB signed with the team on Monday. (Staff photo by MARK STOCKWELL)
Top Headlines Having announced the signings of their two third-round draft selections, a veteran offensive tackle and a free-agent first-year wide receiver Monday, the Patriots now have only to get first pick Jerod Mayo and second selection Terrence Wheatley into the fold prior to Thursday to consider the offseason re-stocking of the roster a rousing success. Linebacker Shawn Crable and quarterback Kevin O'Connell were inked to contracts Monday morning as rookies were reporting to Gillette Stadium for three days of private orientation prior to the official start of camp. Terms for Crable, the 78th overall selection out of Michigan, and O'Connell, the 94th overall pick out of San Diego State, were not announced. Not long after, the Patriots announced the signings of veteran offensive tackle Anthony Clement and wide receiver Chris Dunlap. Terms of those agreements were also not disclosed. Clement, 32, is a veteran of 10 NFL seasons with the Arizona Cardinals (1998-2004), San Francisco 49ers (2005) and New York Jets (2006-07). The 6-foot-8, 320-pound offensive tackle has played in 128 career games with 107 starts. He started at right tackle for the Jets in every game in each of the last two seasons. His signing by the Patriots may give them a much more comfortable cushion at a position where uncertainty reigns at present. Veteran starter Nick Kaczur is still facing legal problems over his offseason arrest in upstate New York for possession of illegal pain-killers. Kaczur has remained on the roster since his arrest and was present at the Patriots' veteran minicamp, but if there's a ready replacement in the wings, the team may not hesitate much longer in cutting its ties with him. Clement spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Cardinals after being selected in the second round of the 1998 NFL Draft (36th overall) out of Louisiana-Lafayette. After playing in one game as a rookie in 1998, he went on to start 45 straight contests for the Cardinals from 1999-2001. Clement was released by the Jets on March 4. Dunlap, 22, was originally signed by the Patriots as a rookie free agent out of Georgia Tech on May 14, 2007. The 5-foot-11, 200-pound receiver participated in last year's training camp before being released on Sept. 1. As for the draft picks, Crable, 23, played in 47 games with 20 starts for Michigan from 2004-07. The 6-foot-5, 243-pound linebacker recorded 148 tackles (101 solo), tying for 10th on the Wolverines' all-time tackles list. As a senior in 2007, Crable served as one of three team captains and set a school record with 28.5 tackles for losses, a total that ranked second in the nation. O'Connell, 23, played in 40 games with 33 starts for San Diego State over four seasons. The 6-foot-5, 225-pound signal-caller completed 664 of 1,151 passes (57.7 percent) for 7,689 yards, 46 touchdowns and 34 interceptions in his college career. He also added 386 rushes for 1,312 yards and 19 touchdowns. His 9,001 yards of total offense (7,689 passing yards and 1,312 rushing yards) rank second in school history. Crable and Mayo, the 10th overall selection in the draft, are expected to bring much-needed new blood to an aging linebacking corps. Wheatley, the cornerback from Colorado selected in the second round, may play a key role in the rebuilding of the Patriots' defensive backfield if he does not miss any practice time in camp. And O'Connell may present a conundrum to the Patriots' coaching staff, who have not carried four quarterbacks on the regular-season roster since Tom Brady's rookie season of 2000. Linebacker Bo Ruud, wide receiver and kick returner Matthew Slater and cornerback Jonathan Wilhite had already been signed prior to the rookie crop's scheduled Monday arrival in Foxboro.
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