Patriots Sign Rhode Island WR Prospect
FOXBORO — With the official start of summer close on the horizon, the New England Patriots are giving the Ocean State’s top 2023 pro-level prospect a chance to make his NFL dreams become a reality.
The Pats, per a Monday morning ESPN report, are signing undrafted free agent wide receiver Ed Lee.
The 5-10, 185-pound wideout played his college football at the University of Rhode Island. In 37 career games for URI, Lee caught 86 passes for 1262 yards and eight touchdowns.
Lee put his name on the pro scouting map with a standout performance in 2022. Having started all 11 games in which he played, the Washington D.C. native finished his redshirt senior season with 56 catches for 908 yards and five touchdowns. He earned second-team All-CAA Football honors as a wide receiver and third-team as a punt returner Not only did he lead the CAA with 908 receiving yards, he also placed third in the association and seventh in yards-per-catch with 16.2. He also averaged 11.3 yards per punt return on special teams.
The Patriots have maintained watch on Lee since the pre-draft process. He participated in Southern New England’s regional pro day held on the campus of Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island in March — running a 4.53 forty and displaying rapid and fluid movement in his cuts during the field work portion of the workout. After going undrafted in April, Lee was invited to the Patriots rookie minicamp last month.
With Lee’s signing, the Patriots now have seven wide receivers on their depth chart, including Juju Smith-Schuster, Kendrick Bourne, DeVante Parker, Tyquan Thornton, Tre Nixon, Kayshon Boutte and Demario Douglas.
While some may consider him a long-shot to make the 53 man roster, Lee’s ability to contribute as a pass-catcher, as well as in the return game, may provide him with good chance to do so. He fills one of the two roster spots which opened following the processing Devin McCourty’s retirement and the release of defensive lineman Justus Tavai on Friday.
The Patriots now have one remaining spot available on their 90-man roster.
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