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Patriots sign DL Richard

Email|Link|Comments (6) Posted by Christopher L. Gasper, Globe Staff July 15, 2009 09:14 PM

According to two league sources, the Patriots have signed rookie defensive lineman Darryl Richard, the second of their two seventh-round picks (No. 234 overall), to a four-year deal.

The deal was reached earlier this week.

The last of the 12 players the Patriots picked in the 2009 draft, Richard is the fourth draft pick to ink a deal with the Patriots, joining cornerback Darius Butler, offensive lineman Rich Ohrnberger and fellow defensive lineman Myron Pryor.

The 6-foot, 4-inch, 290-pound Richard was a second-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection for Georgia Tech last season, after he had 34 tackles, 10 tackles for a loss and four sacks.

One of Richard's greatest assets -- on and off the field -- is his intelligence. He scored a 37 on the Wonderlic intelligence test given to NFL draft prospects. That was the highest score of any Patriots draft pick, and the top mark among all defensive linemen in the draft.

Richard earned his bachelor's degree in management in three years. He then completed a masters's degree in business administration in a year and a half, graduating one semester early.

In 2008, he won the James E. Tatum Award, presented to the ACC's top student-athlete among football players.

Richard plays the piano and was also the president of the Georgia Tech student advisory board in 2006-07.

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6 comments so far...

Mike, is the length of the contract significant? 4 years seems like a long time for a 7th rounder, especially for a guy who many predict will only be on the practice squad. I'd be curious to see the lengths of the contracts signed by late round draft picks in previous years, to see if it's a good predictor of whether or not they make the regular roster.

Posted by MarkZ July 15, 09 10:45 PM

I know BB values smarts in his players, but he has to be careful not to gooverboard and sign the President of the Mensa Society, who has an IQ of 265, but is 5 ft 1 tall, wears glasses and brace , weighs 120 lbs and wheezes.

Posted by mynameisbob July 15, 09 10:46 PM

Hi MarkZ. The length of the contract is not that significant in this case. The longer the deal, the more the team can spread out the salary cap acceleration, so four years helps them in that regard.
--Mike

Posted by Mike Reiss July 15, 09 10:50 PM

Bob, I'm sure Mike has passed along your wisdom to Belichick. BB needs input from fans to help him make smart decisions. And yes, the one thing we all worry about is him going overboard - certainly the Krafts can't keep him reigned in.

Posted by CJ July 16, 09 07:18 AM

Mike: If there is no signing bonus or other guarantees, then a 4 year deal is no risk to the Patriots because he could be cut in any subsequent year without penalty. I'm not sure what you might be referring to as "salary cap acceleration".?

Posted by justin-r July 16, 09 01:16 PM

Methink the Patriots need players as well as fans who have some smarts.

Posted by mynameisbob July 16, 09 09:16 PM

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Mike Reiss, Christopher L. Gasper and the rest of the Globe team provide regular updates –and a behind-the-scenes look– on the daily happenings of the Patriots.

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