Patriots may start undrafted Rookie Zach Sudfeld with Rob Gronkowski out
By Jason Marcum
The new England Patriots are faced with an unimaginable situation entering the 2013 NFL Season. They lost WR Wes Welker, (118 catches in 2012), TE Aaron Hernandez (51 receptions in ’12), WR Brandon Lloyd (74 in ’12), and they’re still unsure as to whether TE Rob Gronkowski (55 catches) being ready for the start of the season.
Needless to say, they’ll be looking for players to step up who would normally not even sniff the field.
According to the Boston Globe, rookie TE Zach Sudfeld may very well be that player, as he has begun running with the first-team offense unit in Patriots training camp. Pats Beat Writer Ben Volin calls Sudfeld “potentially the best tight end on the field,” and during today’s practice, Sudfeld continued to impress:
"Tight end Zach Sudfeld once again made a handful of acrobatic catches, catching the eye of several national observers watching the Patriots practice for the first time.Sudfeld displayed tremendous body control on two consecutive touchdown catches — a one-handed grab in the corner on which he tapped his toes inbounds, and a jumping, twisting catch in the back of the end zone on which he again tapped his toes inbounds."