Patriots sign first-round draft pick Dominique Easley
By Brian Miller
The New England Patriots now have all of their draft picks under contract. Patriots.com reported a short time ago that first round pick, defensive lineman Dominque Easley, has agreed to terms of his rookie deal. Easley’s signing brings the total number of unsigned draft picks in the NFL down to five.
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First round selections Justin Gilbert, who was taken 8th overall by the Cleveland Browns, and Tackle Taylor Lewan, taken 11th by the Tennessee Titans, are the only remaining first rounders without contracts. The Jacksonville Jaguars drafted two wide receivers in round two, Marqise Lee taken 39th overall and Allen Robinson taken 61st overall, both of whom remain unsigned. The last player remaining of the five is Miami Dolphins third round pick, offensive lineman Billy Turner.
Easley was a full time starter and team captain at Florida. He started 26 of 32 games in his college career, registering 5.5 sacks and 81 total tackles. In addition to the announcement of Easley’s signing, the Patriots also announced that they had signed offensive lineman, Chris Martin.
Martin was signed by the Houston Texans as a 2014 undrafted rookie out of Central Florida. He was waived along with three other players on May 19th for an undisclosed injury. He will try and make the Patriots roster, but will have a better chance of making the teams practice squad if he can stay healthy and show he is able to transition to the NFL level.
Easley is expected to help the Patriots’ defense immediately from his defensive line position. Many believed that Easley would have been a top ten selection had he not had bilateral ACL surgeries. Pre-draft, he was projected to be a third or fourth round selection.