James Develin seems to be joining the tight end mix

Photo via patriots.com

With Rob Gronkowski recovering from a torn ACL and... yea, thats it for tight end. So the Patriots have a big hole to fill. They did resign Hooman and have two undrafted rookies (Justin Jones and Asa Watson) looking to make an impact. But that doesn't seem to be quite enough at tight end.

Throughout the spring it seems James Develin has been practicing with the tight ends and has spent most of his time on the line, rather than the backfield. Develin seems to be enjoying the challenge:

“It’s a little different but fullback is pretty closely tied to tight end. I’m trying to get out there and do what’s best for the team and wherever they need me is where I’ll play. I’m just trying to do my best wherever they put me.”

But the transition isn't perfect and Develin admits there are growing pains (as expected):

“You have a little bit more time when you’re coming out of the backfield to decipher things and the collisions are a little bigger too. There’s a little bit of differences and there are some things that take some adjusting coming out of a stance when the guy is standing right in front of you, but I’m just trying to get acclimated to that and get used to it and do my best.”

I am a huge James Develin supporter, ever since his epic goal line run against the Texans last year. So anything that gets this guy more playing time I'm okay with.

- Pete Rogers
@ftcsports
@petahrahgas