Time nears for undrafted players to find teams

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By Tom E. Curran
CSNNE.com Patriots InsiderFollow @tomecurran
Tom Brady said it on June 3, Robert Kraft said it on June 9 and this week has brought more of the same good news regarding the NFL lockout. Progress has been made, optimism reigns and the end of the labor strife looms. Once the lockout ends, all the college players who went undrafted in April will finally have a chance to hook on with NFL teams. Players like Boston College linebacker Mark Herzlich, Delaware quarterback Pat Devlin, Oregon defensive lineman Brandon Bair and West Virginia running back Noel Devine are going to finally be able to say, "Mom, Dad... I have a job."Our friends at NEPatriotsDraft.com have a list of the prime undrafted guys. For the Patriots, a player like Bair may be very attractive. He's 6-6, 276 pounds and can play that five-technique defensive end spot the Patriots really didn't address in the draft. He's 26 years old having spent two years away from college on a Mormon mission. Normally, undrafted free agents are quickly signed by teams immediately after the draft. Because of the lockout -- even though teams and agents cannot have contact about players -- there's probably been a lot more time for research on the part of the undrafted free agents to figure out where they'd like to work. And there's been more time for teams to set their targets as well. "For undrafted guys, (agents) have to strike fast and get those players in because you don't want to be left standing up without a chair when the music stops," said agent Joe Linta."You need to know from your research prior to the draft theone, two or 10 teams who would be interested. For an undrafted guy, it will be sign first, ask questions later."

Tom E. Curran can be reached at tcurran@comcastsportsnet.com. Follow Tom on Twitter at http:twitter.comtomecurran.

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