Grissom ‘crying like a baby' when he heard from Patriots

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FOXBORO -- Even before he was drafted in the third round with the No. 97 overall selection, Geneo Grissom sounded like a Patriot.

He played all over the field while at Oklahoma University, including stints at linebacker in a 3-4 defense, at defensive end in a 4-3 defense, on the interior of the defensive line, and even at tight end. Patriots coach Bill Belichick said the 6-foot-3, 266-pounder had as good a workout at tight end that the team saw all year. 

For a team that values versatility as much as any other, Grissom's selection made sense.

He explained on a conference call Friday that he had "been put through the ringer," playing for a couple of different defensive coordinators, moving from offense to defense, and changing roles so frequently. 

But he felt those various experiences helped him understand the game on a deeper level.

"I think I’ve always looked at it as a plus," he said. "Like I said before, I saw it as an opportunity to learn the game and expand my knowledge of how the game is played and everything like that."

Grissom's openness to having an on-the-field role that was constantly changing -- and the fact that he showed he could succeed in those roles -- was very likely one of the things that attracted the Patriots to him in the first place. 

He had a private workout with the team and made a visit to Gillette Stadium, where he talked football with the coaching staff and became better acquainted with Belichick. 

The fit was right, and when he received a call from the Patriots on Friday night at the end of the third round, Grissom was overcome with emotion. 

"It was crazy," he said. "I had family members that were calling it a night and everybody was about to go to bed, and I get a phone call and I saw that it was from Foxboro. I kept telling myself I wasn’t going to cry, I wasn’t going to cry and I ended up crying like a baby."

By the next day, though, while on a conference call with reporters, he didn't let his excitement get the best of him. When asked if he had spoken with Belichick or the coaching staff about how he'd fit into the Patriots defense -- specifically which of his many college positions he'd be playing as a pro -- he stonewalled the question. 

"Come on guys," he said. "You know I can’t answer that."

Yup. Sounds like a Patriot.

Here are a few more highlights from Grissom's conference call:

On if there's anything he's looking forward to about living in the area: "Well, I mean I love hockey. The Bruins are awesome. [Zdeno] Chara is a beast."

On if he felt like the Sugar Bowl game against Alabama in 2013 (2.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries, one for a touchdown) put him on the map: "I would say so. I wasn’t obviously a big-name guy before that game. I think that game kind of opened some eyes. I knew that and I knew that I was going to have to have a pretty good season this past season if I was going to open some more eyes and turn some more heads."

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