Two Points
One down, eleven to go. On Friday, June 12th, the Patriots reached a contract agreement with fourth round pick, OL Rich Ohrnberger. He hasn’t signed the contract yet, but the hard part is done.
With Ohrnberger a formality, the next question is how long will it take to sign the remaining eleven draft picks?
New England has a very good history of signing their draft picks. Only TE Benjamin Watson had a prolonged holdout before signing a rookie contract. With no first round picks, one would guess the Pats will have an easy time getting everyone under contract.
But the sheer number of draft picks presents a different set of complications. New England has set aside a pool of money for the draft picks and every individual is reaching for as much cash as possible. It’s easier to cut a pie in fewer pieces.