The New England Patriots have been active in the post-2020 NFL Draft haze, recently adding undrafted tight end Jake Burt from Boston College with a deal that pays him a guaranteed $80,000. As Adam Schefter of ESPN notes, the contract is one of the largest for any undrafted tight ends on the market.

Burt, who played his senior season at 6-foot-3 and 260 pounds, doesn't enter the professional ranks with a plethora of statistical information to glean through. His first three years on campus saw him accumulate just eight receptions for 95 yards and one touchdown. Last season, he played in seven games and recorded 15 catches for 212 yards and his second career score.

Shortly prior to the NFL Draft, New England dealt away previously retired tight end Rob Gronkowski to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While the team was not expecting to have Gronkowski in 2020, he had left a glaring hole in the offense in 2019, with the team still attempting to plug the gap heading into its first season without quarterback Tom Brady since 1999.

Article Continues Below
More Patriots News
New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski (87) and New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) celebrate a touchdown in the second quarter at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens
Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski recreate Lombardi Trophy boat moment with a twistGuillermo Guajardo ·
New England Patriots wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (16) warms up before the start of the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Gillette Stadium.
Raiders’ Jakobi Meyers earns prestigious tag that’ll leave Patriots fans screamingJaren Kawada ·
New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs (8) walks to the podium to speak to the media after minicamp held in the WIN Field House at Gillette Stadium.
Josh Allen sends Patriots’ Drake Maye an inspiring Stefon Diggs messageBenedetto Vitale ·
New England Patriots wide receiver Kyle Williams (18) makes a catch during minicamp at Gillette Stadium.
Patriots’ Kyle Williams shows rookie swagger, ready to prove himselfJosh Davis ·
Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel talks with New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) before the preseason game at Nissan Stadium.
Tom Brady’s endorsement of Mike Vrabel will inspire confidenceScotty White ·
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel speaks to defensive end Keion White (99) and linebacker K'Lavon Chaisson (44) after minicamp held in the WIN Field House at Gillette Stadium.
Patriots’ stud signing bringing ‘physicality’ to Mike VrabelLorenzo J Reyna ·

In addition to Burt, the Patriots have numerous options to catch passes and block at tight end — Matt LaCosse, Devin Asiasi, Dalton Keene and Ryan Izzo are just a few. The team invested in Asiasi, whom they chose with their third-round choice Friday.

Irrespective of who lines up under center, the Patriots have made it clear that the tight end position is a point of development moving forward after Benjamin Watson manned the spot primarily in 2019. Whether Burt can crack the squad remains to be seen, but either way, he has gotten a significant seal of approval with this contract guarantee.