The New England Patriots have always been known to haul in undrafted free agents after the annual draft proceedings. Fortunately for them, a good number of their pickups have turned into impact players who became staples in the team's roster for several years already. The long list includes wide receiver Jakobi Meyers, cornerback J.C. Jackson, and All-Pro return specialist Gunner Olszewski, just to name a few.
Despite their success with undrafted free agents, the Patriots decided to stray away from heading in this direction as this year's draft consisted of a smaller number of players as compared to last season, thus resulting in a weaker crop of talent. Not to mention that the Patriots have already acquired several free agents in the offseason so there won't be many vacant roster spots to fill heading to the season.
However, Michigan kicker Quinn Nordin turned out to be an exception for the Patriots as he was signed as an undrafted free agent a few days after the 2021 NFL Draft. Through four seasons played with the Wolverines, he went 42-of-58 on field goals and 119-of-124 on extra points in 37 appearances. In his senior year, he only went 2-of-5 in four games played as he missed the majority of their campaign due to an injury.
The Michigan native will join veteran kickers Nick Folk and Roberto Aguayo on the Patriots' lineup for training camp. Folk recently concluded his second season with the team and managed to double his production after seeing a rough debut campaign for New England back in 2019. He made 26-of-28 on field goals and 30-on-33 on extra points to notch a total of 108 points through 16 games played in the 2020 season.
Folk's applaudable performance led him to ink a fresh one-year contract to stay with the Patriots for another season upon heading to his 14th campaign in the league. On the other hand, Aguayo has yet to see significant action on the field as he spent the last two years being a free agent in the league. He previously worked out for the Patriots back in December of 2020 and was signed to the team's practice squad before agreeing to a reserve/future contract back in early January of 2021.
To back up Folk and Aguayo, it won't hurt for the Patriots to include the incoming rookie in Nordin on their opening day roster. Based on the Patriots' current kicking unit, there is certainly room to accommodate the 22-year-old as an undrafted free agent. With a few spots left on the team's lineup, he can definitely make it to the Week 1 roster if he manages to perform in training camp, barring any sudden signings in the coming weeks.
In hopes of having a comeback season, the Patriots have to ensure that they have enough talent on every position group on their roster, including the kicking unit. Needless to say, the extra points coming from the kickers can ultimately spell the difference for the team whenever they find themselves in the middle of tightly contested games.
Hopefully, Quinn Nordin will be able to make an impact if he manages to be named to the team's roster and see action on the field next season. The Patriots are hoping that the former Michigan talent will be their next diamond in the rough that could eventually play an impactful role for the team in the coming years.
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