NFL Draft watch: charting tight end Ben Patrick
Undergoes character evaluations, meets with Jets
by Brendan Reed
Issue date: 4/17/07 Section: Sports
With less than two weeks until the NFL Draft, the waiting game is beginning to intensify for Ben Patrick. After meeting with the New York Jets coaching staff last week, Patrick is currently working out in Atlanta with his brother, training for whichever team decides to select him. And, like any other football player who has not competed in a while, Patrick is ready to get started.
"I'm just trying to make sure I'm ready when it's time to report to camp," he said. "I don't want to have to fight to get in shape when I'm in camp so that'd be one less thing to worry about."
Patrick said his visit with the Jets was similar to the one he had with the Philadelphia Eagles two weeks ago. Patrick spent time with the team's position coaches, who gave him a look into some of the strategies and packages the Jets like to employ. They quizzed him and put him in certain football situations to see how quickly he could learn. He met briefly with the entire coaching staff and gave them a good look at what kind of person he was.
With the recent suspensions by the NFL of Tennessee Titans cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones and Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry, teams around the league are looking carefully into the character of players. The staff's caution is meant to avoid potential embarrassments like in the cases of Jones or Henry, but also to protect themselves because now entire teams can be penalized for the misconduct of their players. Patrick said the Jets definitely had that in mind when they met with him.
"The whole reason you're there is to try and get to know the [player]," he said. "That's both an assessment of character and to see how fast you can learn things. I think that's what their intentions are when they bring you in."
As far as differences between the Jets and Eagles, there were not many, Patrick said. He explained that both teams had the same goals in mind when bringing him in - to gauge him both as a person and as a player - and that his limited meeting times with the coaching staffs left him equally impressed.
"They're both just trying to get to know me better," he said. "Both facilities were really nice and both coaching staffs were nice as well, so it wasn't really me comparing them so much. The sessions are only 10 to 15 minutes long with each coach, so you can't do too much besides just talking a little bit and try to get to know each other."
Patrick said he does not have any team visits planned in the near future but that his workouts would continue up until the draft. He said he plans to watch the draft in Atlanta with his family.
For now, Patrick's workouts remain the focus of his day-to-day life. Just 11 days remain until the draft and he would not want to be unprepared.
Part two in a three-part series about Patrick's preparations for the NFL draft.
"I'm just trying to make sure I'm ready when it's time to report to camp," he said. "I don't want to have to fight to get in shape when I'm in camp so that'd be one less thing to worry about."
Patrick said his visit with the Jets was similar to the one he had with the Philadelphia Eagles two weeks ago. Patrick spent time with the team's position coaches, who gave him a look into some of the strategies and packages the Jets like to employ. They quizzed him and put him in certain football situations to see how quickly he could learn. He met briefly with the entire coaching staff and gave them a good look at what kind of person he was.
With the recent suspensions by the NFL of Tennessee Titans cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones and Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry, teams around the league are looking carefully into the character of players. The staff's caution is meant to avoid potential embarrassments like in the cases of Jones or Henry, but also to protect themselves because now entire teams can be penalized for the misconduct of their players. Patrick said the Jets definitely had that in mind when they met with him.
"The whole reason you're there is to try and get to know the [player]," he said. "That's both an assessment of character and to see how fast you can learn things. I think that's what their intentions are when they bring you in."
As far as differences between the Jets and Eagles, there were not many, Patrick said. He explained that both teams had the same goals in mind when bringing him in - to gauge him both as a person and as a player - and that his limited meeting times with the coaching staffs left him equally impressed.
"They're both just trying to get to know me better," he said. "Both facilities were really nice and both coaching staffs were nice as well, so it wasn't really me comparing them so much. The sessions are only 10 to 15 minutes long with each coach, so you can't do too much besides just talking a little bit and try to get to know each other."
Patrick said he does not have any team visits planned in the near future but that his workouts would continue up until the draft. He said he plans to watch the draft in Atlanta with his family.
For now, Patrick's workouts remain the focus of his day-to-day life. Just 11 days remain until the draft and he would not want to be unprepared.
Part two in a three-part series about Patrick's preparations for the NFL draft.
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