The undrafted rookie is trying to carve out a role on New England’s wide receiver depth chart." Patriots AnalysisPatriots Offseason CoverageMoving from cornerback to wide receiver a challenge for Patriots rookie Gunner OlszewskiNew White Elandon Roberts Jerseys ,14commentsThe undrafted rookie is trying to carve out a role on New England’s wide receiver depth chart.EDTGunner Olszewski’s time as a wide receiver appeared to be little more than a minor footnote on his résumé when he entered the NFL draft process: during his junior year in high school and with his older brother playing quarterback, he played receiver but was forced to abandon the position after he broke his hand in three places and had to wear a cast for the remainder of the season. From that point on, Olszewski was exclusively a defensive back.At Division II’s Bemidji State, Olszewski blossomed into a difference maker at cornerback: playing 42 games over four seasons, he registered 310 tackles, 13 interceptions — one of which returned for a touchdown — and 40 pass breakups as well as a sack and three forced fumbles. To cap his college career, he was named the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference’s defensive player of the year in 2018.And yet, NFL teams were reluctant when it came to the 6-foot defender.One team that was not? That would be the reigning world champions. The New England Patriots worked out Olszewski at his Pro Day, but they were more intrigued by his upside at another position than his abilities and experience when it came to playing in the defensive backfield: the Patriots wanted him to make the move to wide receiver — and promptly invited him to their rookie minicamp after he went undrafted.“One of the scouts hit on it at my Pro Day [...] I talked to Coach [Joe] Judge, and he thinks I can do it. So, I was just excited to come give it a shot.” said Olszewski when revisiting his pre-draft encounter with the Patriots, who added him to their roster shortly after rookie minicamp. “I think they saw a small guy, lower to the ground Elandon Roberts Jerseys 2019 , quick. Kind of like Danny Amendola, he’s another Texas boy. I just want to prove them right, prove that I can do this.”Going back to wide receiver after numerous years playing as a defensive back certainly is no easy task — something the rookie acknowledged during the Patriots’ mandatory minicamp earlier this month. Olszewski pointed out that the transition is not an easy one: from learning to run routes as opposed to defending them, to studying one of the NFL’s most complex offensive playbooks, the move to receiver has proved to be a challenge.“It definitely hasn’t been easy,” Olszewski said before going into the specifics of how the challenge looks like for him coming from the other side of the ball. “Playing [defensive back], you can run however you want with the ball after you get an interception. But running routes, you just just have to keep your cuts nice and tight, protect the ball, and just catch everything — play with confidence.”“Mentally it’s very, very challenging for me. Never learned an offensive playbook before, and I hear this one’s pretty hard to learn. That’s what I need to work on for the most part,” the 22-year-old continued. Luckily for Olszewski White Kyle Van Noy Jerseys , however, he has some veteran company in the wide receivers room to help him get up to speed — and no player is better equipped to assist the rookie than ten-year veteran and current Super Bowl MVP Julian Edelman.“I love that guy,” said Edelman, a former seventh-round draft pick that moved from quarterback to wide receiver after arriving in New England, about Olszewski. “If he’s got a question, I’m here to help and try to answer it to the best of my ability. I feel that’s part of my role on the team, being here so long. He’s working hard. He’s definitely a tough kid. I love the chip on his shoulder, and I like working with him. That’s for sure.”Olszewski acknowledged that he would keep a close eye on Edelman during practice, trying to emulate his movements and jump-cuts as best as possible. The rookie in general appears to be open to doing whatever it takes to make the team (or at least the practice squad): “My mindset was ‘I’ll play anything here.’ If y’all just want me to be a holder, I’ll be the best holder you’ve ever seen. I’d really do anything to get onto the field, I’d play anywhere.”Right now, ‘anywhere’ is at wide receiver — and next month, when the Patriots open training camp Kyle Van Noy Jerseys 2019 , Olszewski will get another chance to prove that New England was right to believe in his abilities. We now know the structure of Danny Shelton’s team-friendly deal." />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesHorizontal - WhitePats Pulpita New England Patriots communityLog In or Sign UpLog InSign UpPatriots NewsOpinion and AnalysisContribute!About the SiteTopicsPatriotsOddsShopStubHubMoreAll 322 blogs on Horizontal - WhitePatriots News Opinion and Analysis Contribute! FanPostsFanShotsAbout the Site List of Patriots Twitter AccountsWrite For Pats Pulpit!New User Welcome and Commenting GuideCommunity GuidelinesMastheadTopics Patriots Off-Season CoveragePatriots Opinion/AnalysisPatriots NewsPatriots Draft CoverageSportfolio ManagementDetails released on Danny Shelton’s new contract with the PatriotsNew,9commentsWe now know the structure of Danny Shelton’s team-friendly deal.EDTShareTweetShareShareDetails released on Danny Shelton’s new contract with the PatriotsPhoto by Wesley Hitt/Getty ImagesNot even 24 hours after news surfaced that the Patriots re-signed IDL Danny Shelton, ESPN’s Field Yates reported the details of the former 12th overall pick’s contract.After waiting more than two months on the open market, this modest one-year deal was clearly Shelton’s best option. After sending the Cleveland Browns a 2019 third round pick in exchange for Shelton and a 2018 fifth rounder last March, the former Washington Husky dressed for 13 games, started one of them. He was deployed as a rotational two-gapper on early downs behind starters Lawrence Guy and Malcom Brown, and finished the season having participated in 31.06% of the team’s defensive snaps. For the three regular season affairs which Shelton was inactive — weeks 13-15 against the Vikings, Dolphins, and Steelers — New England opted for a smaller, more mobile front, practically daring opponents to run the football. The Patriots went 1-2 in those contests, allowing 445 yards on 57 carries — 7.81 yards per attempt. Over that span, their opponents added .40 expected points per rush. In the 13 regular season games where Shelton was active White Shaq Mason Jerseys , running the ball against the Patriots was a negative proposition for opposing offenses — to the tune of -.04 expected points per rush.This isn’t to say that Danny Shelton was the definitive factor in the Patriots’ success in defending the run, but it’s no coincidence that Malcom Brown was at his best in 2018 when he had an able, fresh body rotating in for him occasionally on early downs. With the Patriots adding Mike Pennel this offseason, Shelton will project to that same role. However, he’ll have ample competition in training camp this summer in the form of David Parry and fifth round pick will receive a $9,375 credit on next year’s adjusted team cap figure for each one he misses.The Patriots lost $281,875 in cap space with the signing, as Shelton replaced Ted Karras’s $720,000 cap hit in the top-51.Follow Brian Phillips on Twitter — @BPhillips_SB