Patriots Sign Big Ten Standout in Post-Draft Free-Agent Move

The New England Patriots sign a Big Ten standout to complete their roster. Head coach Bill Belichick typically signs a bunch of undrafted free agents right after the NFL Draft. However, he took a different approach this season. Coach B waited until the following week to sign the first non-drafted player. They are getting a kicker from Michigan.

We give you Quinn Nordin. The 22-year-old took to Twitter to confirm the big news.

NFL analysts aren’t always excited about kickers. Nordin’s signing is not an exception. But, the young player has a nice skill set and presence.

Nordin is “highly recruited kicking prospect.” His right leg is powerful, but he struggled with accuracy. Dane Brugler from The Athletic ranked Nordin as the sixth-best kicking prospect in this year’s draft.

The Patriots sign a Big Ten standout for the win

Lance Zierlein from NFL.com is impressed with Nordin’s leg strength. However, he is a big concerned about his accuracy issues.

“Based on leg strength alone, Nordin could get a look in an NFL camp, but the issues with accuracy and consistency that have dogged him for all four seasons could be hard for teams to ignore.”

Nordin registers a 72.4% success rate on field goals. The kicker was unreliable on the road and made just 57.1% of his attempts. Nordin has a good leg but he made just two of his seven attempts on field goals from 50 yards.

Head coach Bill Belichick re-signed Nick Folk. His great performance in 2020 earned him a spot on the Patriots roster. The Patriots added Roberto Aguayo to the practice unit in December 2020.

Alex Barth of 98.5 The Sports Hub says Folk will probably be the Patriots’ No.1 kicker.

“Nordin is now the third kicker on the Patriots roster. The team re-signed Nick Folk to a one-year deal in March after a career year in 2020.  They also have former second-round pick Roberto Aguayo, who spent the end of last season on the practice squad. While Folk is the heavy favorite to win the job, Nordin and Aguayo could represent potential long-term options if they can be stashed on the practice squad.”