FOXBOROUGH – Over the last couple months, Merrimack’s Cole Birdow and BC’s Jack Conley have gotten to know each other quite a bit.
Whether it was the Local Day workout hosted by the Patriots or Pro Day at BC, the two had built a bit of a camaraderie going through the pre-draft process together.
Now, their NFL journey has started together too.
Both Birdow and Conley were inside the field house behind Gillette Stadium on a rainy Friday afternoon for the first Patriots rookie minicamp. The two were part of a large class of undrafted free agent signings that the Patriots made official in the morning before the first organized session.
“Yeah, we were al Local Day together and we did Pro Day together, so definitely,” Conely said about building a bond with Birdow as two New England guys. “It’s been good. Just trying to find a role on the team and help out however I can best. Just try to carve my way into this and help out wherever I can.”
“Yeah, we were already familiar, so we’ve known each other for a while now,” Birdow added. “I’m gaining every bit of knowledge I can and trying to contribute to the team the best way possible.”
Conley and Birdow certainly haven’t been top of mind for Patriots fans when it comes to fixing the offensive line issues. That honor has gone to the No. 4 overall pick, Will Campbell.
Throughout the hour practice, Conley and Birdow both worked directly with Campbell often during different drills, getting coached up by Doug Marrone, Josh McDaniels and Mike Vrabel.
So, what’s it like working with the guy getting all the hype who’s supposed to protect Drake Maye’s blind side for the next decade?
“From what we’ve seen, he’s a great dude,” Conley said. “Good leader, really nice guy, smart guy, tough, really talented…just a good guy to be around.”
“He’s respectful towards all of us, man,” said Birdow. “He’s giving us pointers. He’s starting to become a leader on this O-line. Taking that from him, it’s something I appreciate.”
After getting familiar in the offseason, it’s a little wild to think that Conley and Birdow ended up in this spot, considering everything that needs to play out between the draft and the frenzy of signings that take place starting just minutes after the final pick in round seven.
“There’s definitely some different situations that could have happened that didn’t happen and I’m just super happy to be here right now, apart of this organization and I’ll help out in any way I can,” said Conley.
“They (the Patriots) showed me a lot of respect after that Local Day and I’m just happy to be here,” Birdow said.
For Conley, the ties to Vrabel have been there for a while now with Vrabel’s son Tyler having been with the Eagles a handful of years ago, but Bill O’Brien’s relationship with the new Patriots head coach certainly helped the cause as well. Conley credits O’Brien significantly for where he’s at right now and although he hasn’t spoken to him recently, most likely will soon.
“It’s been a pretty wild past couple of weeks, so we haven’t had a chance to talk, but I’m sure I’m definitely going to pick his brain a little bit about everything,” he said. “He’s so familiar with (the Patriots) and besides that, like I’ve said in the past, he’s an amazing football mind. He’s a genius when it comes to football, so just trying to be a sponge around a guy like that. He’s really valuable and there’s a lot of people in this building like that too.”
It’s been a big few weeks for BC O-linemen, with Drew Kendall in Philadelphia and Ozzy Trapillo in Chicago. The three will always keep tabs on each other.
“We’ve actually been working out together. They seem like they’re doing great,” Conley added. “Drew had minicamp last week. Ozzy’s in Chicago this weekend. Yeah, just super excited for them. They deserve it. They’re some of the best guys I know.”
In Birdow’s case, it was current Holy Cross coach Dan Curran’s idea to move him from the defensive line to the offensive line when he was the head coach at Merrimack. That choice ended up being life-altering for the former Warrior.
“I’ve talked to Coach Curran and (current Merrimack head coach Mike) Gennetti,” said Birdow. “I’ve reached out to Coach Curran thanking him for transferring me over from D-line to O-line. Without that ever happening, who knows if I would be here at this point? I just texted Coach Gennetti earlier this week. He wished me best of luck. I’m excited to see where Merrimack goes in the future as well.
Football brings people all over the world together in many different ways. In this case, it’s brought two guys playing college football 40 minutes away from each other together and put them in s Patriots helmet.