FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) – If Jermail Porter is going to play football for the New England Patriots, he has to learn how to put on the shoulder pads.

“I needed a little bit of help,” Porter said.

Porter, a 6-5, 310-pound undrafted free agent from Kent State, didn’t play football at the youth, high school or college level. So here he is, competing for a spot on the Patriots’ offensive line, the rawest of raw talents.

“I’m learning. It’s a different world for me,” said Porter after the first workout Friday of a weekend minicamp for the Pats’ draftees and free agents. The camp continues Saturday.

Porter, 22, was a wrestler in college, compiling a 119-43 record in four years at Kent State, placing sixth in this year’s NCAA championship. As a football player, he is the very definition of a project. But with his size, Porter didn’t look out of place during drills for the offensive lineman Friday.

“I didn’t play high school or college, obviously,” said Porter. “I didn’t even play peewee because I was overweight. I had no experience at all. It’s all new to me.”

But Porter has a role model in Patriots starting guard Stephen Neal, who played high school football but concentrated on wrestling at Cal State-Bakersfield. He was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2001 by the Patriots, who waived him but reacquired him from the Philadelphia Eagles later that season. He saw some action in 2002, but was injured for much of the 2002 and 2003 seasons before finally becoming a starter in 2004.

Porter said he has watched a lot of film of Neal, whom Porter called “one of the greatest heavyweight wrestlers of all time in college.”

After watching Neal in action, Porter said he thought there would be a chance for himself.

He started thinking about a football career during his junior year in college and shared his interest with some others on campus. “Some people pointed me in the right direction, and here I am,” he said.

Porter said wrestlers know how to use leverage and have good balance and footwork, which translates well to football. The late Jim Nance, a standout fullback for the Patriots in the 1960s, won two NCAA heavyweight wrestling titles.

Coach Bill Belichick said that finding a player such as Porter is simply a product of hard work.

“That’s what scouts do. They look under a lot of rocks,” Belichick said. “There’s no set formula. You keep digging and digging, and you find a player where you don’t expect to find one.”

Belichick is uncertain what the team will do with Porter.

“We had Neal on the defensive side of the ball before switching him to offense. We’ll see how it goes, take it day by day, different drills, situations. We’ll work with him to see where the best fit will be.”

Porter said he’s working hard to catch up on all that he does not know, and if he doesn’t make it, it won’t be for a lack of effort.

He recalled his feelings when he got the call from the Patriots.

“Oh, my God. This is awesome,” he said. “I’m a little nervous, but this is awesome and a heck of an opportunity … I’m determined to make the most of it.”‘

Notes: The minicamp features 12 Patriot draftees and another five free agents. There are also about a dozen unsigned players working out in hopes of signing a free-agent contract.

Belichick said bringing the players in for a few practices and simulating game conditions gives the team a better chance to evaluate them than the standard tryout, which may involve just one or two other players and a few drills.


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