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Under the terms of the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement, first-year players (non-rookies) with zero career pension credits remain eligible to participate in rookie minicamps.

As a result of that stipulation, six first-year players will be present later today when the Patriots kick off their rookie minicamp: LB/DE Markell Carter, QB Mike Hartline, RB Eric Kettani, K Chris Koepplin, LB Aaron Lavarias, and DE Alex Silvestro.

Here’s a quick-hit overview of each:

Markell Carter, DE/OLB: A 2011 sixth-round pick of the Patriots, Carter (6-4, 248) was cut at the conclusion of training camp last year and subsequently re-signed to the Patriots practice squad, where he spent the entirety of the season. He impressed enough to merit a big pay raise on his practice squad contract, an indication that he had an opportunity to sign with an active roster elsewhere, but the Patriots ponied up to keep him around.

Mike Hartline, QB: Hartline was signed by the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2011, and spent the first month of the season on the team’s practice squad before being released. At 6-foot-6, Hartline has very good stature for the position, and was a successful starter at Kentucky.

Eric Kettani, RB: The Patriots signed Kettani (5-11, 235) as an undrafted free agent out of Navy in 2009, and placed him on the reserve/military in July of that year. He returned to the team last season and started the year on the practice squad, before once again landing on the reserve/military list.

Chris Koepplin, K: Koepplin attended UMass and was with the Patriots last preseason. He was released and out of the NFL for the 2011 regular season, but re-signed by the team on April 16. He kicked for two seasons (2006-2007) for the Minutemen.

Aaron Lavarias, LB: Another undrafted free agent from 2011, Lavarias (6-3, 248) was a standout player at Idaho who spent the majority of last season on the Patriots' practice squad. He has some versatility because of his build and athleticism, and was re-signed by the team to a reserve/future contract on February 7.

Alex Silvestro, DE: Silvestro (6-3, 267) is probably best known as the player called up from the Patriots' practice squad on the eve of Super Bowl XLVI, the second time he was promoted to the active roster from the practice squad in 2011. He was not active for Super Bowl XLVI. Silvestro was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2011 out of Rutgers.

A snapshot look at the schedule for reporters at rookie minicamp on Friday:

11:30-noon -- Interviews with rookies in media workroom*
1:15-1:50 p.m. -- Access to practice at Dana-Farber Fieldhouse

* The Patriots have tentatively scheduled Chandler Jones, Dont’a Hightower, Tavon Wilson, Jake Bequette, Jeremy Ebert and Brandon Bolden for today’s media access. Seventh-round pick Alfonzo Dennard, who has not been made available to reporters since he was selected, is not on the schedule. That is likely tied to his April 21 arrest for suspicion of striking a police officer.

The same schedule, with different players available to reporters, is set for Saturday as well.

A look at the Patriots' rookie minicamp roster:

2 -- K Chris Koepplin (1st year)
5 -- QB Mike Hartline (1st year)
13 -- WR Matt Roark
27 -- DB Tavon Wilson
36 -- RB Eric Kettani (1st year)
37 -- CB Alfonzo Dennard
38 -- RB Brandon Bolden
43 -- DB Nate Ebner
45 -- LB Dont'a Hightower
49 -- DE Markell Carter (1st year)
60 -- LB Aaron Lavarias (1st year)
60 -- OL Jeremiah Warren
65 -- DL Marcus Forston
66 -- DE Jake Bequette
66 -- OL Markus Zusevics
68 -- DE Justin Francis
69 -- DE Alex Silvestro (1st year)
80 -- WR Jeremy Ebert
82 -- TE Brad Herman
95 -- DE Chandler Jones

Jersey numbers are not necessarily final for the 2012 season. Top overall draft choice Chandler Jones wore No. 99 at Syracuse.

Thanks to the collective bargaining agreement signed prior to the start of the 2011 NFL regular season, rookie holdouts are essentially an issue of the past. NFL franchises should no longer have to sweat the possibility of first-round picks missing part, or all, of training camp, as had previously been a common occurrence.

Nonetheless, NFL teams are still working hard to come to terms with their rookies, as was evidenced by the Baltimore Ravens announcing on Thursday that the team had signed contracts with each of their draft picks.

None of the Patriots seven draft picks, headlined by first-rounders Chandler Jones and Dont’a Hightower, have signed contracts.

When considering what Jones’ and Hightower’s pacts could be worth, let’s take a look back at the contracts signed by the players selected at their respective spots in the draft order (No. 21 and No. 25) in 2011.

Pick No. 21, 2011: Phil Taylor, Cleveland Browns
Terms: Four years, $8.1 million

Pick No. 25, 2011: James Carpenter, Seattle Seahawks
Terms: Four years, $7.6 million

All drafted-rookie contracts are four years in length, and the terms are set by the rookie wage scale. The contracts signed in 2012 are expected to be worth slightly more than those from 2011, as has been the case in the deals agreed to by 2012 first-round draftees Luke Kuechly (No. 9) and Melvin Ingram (No. 18).

Following the promotion (in title) of Matt Patricia to defensive coordinator on Thursday, among other coaching changes, here is an updated look at the Patriots' coaching staff:

Head coach: Bill Belichick
Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks: Josh McDaniels
Defensive Coordinator: Matt Patricia

Running backs: Ivan Fears
Wide receivers: Chad O'Shea
Offensive line: Dante Scarnecchia (also assistant head coach)
Tight ends: George Godsey

Defensive line: Patrick Graham
Linebackers: Pepper Johnson
Cornerbacks: Josh Boyer
Safeties: Brian Flores

Special teams: Scott O'Brien
Special teams assistant: Joe Judge

Strength and conditioning: Harold Nash
Assistant strength and conditioning: Moses Cabrera

Coaching assistant: Steve Belichick

NOTE: Reports have linked former NFL quarterback Chris Simms to the Patriots in a coaching assistant role, but the team did not include Simms in their announcement on Thursday. It's also possible that Simms may have joined the scouting department instead.

While the Patriots announced several changes to their coaching staff on Thursday, most were simply changes in title that reflected what roles coaches had held, in some cases, for several seasons.

Matt Patricia, who received the title of defensive coordinator this offseason, had been the de-facto play caller on defense for the past three seasons, with the title of defensive coordinator remaining unfilled since Dean Pees last held it in 2009. With Patricia holding the title of safeties coach last season, Boyer, whose title has been changed to cornerbacks coach, had already been focused on coaching that position.

The exception is along the front seven, where 33-year old Patrick Graham has switched roles with Pepper Johnson. Head coach Bill Belichick likely will be asked for the rationale behind this change at his next gathering with reporters. One angle could be allowing Graham, an up-and-coming coach, to gain experience at another position. Another could be Belichick wanting to give the linebacker unit the attention of one of his trusted veteran assistants in Johnson.

The promotion of Brian Flores to safeties coach marks yet another rise in the ranks for an assistant who Belichick has groomed starting from an entry-level, coaching assistant role, and his name will be one to watch over the coming years.

Flores assisted special teams coach Scott O'Brien, so his promotion to safeties coach opened a spot on special teams, which was filled by former Alabama assistant Joe Judge.

On offense, George Godsey slides into the tight ends coaching spot, vacated when Brian Ferentz left to coach the offensive line at Iowa under his father, Kirk Ferentz. Godsey, who some reports linked to a quarterbacks coaching role at Penn State under his former coach, Bill O'Brien, instead stays in New England.

Finally, Steve Belichick begins his coaching career under his father, although at this point, it's unclear if the younger Belichick will have a responsibility specifically on offense or defense. The team has not announced it, but reports have linked former NFL quarterback Chris Simms to the Patriots, also in a coaching assistant role.

The Patriots announced position responsibilities for the 2012 coaching staff, as well as the addition of two new coaches, on Thursday.

The highlights are that Matt Patricia has been named defensive coordinator, Steve Belichick (Bill Belichick's son) is a coaching assistant, Pepper Johnson will coach linebackers, Brian Flores will coach safeties, and George Godsey will slide over from offensive assistant to tight ends coach.

Here is the text from the official news release:

Matt Patricia has been named defensive coordinator, Josh Boyer will coach cornerbacks, Brian Flores will coach safeties, Patrick Graham will coach the defensive line and Pepper Johnson will coach the linebackers.

On offense, George Godsey will coach the tight ends.

In addition, Joe Judge has been named special teams assistant and Steve Belichick has been named a coaching assistant.

Patricia will enter his ninth NFL season. After serving as a coaching assistant in 2004 and an assistant offensive line coach in 2005, he was named the linebackers coach in 2006, a position he held for the five seasons (2006-10). He coached the safeties in 2011. After a standout collegiate career as an offensive lineman at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Patricia served as a graduate assistant in 1996 before a two-year stint (1999-00) as a defensive line coach at Amherst and a three-year stint as a graduate assistant (2001-03) at Syracuse.

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(Editor's note: ESPNBoston.com contributor Field Yates, a former staffer for the Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots, relays a first-hand perspective on rookie minicamp.)

The Patriots on Friday kick off their first minicamp of the 2012 offseason when the rookies take to the turf at Gillette Stadium.

That means seven draft picks and a crop of undrafted free agents will have the field to themselves, and the attention of the coaching staff will be squarely focused on these newest Patriots.

Drawing on my experience during my time in Kansas City working in the scouting and coaching departments with the Chiefs, I can distinctly remember rookies showing up for what amounted to their first days on the job. Having seen a lot of film on each player from their college careers, I was anxious to see what each offered when viewed in person on the practice field.

It wasn’t uncommon during rookie minicamp for a receiver to make an impressive catch or for a linebacker to break on a pass and snare an interception. Those types of plays make you want to project what sort of pro a rookie will become, but that’s not what rookie minicamp is all about.

More importantly during practice, I took further notice of the rookies’ builds (this wasn’t always easy to capture on film), honed in on some of their physical attributes and noted how they interacted with their newest teammates and coaches during drills.

From the coaches’ standpoint, minicamp serves as a teaching and repetition opportunity for the players. Developing consistency is an integral step to sustaining an NFL career for a rookie. That’s achieved, in part, by repetition, something that each rookie should have plenty of during this minicamp. Coaches will use these reps as an opportunity to observe and teach, and they will later review it on film with the rookies.

“Highlight-reel” plays (if such a thing is possible in shorts, T-shirts and helmets on the football field) won’t be ignored, but every coach knows enough that no player has made his NFL fortune off of a single practice play in May.

And rookie minicamps are about much more than just what you can take away from watching practice.

Aside from a select group of high draft choices, these players are spending their first days in Foxborough, a place that could become home to many of them for several seasons.

Gillette Stadium will serve as their office, and this weekend affords the rookies a chance to familiarize themselves with their bearings in the absence of 70-75 other veteran players. Learning the locations of their positional meeting rooms, the training room and the weight room are going to be important takeaways from the weekend.

It’s also a chance to spend time with the coaching staff learning the playbook. Regardless of where these rookies played in college, there will be a steep learning curve in picking up an NFL system, which includes new terminology, concepts and increased responsibility for each. No one knows the schemes and methods involved better than the coaches. Having a chance to pick their brains is critical for rookies.

Not to be lost during rookie minicamp is that this weekend will be the first chance for the Patriots' coaching staff to work together on the field. Although the staff remains largely intact from a season ago, Josh McDaniels will re-debut as the offensive coordinator and will team up with fellow offensive staff members, such as Chad O’Shea (wide receivers) and George Godsey (offensive assistant), for the first time.

The Patriots have long appeared to have a strong rapport among the coaching staff. The chance to further develop that this weekend is another benefit of on-field work.

This weekend is about establishing familiarity for rookies, allowing them ample time to meet with their position coaches without veterans around and providing them with more repetitions during practice drills than many are likely to see in team practices down the road.

On Thursday afternoon, the Patriots officially announced the signings of seven undrafted free agents:

1. OL Jeremiah Warren, South Florida
2. OT Markus Zusevics, Iowa
3. DL Marcus Forston, Miami
4. TE Brad Herman, Iowa
5. WR Matt Roark, Kentucky
6. DL Justin Francis, Rutgers
7. RB Brandon Bolden, Mississippi

Here’s a brief overview of each, as well as a pre-draft scouting report from around the web:

Jeremiah Warren, offensive line, South Florida: Warren (6-3, 324) played in 45 games with 38 starts during his South Florida career, including 12 starts at guard during his senior season. He was a named a 2011 second team All-Big East selection after helping the Bulls average 432.8 yards/game (30^th in the NCAA) of total offense.
Scouting Report: “A feisty, short-area mauler who stands out most for his physicality and could find a role in a power-blocking scheme and potentially even be tried at center.” -- via Pro Football Weekly

Markus Zusevics, offensive tackle, Iowa: A two-year starter at Iowa, Zusevics (6-5, 303) enjoyed a fine senior season, during which he started all 13 games at right tackle and was named an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection by both the coaches and the media. For his career, Zusevics posted 26 starts for the Hawkeyes. He was injured during the bench press portion of the physical testing done at the annual NFL scouting combine, and a torn pectoral muscle suffered then likely played a part in his not being drafted.
Scouting Report: “Zusevics has been a reliable blocker for Iowa and is a straight-line run blocker who is powerful in the run game. He is non-explosive and has a difficult time getting a jolt. He could be looked at to move inside to center given this and his weight. He is slow off the ball and struggles in pass protection, but he has late-round talent based off his frame and consistency.” -- via NFL.com

Marcus Forston, defensive line, Miami: An early entrant into the 2012 NFL draft, Forston (6-1, 301) finished 2011 – his junior season – with just 5 tackles in three games, as he missed much of the year with a knee injury. It was his second season-ending injury, as he received a medical hardship in 2009 as well. Forston finished his college career with 60 tackles, 7 sacks and 1 interception in 31 games played. He was widely-considered amongst the elite defensive tackle prospects in the country during his prep career.
Scouting Report: “Quick-footed pass rusher with loose hips and good change of direction skills,” who compares to Sen’Derrick Marks from the Tennessee Titans. -- via CBSSports.com

Brad Herman, tight end, Iowa: Herman (6-5, 255) finished his Iowa career with 18 catches for 252 yards and two touchdowns. As a senior, Herman totaled 8 catches for 95 yards and a pair of scores. Had a career-high nine catches and 154 yards in 2010. The Metamora, Ill. native was not a combine invitee.
Scouting Report: “Raw, height-weight-speed prospect whose makeup and feel for the game do not run parallel with his unique athletic ability. Workout numbers will earn him a look as a developmental H-back/“move” tight end, but he failed to ascend as a senior with increased opportunity.” – via Pro Football Weekly

Matt Roark, wide receiver, Kentucky: The versatile Roark (6-5, 214) amassed 349 receiving yards and 161 rushing yards, and also completed four of seven passes during his senior season in 2011. He finished his Kentucky career with 54 catches, 584 yards, and one score. Originally from Acworth, Ga., Roark was arrested and charged with a DUI in October of 2010.
Scouting Report: Roark was not profiled in several of the major draft publications.

Justin Francis, defensive line, Rutgers: After earning his first shot as a starter in 2011, Francis (6-3, 270) finished his senior season with 6.5 sacks, 13 tackles for loss, 5 passes broken up and an interception. He totaled 106 tackles, 22 tackles for loss and 12 sacks in four seasons at Rutgers, and was named a midseason honorable mention All-American in 2011 by Phil Steele.
Scouting Report: “Undersized, athletic, relatively inexperienced college defensive tackle capable of competing for a backup DE job in a 4-3 scheme that allows him to slant and stunt and slide inside as a nickel rusher.” – via Pro Football Weekly

Brandon Bolden, running back, Mississippi: Bolden (5-11, 222) was a standout running back at Mississippi, finishing fourth in school history with 2,604 rushing yards and second in both rushing touchdowns (27) and total touchdowns (33). He was a captain as a senior and was voted the most valuable senior in the Ole Miss program in 2011. In 2010, he was an honorable mention All-SEC performer, as voted by the AP.
Scouting Report: “A solidly built, strong, competitive, upright back, Bolden has the ability to be a No. 2 back in the pros but concerns about his character, maturity and commitment could affect his draft value. Junior tape reveals his best season in Oxford, as he played second fiddle to Chiefs 2010 second-rounder Dexter McCluster as a sophomore and endured injury, suspension and split carries with sophomore Jeff Scott as a senior.” – via Pro Football Weekly

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- New York Jets star cornerback Darrelle Revis, who made headlines in March when he called Bill Belichick a "jerk" in an ESPN interview, explained his comments Thursday -- and possibly inflamed the situation even more.

Revis, who made his original remark during a word-association game, said he called out the New England Patriots' coach because he felt Belichick had made "ignorant" and "disrespectful" comments about the Jets.

"They told me to sum him up in one word and I gave my honest opinion," Revis told reporters in the Jets' locker room, adding, "I feel that people let him slide when he says smart remarks on certain things."

Revis said he respects Belichick because "winning is winning." But he quickly added, "When you say certain comments about the Jets, some things are disrespectful. It's OK to have a rivalry, it's OK to compete. But when it gets personal, then it gets disrespectful.

"I didn't start this battle," Revis continued. "It's just the smart comments he says. It's ignorant. It's ignorant (toward) this organization."

Read more HERE

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is known most for his on-field connections with Wes Welker, Rob Gronkowski and Deion Branch, among others, but he recently made a different type of connection that highlights how players can also be difference-makers off the field.

Brady had been working to find a potential kidney donor for his longtime personal quarterback coach Tom Martinez, but Martinez unfortunately succumbed to a heart attack in February, just weeks before his potential life-saving surgery. Brady had encouraged people via Facebook to visit MatchingDonors.com, a website dedicated to finding matches for those in need of a transplant, to see if they could assist Martinez. The response in the weeks following Brady’s announcement was overwhelming, as more than 600 individuals stepped up to see if they were a match.

One potential donor, Peter Hughes, of Sterling, Mass., was inspired by Brady’s outreach and determined to help someone else in need of a new kidney.

Hughes revisited MatchingDonors.com after the news of Martinez’s death and found that he was match with someone seeking a transplant, Ajisa Bethiel.

Bethiel had been on the waiting list at multiple hospitals for more than a year in search of a match, and was struggling with chronic kidney failure while raising her son, who previously had nine brain surgeries.

Now, just six months after she first joined MatchingDonors.com, Bethiel will receive her life-saving kidney transplant at Massachusetts General Hospital on May 22, from Hughes. Had Bethiel and Hughes not found each other on MatchingDonors.com, she could have had to wait up to 7-10 years on a donor from the government’s deceased donor list.

Credit Brady for the connection.

Every Thursday on ESPNBoston.com, there is a Patriots chat in the early afternoon. Today's chat kicked off at 2 p.m. ET, can be recapped here, and included some of the following topics:

1. Providing a feel for what happens at rookie minicamp.

2. Will Andre Carter be back with the team?

3. Danny Woodhead, his role, and other running backs.

4. Don't forget about Jermaine Cunningham.

5. One thing that could hamstring the team's offense.

6. Wes Welker, Chad Ochocinco, Deion Branch and the receiver logjam.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- After spending the first eight seasons of his NFL career playing with Oakland and Seattle, first-year Patriots guard Robert Gallery remains a bit unknown to fans in New England.

But one man who knows his game as well as anybody -- Mike Lombardi, a former Raiders personnel executive involved with selecting Gallery No. 2 overall in the 2004 draft -- thinks New England is just the right fit for the imposing 31-year old.

“I really do. You know Dante (Scarnecchia) will coach him up,” Lombardi, now an analyst for NFL Network, said in an interview with ESPNBoston.com. “They like him, they’ll find a role for him, and he’ll be able to play within that role. That’s the key to New England’s success, defining the roles. And Robert’s a good team player. He’ll do what it takes to be a good player.”

With starting left guard Logan Mankins recovering from a late-season ACL tear and right guard Brian Waters saying after the Super Bowl he was considering retirement, Gallery could assume a starting role at the outset of training camp.

But when Mankins returns, and should Waters opt to resume his career, Gallery would likely find himself in a reserve role. Lombardi believes he’s still capable of playing tackle, in addition to guard.

“That’s the beauty of Robert, his versatility ... he’s athletic as hell, he’s still athletic. I mean he can run, and he can do all the things he’s got to do,” he said.

For Gallery, expectations were high as a rookie coming out of Iowa, as many pegged him as the best prospect in the 2004 draft (a class that included Eli Manning, Larry Fitzgerald and Philip Rivers).

Gallery acknowledged those expectations, but said he doesn’t let them affect him to this day.

“If you’re drafted high you’re gonna have a lot put on you. It is what it is,” he told local media at Gillette Stadium on Thursday. “That was a long time ago. Honestly I don’t really care. I’m gonna work to do the things I know I can do and do the best with the situation I’m in. You know, it is what it is. You come in, and whatever other people think of you, to me, it doesn’t really matter.

“I’m coming here like I have every place I’ve been.” Gallery added. “I’m going in to earn a starting spot and (there are) a lot of things that go into that -- staying healthy and performing well. But that’s why I’m here. Everyone has their goals, and I came here to be a starter and contribute.”

Asked if he's more comfortable at guard or tackle, Gallery said, “I’m going to do what’s best for the team. I want to win. Whatever these coaches decide, they’re going to put the best guys on the field, that’s up to them. ... I’ve been told that they’re going to put the best five guys on the field. I’m going to be one of the best five guys, that’s my goal. And they’re going to put guys where they see fit.”

But it wasn’t just the opportunity to compete for a starting position that lured Gallery to New England (he described the decision to sign with the Patriots as a “fast” and “easy” one). He also suggested that playing for a winning organization like New England was simply too good to pass up.

"Going through eight years of never winning -- (never) having a winning season – that’s something you really covet when you get to this point. So that’s why I’m here," he said.

In a piece now posted on NFL.com, Bucky Brooks and Chad Reuter select four teams they feel aced the 2012 NFL Draft. The Patriots are one of them, joining the Bengals, Chiefs and Giants.

"Bill Belichick cleverly maneuvered around the draft board to address the Patriots' suspect defense," the duo writes. "He nabbed a pair of first-round difference makers in Chandler Jones and Dont'a Hightower, and found a few potential sleepers in Alfonzo Dennard and Jake Bequette."

As part of the piece, Brooks and Reuter divide things into three categories:

1. Best pick (Dont'a Hightower)
2. Suspect pick (Tavon Wilson)
3. Sleeper pick (Alfonzo Dennard)

To read the piece, CLICK HERE.

The Patriots’ reported signing of running back Joseph Addai leaves a team that has recently been reliant on the passing game with a crowded backfield.

Addai joins a pair of second-year players, Shane Vereen and Stevan Ridley, who are both expected to see increased roles in 2012, and scatback Danny Woodhead, who has been an effective player when the Patriots have chosen to go with an up-tempo, no-huddle offensive approach.

And while Addai offers a unique package of his own – he’s regarded as a strong pass catcher and blocker, and he’s rushed for more than 4,500 yards in his career – a numbers crunch in the backfield has many wondering what his role will be in New England (assuming the team elects to keep four running backs).

Without ever having seen him with a Patriots helmet on, it’s tough to accurately project how Addai will fit into the backfield mix, as well as how the team plans to use its stable of runners.

We do, however, have an interesting frame of reference for this “dilemma,” as it was just last season that New Orleans – another team which operates under the pass-first philosophy – successfully carried four running backs on the active roster, and managed to create roles for each.

The Saints drafted Alabama running back Mark Ingram in the first round of the 2011 draft (with a pick acquired from the Patriots, as it turns out), and also signed the shifty Darren Sproles from the Chargers via free agency. Those two teamed up with Pierre Thomas and Chris Ivory to form a four-headed rushing attack that successfully complemented the Saints' passing game.

How New Orleans managed to work the rotation in 2011 could resemble what New England would consider in 2012.

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