The Patriots are looking everywhere for talent.
Sometimes it pays off to have branches from your coaching tree extending in all directions.
The New England Patriots recently worked out three players who played under old friend Charlie Weis at The University of Kansas last season. Among the trio were defensive end Toben Opurum, quarterback Dayne Crist and free safety Bradley McDougald.
Crist (6-foot-4, 239 pounds) spent three seasons at Notre Dame before transferring to Kansas for his senior season, where he completed 47.7 percent of his passes for 1,313 yards, four touchdowns and nine interceptions. While his numbers were not very impressive, NFL Network analyst Gil Brandt, who first reported the workouts, said that talent evaluators have been impressed with Crist this offseason.
Opurum (6-1, 249 pounds) is not expected to be drafted and could be a potential free-agent target. He had 1.5 sacks last season after recording four as a junior.
McDougald (6-0, 211 pounds) was invited to the combine, where he ran a 4.74 40-yard dash. He finished his college career with seven interceptions, 10 tackles for a loss and two sacks.