Patriots Select Defensive Back Keion Crossen, Tight End Ryan Izzo With Final Two Picks Of 2018 NFL Draft
BOSTON (CBS) -- It was a very busy weekend for the Patriots, who selected nine players and executed a series of trades. But the work ended late Saturday afternoon, with a pair of picks at the end of the seventh round.
The Patriots selected defensive back Keion Crossen out of Western Carolina with the 243rd overall pick, and they selected tight end Ryan Izzo out of Florida State with the 250th pick. Both came in the seventh round.
Crossen was described as a "diamond in the rough" by USA Today, as he was not invited to the NFL Combine.
"I'm really that small-school guy that's always been underrated. It's been that way since I was in high school," Crossen told USA Today. "A lot of teams missed out on me mainly because of my weight. I only weighed like 140 pounds at the time. I'm just that guy who has a special amount of work ethic. A person who works hard can be less talented, but his work ethic will put him over the top. I'm also a guy that's willing to learn and willing to expand my knowledge. I just know football, period. Being athletic can only serve as your foundation. Your character and football IQ is what puts you over the top. Those are the attributes that I have. That's where the diamond in the rough comes from."
Izzo -- at 6-foot-5, 245 pounds -- caught 20 passes for 317 yards and three touchdowns in his senior season of 2017.
Izzo's blocking received high praise from scouts leading up to the draft, though his abilities as a pass catcher did not stand out.