Anam Stays Local With Patriots

Former Boston College defensive back Larry Anam has signed with the New England Patriots as an undrafted free-agent. See what he had to say about the signing in an exclusive interview with EI.com's Pat McManus.

According to Anam, who started all of BC’s 13 games last season at cornerback, the Patriots contacted him Sunday during the second half of the NFL Draft. Anam, who spoke with a New England scouting director from his Boston College dorm room, had hoped to get drafted and the Patriots had him on their board as a potential late-round selection, but ended up passing on him.

Moments after the draft concluded, New England pursued Anam aggressively to try to get a deal done.

“When they first offered me, I told them I wasn’t sure and I’d have to think about it,” Anam said over the phone Monday.

That’s when Anam sought advice from an old mentor, former BC head coach Tom O’Brien. “I talked to Coach O.B. for about half an hour,” Anam said. “He let me know what he thought was the best thing to do.”

A couple other teams, including the Kansas City Chiefs, were interested in Anam, whose speed and tackling ability make him an attractive special-teams prospect. At New England, Anam knows he’s not guaranteed a roster spot and has a lot of hard work ahead of him if he wants to make the team.

“I know exactly what I have to do,” he said. “They said they liked me as a player and told me I can make it at special teams, but if I work hard enough I can move into the depth chart as a nickel- or dime-back.”

The training has already begun for Anam, but he won’t be able to move on to Foxborough until he wraps up his academic career. The fifth-year senior (on the football field) is finishing three classes this semester that will go to a Master’s degree in business studies.

“I have about three presentations to do this week,” he said. “But that’s important to me because then I will have something else to do if it doesn’t work out [in the NFL].”