The New England Patriots' fascination with former Rutgers players has been well documented since the 2013 NFL Draft. Bill Belichick's son, Steve, now a coaching assistant with the Patriots, was on former Rutgers coach Greg Schiano's 2011 team.
Throw in Belichick's friendship with Schiano, and it's easier to understand the pipeline. Eight players currently on the Patriots' roster played at Rutgers, which seems like an insanely high amount. It is. Only one other NFL team has as many players from one college on its roster.
Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com did the research, and you probably can guess what connection tied the Patriots.
Most players from same college
on NFL roster
1t. New England Patriots-Rutgers: 8
1t. Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Rutgers: 8
3. Cincinnati Bengals-Georgia: 7
4t. Buffalo Bills-Florida State: 6Â
4t. Minnesota Vikings-Florida State: 6Â
In short, if other NFL teams want to take a Rutgers player in the 2014 NFL Draft, they probably should grab him a round or three early before Belichick or Schiano does.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.
