Rookie linebacker Tyrone McKenzie has torn his ACL at the Patriots’ first minicamp of the off-season.  He will be placed on the Injured Reserve List which will cause him to miss his rookie season.  The Patriots were hoping that McKenzie would push veteran Tedy Bruschi for his starting job in training camp but that won’t happen now.

The New England Patriots have signed 25-year old safety Brandon McGowan to a 2-year deal.  He played in only 2 games for the Bears last season making 4 tackles and defending a pass.  In his 4-year career, McGowan has made 105 tackles, defensed 5 passes, forced 1 fumble and he has 2 interceptions.  If McGowan can stay healthy he could make a impact on the defense….but that’s a very big if.

The Patriots have signed 29-year old linebacker Vinny Ciurciu to a 1-year contract.  He played in 14 games for the Vikings last season making 11 tackles and defended 1 pass.  He has now played in 82 games in his 6-year NFL career and he has made 100 tackles and defensed 2 passes.  Look for Ciurciu to be nothing more than a special teams ace for the Patriots….but he’s a good one.

The Patriots have traded a 5th round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft for TE Alex Smith.  Smith is only 26 years old and he’s 6’4″, 258 pounds.  He’s a decent receiving TE who wasn’t used right in Tampa.  Smith played in 14 games last season for the Bucs and he caught 21 passes for 250 yards (11.9 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  In 4 seasons with the Bucs, Smith played in 58 games and he caught 129 passes for 1,252 yards (9.7 avg) with 11 TD grabs.  This was another master stroke by Bill Belichick and company as Smith should fit right in to the offense in 2009.

The Patriots have signed undrafted QB Brian Hoyer to a 1-year contract.  Hoyer is a big guy at 6’3″, 215 pounds and he’s a classic dropback passer.  He doesn’t have the strongest arm around but he has enough zip on the ball to get the job done.  Hoyer completed 500 of 896 passes (55.8%) for 6,159 yards with 35 TD passes and 23 interceptions.  Hoyer will be given the opportunity to make the Patriots as the #3 QB in Training Camp and the pre-season.

Darryl Richard was a late bloomer who projects to be little more than a backup in the NFL.  Richard is 6’3″, 303 pounds so he could add a few pounds.  Richard was on the 2nd team in the ACC as he finished with 4 sacks and 10 tackles for a loss.  He was worth taking a chance on so late in the draft.

The Patriots took Edelman in the 7th round because he’s an excellent athlete.  He will likely run the Patriots’ version of the Wildcat formation if they decide to use it.  He completed 385 of 706 passes (54.5%) for 4,997 yards with 30 TDs and 31 INTs in his career at Kent State.  He also was an outstanding runner in college rolling up 2,490 yards rushing on 502 carries (5.0 ypc) with 22 TD runs.  Edelman is also effective on special teams as he returned 8 punts for 25 yards (3.1 avg) and he punted the ball 9 times for 328 yards (36.4 avg).  Look for Edelman to be used a lot on special teams and on trick plays if he makes the final roster.

The Patriots needed some depth on the defensive line and that was the reason for selecting Myron Pryor in the 6th round.  Pryor is a good run stopper at 6’0″, 319 pounds and he’s not afraid to take on the double team.  He had 107 tackles, 20.5 tackles for a loss and 11 sacks in his time at Kentucky.  Look for Pryor to be a backup as a rookie and maybe more than that down the road.

The Patriots selected long snapper Jake Ingram in the 6th round.  This position became a need for the Patriots after Lonie Paxton left the team to sign with the Broncos as a free agent.  Ingram was regarded as the top long snapper in the country so he should step right into the starting lineup for the Patriots.  But, he’s too small to help out on the offensive line at 6’3″, 232 pounds.  Still, this was a good pick for the Patriots as it filled a need.

In the 5th round the Patriots selected 6’3″, 306 pound George Bussey.  Bussey started at both left tackle and guard in his time at Louisville and his versatility will be a plus.  He was either on the Big East first or second team in the Big East three of the years he played there.  He has a decent little upside and he will provide depth right off the bat for the Patriots.