The New England Patriots looked to the undrafted free agent pool to try and fill their quarterback room. The team signed former Louisiana Tech quarterback J’Mar Smith as well as former Michigan State quarterback Brian Lewerke.
Smith enjoyed a successful career at Louisiana Tech. In four seasons of play, he recorded over 9,000 passing yards and 51 touchdowns. His best season in terms of passing yards came in 2018. He recorded 31,60 passing yards, 15 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. He concluded his career with the Bulldogs by putting together a strong senior campaign last year. He recorded 2,977 passing yards, 18 touchdowns, and five interceptions.
Lewerke also put together a successful career of his own. In four seasons of play at Michigan State, he recorded 8,293 passing yards, 47 touchdowns, and 32 interceptions. His best season statistically came in 2017. He recorded 2,793 passing yards, 20 touchdowns, and seven interceptions.
He was able to finish off his Michigan State career in style by recording 3,079 passing yards and 17 touchdowns. His 7.1 yards per attempt and the passing yards were the highest marks of his career.
Throughout the draft, Patriots fans wanted New England to take a quarterback as the team looks toward the future. However, one could argue that there were more pressing needs to fill. These two are certainly interesting players, and the statistics indicate that they were successful at the college level.
Smith and Lewerke may not have been drafted, but they certainly have talent. It will be interesting to see how the organization uses them in the coming years.
