Streak continues: Pair of undrafted rookies make Patriots' 53-man roster

FOXBORO -- The streak continues. For the 19th straight season, the New England Patriots will have an undrafted free agent on the team.

Two of them, actually, as Brenden Schooler and DaMarcus Mitchell both made the 53-man roster following Tuesday's roster cuts. 

Both Schooler and Mitchell were kept after solid training camps and both should become core players on special teams in kick coverage. They join the likes of UDFAs like Jakobi Meyers (2019), JC Jackson (2017), Jonathan Jones (2015), and David Andrews (2014) to make the roster in recent years.

Schooler went undrafted out of Texas, where he played both safety and receiver. Mitchell was signed after he went undrafted out of Purdue following a two-year career as a defensive end for the Boilermakers.

Both players making the squad goes to show how much making a contribution on special teams can help a player's cause at making the cut. Schooler beat out core special teamer Justin Bethel, who was released on Tuesday after three seasons with the Patriots.

The Patriots have a lot of youth on the team heading into the 2022 season, with 10 rookies making up the 53-man roster. Click here to check out the full Patriots roster and the list of players who were set free on Tuesday.