The New England Patriots certainly do not go out of their way to endear themselves to players. This tight end is no exception. Vanderbilt tight end Jared Pinkney was told by the Patriots that he had a “loser’s mentality.”
Pinkney is considered one of the best tight ends in the draft and, according to Zach Cox of NESN.com, Pinkey met with the team at the Senior Bowl last month.
“It’s interesting, because (with) a team that’s been winning for as long as they have you expect them to come in with a certain mentality and to share that mentality and to spread it and impart it on you,” Pinkney said. “And that’s exactly what happened. I gave a kind of wonky answer, and it was like, ‘No, that’s a loser’s mentality.’ And I was like, ‘OK, my bad.’ (raises hands) They were like, ‘You need to be like this and that and that,’ and I was like, ‘Yes, sir. I’m better.’ ”
The tight end recorded 20 catches for 233 yards and two touchdowns last season for Vanderbilt. However, the 2018 season was much better for him. He caught 50 passes for 770 yards and two touchdowns.
His best game of the season came in the finale on November 23. In that game, he caught five passes for 76 yards and two touchdowns. Averaging 15.2 yards per catch, a 31-yard pass was his longest of the evening. His production was sporadic. However, when he received targets, he was able to produce at a high rate. Against Purdue on September 7, he recorded three catches for 61 yards. Averaging 20.3 yards per reception, a 26-yard catch was his longest of the afternoon.
Tight end is definitely a position of need for the New England Patriots. Whether or not Pinkney will come to New England remains to be seen. It would be difficult to read too much into this, but the the uncertainty should be answered on draft day.
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