Patriots sign Maryland tight end Will Yeatman

Will Yeatman gave up lacrosse to play in the NFL. (AP)

The Patriots have some big names at tight end, and now they’re set to add a tight end who may not play the position in the NFL. Maryland’s Will Yeatman, a former college lacrosse player, tweeted Tuesday to confirm that he’s signed with New England. Tweeted Yeatman: “Alright people I guess the word is out. I’m a New England Patriot!” The signing was first reported by Aaron Williams of the Carroll County Times.

WEEI.com’s Christopher Price provided a snapshot of Yeatman in his look at 10 undrafted free agents who would make sense for the Patriots, noting that Yeatman’s size could lend itself to a spot on the offensive line in the NFL. Many have projected the 6-foot-5, 275-pound Yeatman as a tackle at the next level.

The move from tight end to tackle is not an uncommon one, as such first-round picks as Robert Gallery and Nate Solder were converted tackles.

Yeatman gave up lacrosse in his final season at Maryland to focus on football. He also had eligibility issues due to playing a scrimmage in 2007 that cost him a year of eligibility.

“I’ve wanted to play in the NFL my entire life and it didn’t seem realistic that I could make that happen if I played lacrosse,” he told Inside Lacrosse earlier this year. “I would’ve had to try to get a year of eligibility back. The thing that made the decision easiest was that I’ve been in college for a long time and I’ve been a college athlete long enough. I had to move on and move to the next step of my life and hopefully that’s the NFL.

In three college football seasons (the first two of which were at Notre Dame before transferring), Yeatman had 21 receptions for 177 yards and one touchdown. The vast majority of those statistics were produced in his senior year at Maryland (13 receptions, 134 yards, TD).