FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Patriots have a notable history with undrafted free agents producing big results for them in Bill Belichick's coaching tenure (2000-present). That’s part of the reason rookie Brandon King of Auburn, who is currently tied for the Patriots lead with 10 special teams tackles, decided to sign with them as a rookie free agent in May.
“I researched different programs and seeing how things worked, and what type of opportunity I might have. I remembered Malcolm [Butler] from the Super Bowl. He was a free agent. So why not?” King said this week in preparation for Sunday’s road game against the Houston Texans.
Then there was Belichick’s personal touch.
“Coach Belichick ended up coming to our pro day. That was big, especially for a big-time coach like that. I don’t know if you see that a lot with the NFL process, but it was the first time I had seen it,” he said.
King’s decision to sign with the Patriots has paid off, as he opened the year on the practice squad, was promoted to the 53-man roster after three games, and is now a core contributor on special teams.
King, 22, shares his “football journey” as part of ESPN.com’s weekly feature:
When he first started playing football: “When I was 5. My parents always had a rule that we had to have extra after-school activities. No matter what it was, you had to pick something. Growing up in [Alabaster] Alabama, football has always been the main thing there.”
First position: “Defensive end.”
Favorite team growing up: “I always liked Alabama, but as I got older and realized Auburn was in the state too, I ended up changing over.”
Favorite players: “I loved watching Ray Lewis because he always put on a show, regardless. He’s a very vocal leader. I also watched Tom [Brady] a lot, and everyone knows who he is and all he’s accomplished.”
Role models in his life: “My mom [Aneglia]. She went through everything with me, and she was always there. She always told me ‘you can do anything you can put your mind to.’”
Thompson High School to Highland Community College: “In high school, I had an interception and had an opportunity to run it back, but decided that I wanted to try to run over someone instead. That’s when I figured out that I really liked being a defensive player because I like to run toward contact instead of away from it.”
Enrolling at Auburn in 2013: “Getting that offer was big for the family. My grandfather passed when I was younger and he was an Auburn fan, my dad was an Auburn fan, my mom was an Auburn fan, and everyone was really excited about that.”
Top memories at Auburn: “The national championship year run [in 2013, losing to Florida State in the title game]. We won a lot of close games in a lot of ways you’ve never seen before in football. There were a lot of guys that came off a bad season the year before (3-9), and they were tired of that and people throwing them under the bus. We all came together.”
Not having a defined position -- a safety/linebacker/defensive end hybrid: “I’m sort of a lot of stuff, and I’m fine with that” (said with a smile).
Expectations entering the NFL: “I had no idea. I didn’t care either way [if I was drafted or not]. I just wanted to have the opportunity … as long as I got into a facility of building.”
Promoted to the active roster Oct. 10: “It kind of goes with my life, starting at one point and trying to take steps forward; the progress comes, but then there is more responsibility. I’m not asking questions about why; when it comes down to it I’m just rolling.”
What he loves about football: “I’ve been doing it since I was 5 and it gets to the point where if I haven’t hit someone in a while, I have an itch that I need to scratch. I just go through every day with the mindset of trying not to put anything bad on film, especially effort-wise, because that’s one thing you can control.”
Summing up his football journey: “Progression. It’s just a process and you just have to keep moving through it. Run. Every opportunity you get, you have to take it. You can’t wait because you might not get another.”