The Patriots have signed rookie safety Duron Harmon, a third-round pick from Rutgers. The signing was disclosed in the NFL’s Tuesday transactions.
Harmon (6-1, 200) was a two-year starter at safety for the Scarlet Knights. As a senior, he notched 50 tackles and broke up seven passes.
Harmon was one of three Rutgers players the Patriots selected in the 2013 draft, with cornerback Logan Ryan and linebacker Steve Beauharnais the others. Ryan was selected eight picks ahead of Harmon in the third round, while Beauharnais was a seventh-round selection.
Harmon, who was not invited to the NFL Scouting Combine, was something of an off-the-radar pick, but Patriots head coach Bill Belichick liked what he saw from him and Ryan in the Rutgers’ secondary.
“They communicated well, played well. Both were very productive, both defensively and in the kicking game, solid guys,” Belichick said on the second day of the draft, according to the Patriots.
