Five Patriots players worth keeping tabs on in camp

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3. Bryan Stork: Center, Florida State

Offensive line depth is vitally important to the success of any football team. Whether you’re a run first or pass happy type, it all starts in the trenches. We saw the Pats sustain many injuries along the front line a year ago. This year they bulked up. Bryan Stork is a rookie center worth paying close attention to.

The Pats selected Stork in the 4th round of the draft. He hasn’t gotten much attention, but certainly deserves some. Stork served as an anchor along the national champion Seminoles offensive line last year.

His outstanding play earned him national recognition. Stork was awarded the Rimington Trophy, presented annually to the top center in the country.

Stork has excellent size and can handle larger defenders with ease. He’s showed strong pass blocking skills in college and understands the importance of angles in the run game. His talents are best suited for zone-blocking and slide-protection, both schemes in which New England utilizes.

A strong showing in training camp and Stork could eventually work his way into the rotation at the interior line positions. Perhaps he could even win the job over last year’s starting center Ryan Wendell.