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Patriots kickoff 2016: A look at Cedric Thompson

By Connor Fulton

Aug 13, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears running back Senorise Perry (32) runs past Miami Dolphins defensive back Cedric Thompson (41) for a 54 yard touchdown run during the second half of a preseason NFL football game at Soldier Field. Chicago won 27-10. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 13, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears running back Senorise Perry (32) runs past Miami Dolphins defensive back Cedric Thompson (41) for a 54 yard touchdown run during the second half of a preseason NFL football game at Soldier Field. Chicago won 27-10. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports /
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The New England Patriots open 2016 in 41 days, so we are continuing our summer-long profile series by taking a closer look at the owner of the No. 41 jersey, safety Cedric Thompson.

Size: 6-foot, 208 pounds

College: Minnesota

NFL experience: One season

After being selected by the Miami Dolphins in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL Draft, Thompson spent the summer in south Florida before getting cut in early September. Although he was signed to the Dolphins’ practice squad, Thompson never appeared in an NFL game as a rookie.

The Dolphins elected not to award Thompson with a futures contract in January, so in stepped the Patriots with a deal for the Minnesota product. Thompson has been buried on the Patriots’ roster ever since.

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Over the course of his college career, Thompson started 32 of 46 appearance and accumulated 220 tackles, five interceptions, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. The strengths of Thompson’s college game were his athleticism and size, which allowed the Los Angeles native to make up for below-average instincts, according to this scouting report.

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Is there room for Thompson in New England? At this point, the pickings are slim at the safety position. Duron Harmon and Jordan Richards are entrenched as the depth guys behind starters Devin McCourty and Patrick Chung, and there’s also Brock Vereen in the mix. Thompson must focus on besting Vereen and then outperforming Richards.

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At this point, it’s hard to be very confident that Thompson will unseat either Harmon or Richards, or even Vereen, and make the final roster. It’s more likely that Thompson works his way onto the practice squad and hopes to be activated from there.

Next: Predicting Final Roster, Pre-Training Camp Edition

Since there is currently no wearer of the No. 40 jersey, this series takes a break tomorrow. But be sure to stop by Musket Fire on Wednesday as we count down 39 days until the Patriots open 2016 by profiling the owner of the No. 39 jersey, veteran cornerback E.J. Biggers.

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