FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Patriots announced today the signing of first-round draft pick DL Malcom Brown. Terms of the contract were not announced. In addition, the Patriots released TE Fred Davis.
Brown, 21, was selected by the Patriots in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft with the 32nd selection overall out of Texas. The 6-foot-2, 320-pounder, started 26-of-39 games over his three-year career at Texas and finished with 165 tackles, 8½ sacks, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and six passes defensed. Brown started all 13 games he played as a junior in 2014 and finished with 72 total tackles and 6½ sacks. He was a consensus first-team Big 12 and All-America selection.
Davis, 29, was signed by the Patriots as a free agent on May 11, 2015. Davis is a veteran of six NFL seasons (2008-13) with the Washington Redskins after entering the NFL as a second-round draft pick (48th overall) out of USC in the 2008 NFL Draft. The 6-foot-4, 247-pounder, has played in 72 NFL games with 43 starts and has 162 receptions for 2,043 yards with 13 touchdowns. His best statistical season was in 2011 when he caught 59 passes for 796 yards with three touchdowns.