CJ Dippre started his football-playing days with dreams of reaching the NFL.

His natural gifts of size, a relentless work ethic and a passion to succeed offered him an opportunity. On Saturday afternoon, the former Lakeland High School and University of Alabama standout tight end signed with the New England Patriots as an unrestricted free agent after he went undrafted.

The 6-foot-5, 256-pound tight end had opportunities with Detroit, the New York Jets, Kansas City, Tennessee and Cleveland. He was projected in rounds six or seven, according to several mock drafts heading into the weekend.

“It didn’t go as I planned, but God always has a plan,” Dippre said. “I am really excited for this opportunity to be a free agent and join the Patriots with all that Coach (Mike) Vrabel is doing there.”

Dippre started his career at the University of Maryland, where he caught 32 passes for 339 yards and three touchdowns. He had 32 receptions for 443 yards and was a two-time Mackey Award watchlist member with the Crimson Tide. He helped lead Alabama to the SEC Championship and the College Football Playoff in 2023.

After starting for three seasons in college, Dippre had an outstanding performance at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. According to his prospect profile on nfl.com, Dippre had a production score of 63 that ranked him 17th, an athleticism score of 82 that ranked him fourth and a total score of 73 that had him ninth among tight ends.

In addition, he clocked a 40-yard dash time of 4.69 seconds, a vertical jump of 34.5 inches, a broad jump of 10 feet and impressed with 32 repetitions on the bench press.

“I am going to keep training and I just got off the phone with them, and on May 8, I will head up there and work hard to earn a roster spot,” Dippre said.

Dippre was an all-state tight end and a sought-after prospect in high school at Lakeland. He led the Chiefs to the District 2 Class 3A championship in a senior season in 2020 abbreviated by constraints because of the COVID-19 pandemic. An All-Region selection on offense at tight end, he had 16 receptions for 212 yards and two touchdowns, and as a defensive end, he had 21 total tackles, 14 for loss, and four sacks in six games. He finished his high school career with 28 receptions for 423 yards and five touchdowns and had 2,186 yards passing with 19 touchdowns and 802 yards rushing with 14 touchdowns in three seasons as the starting quarterback, and 124 tackles with 40 for loss and 11.5 sacks.

Originally Published: April 26, 2025 at 8:13 PM EDT