In the past few days, four Northwestern players have joined NFL teams, but it appears one former Wildcat is on his way out... for now. Mike Reiss of ESPN Boston reported Monday morning that the New England Patriots will release wide receiver Jeremy Ebert, who they drafted in the seventh round last year.
Patriots have informed WR Jeremy Ebert he will be released, per source. Ebert a 7th-round pick out of Northwestern in 2012.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) April 29, 2013
This isn't a major surprise, since Ebert failed to catch on with the Patriots last year and never played a game. However, while this is a setback for Ebert, it's not necessarily the end of this NFL career. He surprised a lot of people — and probably worked his way into the draft — by running a 4.3-second 40-yard dash at his pro day last year, and with that kind of speed, another team may be tempted to take a chance on him. Ebert was very productive in college, as well. He had 2,400 yards and 21 touchdowns on 173 receptions in his career, with 137 of those receptions, 2,013 of the yards and 19 of the touchdowns coming in his last two years.