Pats Pulpit
The New England Patriots’ offensive backfield is in the middle of a youth movement. After adding three rookie players last offseason, the team brought two more aboard this year. One of them is Myles Montgomery, who joined the club as a rookie free agent shortly after the draft.
His signing was a notable one: he broke the Patriots’ record for total guarantees given to a UDFA. Despite the investment, however, he will have to earn his spot on the roster this summer.
Name: Myles Montgomery
Position: Running back
Jersey number: 39 (w)
Opening day age: 23 (4/4/2003)
Measurements: 5’9 7/8”, 205 lbs, 9” hand size, 30 1/2” arm length, 73 1/8” wingspan, 4.44s 40-yard dash, 7.41s 3-cone drill, 4.25s short shuttle, 37” vertical jump, 10’4” broad jump, 22 bench press reps, 8.90 Relative Athletic Score
NFL: New England Patriots (2026-) | College: Cincinnati (2021-23), UCF (2024-25)
A well-regarded running back prospect out of Duncan U. Fletcher High School in Neptune Beach, FL, Montgomery decided to start his college career at Cincinnati over offers from other schools such as Nebraska, Rutgers and Maryland. The three-star recruit spent his first three seasons with the Bearcats, gradually upping his workload after redshirting as a true freshman. In total, he appeared in 20 games for the school, carrying the ball 80 times for 548 yards and four touchdowns.
Despite most of the production coming in his third year, Montgomery opted to enter the transfer portal in December 2023. Just two weeks later, he committed to Central Florida to close out his college career in his home state.
Montgomery saw action in 21 games as a Knight with 10 starts, registering 194 rushing attempts for 998 yards and seven scores. He additionally caught 20 passes — up from six at Cincinnati — for an extra 248 yards and one more score. Coming off his best collegiate season, he entered the 2026 NFL Draft but did not hear his name called until the Patriots picked him up as an unselected free agent.
Strengths: Montgomery is built close to the ground and knows how to squeeze through holes to get to the second level. Once there, he is a dangerous player due to his 4.44-second long speed. In general, he can make plays with the ball in his hands in open space. He has the burst to leave defenders in his dust but also plays with the contact balance and strength to break tackle attempts; he averaged 3.8 yards after contact in college. While mostly a ball-carrier at Cincinnati and UCF, he has shown the hands and spatial awareness to also contribute in the passing game and potentially also has some untapped potential as a kick returner.
Weaknesses: At under 5-foot-10 and 205 pounds, Montgomery is on the smaller side and might have a harder time shaking off NFL-caliber defenders. That might particularly be true in pass protection, where he already showed some inconsistency in college and will need...
