Pat McAfee can’t believe Patriots QB Malik Cunningham went undrafted
Cunningham shined in his preseason debut and drew national attention.
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Patriots quarterback-wide receiver hybrid Malik Cunningham put together a drive that generated a lot of excitement Thursday night.
His preseason debut against the Houston Texans saw Cunningham rush for 34 yards and add another 19 through the air. His command and versatility on the field had former NFL punter Pat McAfee wondering how Cunningham went undrafted.
“Two-hundred-fifty-nine picks in that draft last year, Malik Cunningham was not drafted,” McAfee said on The Pat McAfee Show. “Somehow this guy is an undrafted free agent that Bill Belichick finds. And in the fourth quarter of the first preseason game, he gets an opportunity to play quarterback [and] electrifies everything.”
McAfee noted the low risk involved with late-round picks, including an anecdote about his own draft night. McAfee was selected by the Indianapolis Colts as a punter even though he had little to no prior punting experience.
“I don’t know how every team passes on him seven times,” McAfee said of Cunningham. “But now he’s Bill Belichick, super genius, just found another guy.”
Cunningham has bounced around all over the field through training camp, playing quarterback, wide receiver, and special teams. His Swiss-army-knife style is drawing comparisons to Julian Edelman, and his preseason game gave football fans a taste of that.
“My immediate thought after watching him is, ‘OK, here we go, this is Bill Belichick’s next Julian Edelman,'” McAfee said.
Making an NFL roster as an undrafted free agent is far from easy, but Cunningham is making a strong case for himself this preseason.
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