FOXBOROUGH — The Patriots were off and running before the clock started ticking on Day 3 of the NFL Draft Saturday, picking up the fifth-year option on receiver Brandin Cooks according to ESPN and trading for tight end James O’Shaughnessy.
O’Shaughnessy was acquired from the Chiefs along with a sixth-rounder (No. 216 overall) for a fifth-rounder (No. 183).
O’Shaughnessy, a fifth-round pick by the Chiefs from Illinois State in 2015, will compete for the third-string job in New England behind Rob Gronkowski and Dwayne Allen.
The Patriots also have tight ends Matt Lengel, Michael Williams, and Rob Housler on the roster.
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Buried behind Travis Kelce, Demetrius Harris, Gavin Escobar, and Ross Travis on the Kansas City depth chart, O’Shaughnessy has played in 23 career games with eight catches for 86 yards.
The 6-4, 248-pound O’Shaughnessy is considered an athletic tight end with good speed, decent power, and reliable hands.
“[O’Shaugnessy’s] actually a player we did a lot of work on when he was coming out [of college],’’ said Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio. “We worked him out before the draft, so he was a player that we liked that year and the Chiefs ended up picking him. He’s had some experience offensively and he’s had a decent role in the kicking game down there in Kansas City and he’s a young player, so we’ll put him in the mix.’’
Cooks on books
Cooks, acquired from the Saints in early March for the final pick in the first round (No. 32), will now be under Patriots control for at least two seasons.
Picking up Cooks’s option was considered a formality given the price New England paid to acquire the 5-foot-10-inch, 189-pound receiver. In addition to the first-rounder, New England sent a third-rounder to New Orleans for Cooks and a fourth-rounder.
Cooks’s cap hit for the upcoming season will be $1.563 million and jumps to $8.459 million for 2018.
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Cooks has been very productive the last two seasons, collecting 162 catches for 2,311 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Senior moments
Both of the Patriots picks in Round 3 come from smaller schools and both pointed to their performances during Senior Bowl week as important to their development.
“For an FCS guy, its very important because everyone questions the level of competition,’’ said Youngstown State defensive end Derek Rivers, who has taken with the 83rd pick. “It was an awesome experience for me. I loved it. We only get to play guys from the FBS level once a year. So when I got to practice with some of those guys and actually play with some of those guys that I see on TV, on ESPN, playing, it was pretty cool, man.’’
Troy left tackle Antonio Garcia, who said he butted heads with Rivers in Mobile, Ala., had similar thoughts.
“It was very important to me,’’ said Garcia, the No. 85 pick. “It was a platform for me to show I can compete with everybody in the country and I feel like I did that.’’
Big little Harlow
The Falcons drafted Oregon State guard Sean Harlow in the fourth round (136th overall). The 6-4, 303-pounder is the son of Pat Harlow, the Patriots’ first pick in the 1991 draft. The elder Harlow was an All-America offensive tackle with Southern Cal who played in 74 games for New England . . . Wearing his Navy whites, Patriots long snapper Joe Cardona announced New England’s fourth-round pick, Deatrich Wise Jr., from the Newport Naval Base, where he was participating in the team’s Football for You Clinics . . . James White said he hasn’t noticed much of an uptick in attention since his heroics at the Super Bowl, where he scored three touchdowns, including the winner in overtime, and that’s just fine with him. “I’m an even-keeled guy,’’ the running back said with a laugh. “I don’t need to get recognized. I just like to go out there and play hard.’’
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Watch: Ben Volin and Jim McBride break down the Patriots’ draft
Jim McBride can be reached at james.mcbride@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globejimmcbride.