Meet the Patriots’ new rookie kicker who idolized Adam Vinatieri

There s another kicking competition coming to Foxboro And if Andres Borregales gets his way it might be the Patriots last kicking competition for a decade Borregales whom the Pats selected in the sixth round of the NFL Draft on Saturday was the top-rated kicker in this year s class He made of field goal attempts last season for the University of Miami including a long of yards Borregales will now enter a position battle with incumbent veteran John Parker Romo a close friend Before he started kicking in college Borregales looked up to another Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri Legend Borregales stated of Vinatieri the NFL s all-time leading scorer on a Saturday conference call with reporters All those clutch kicks in the snow I can t wait to experience that I know a lot of people thought that me being from Miami that I can t handle the cold I think I can prove people wrong about that The -foot- -pounder reported the Patriots were his top choice throughout the pre-draft process He maintained a close relationship with senior personnel advisor Alonzo Highsmith formerly the general manager at Miami and met with Pats special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer at the scouting combine The Patriots also visited Borregales at his Pro Day where he drilled a -yard field goal In career games Borregales made of his field goals and all but one of his extra point attempts He started all four years at Miami where his brother Jose also played as a kicker He is the third Venezuelan-born player to make the NFL after two other kickers Pat Ragusa and Alan Pringle Patriots vice president of athlete personnel Ryan Cowden downplayed the transition Borregales will face going from warm weather to kicking in the cold conditions of New England Has a big leg Cowden noted Saturday Really talented What you want to focus on is the mindset and the makeup of the person