American Football: New England Patriots.

The New England Patriots traded up in the second round, selecting Oregon cornerback Eugene Wilson with the 36th overall pick.

His 11 interceptions rank sixth on the school's all-time list, while his 60 pass deflections shattered the previous Illini record of 26 by Bobby Jackson (1997-2001), Marlon Primous (1988-91) and Robert Crumpton (1991-94).

The New England Patriots added another player from Texas A&M on Saturday, selecting wide receiver Bethel Johnson with the 45th pick.

New England used their first round selection, 12th overall, to take Aggies defensive tackle Ty Warren.

Johnson suffered a career-threatening spleen injury in 2001, but rebounded in his senior season to catch 40 passes for 718 yards and eight touchdowns. He also returned 12 punts for 139 yards.

The New England Patriots signed defensive lineman Brad Harris and offensive lineman Corey Mitchell on Wednesday and released wide receiver Rob Milanese.

Harris and Mitchell played in NFL Europe this season.

Harris had 23 tackles and 11/2 sacks for the Rhein Fire. The six-foot-three, 290-pound defensive tackle was an all-conference player at Pittsburg (Kan.) State.

Mitchell started at right guard for the Frankfurt Galaxy this spring. The six-foot-four, 315-pound lineman was a two-year starter at left tackle at Massachusetts and was on the Minutemen's 1998 NCAA Division I-AA national championship team.

Milanese signed as a undrafted rookie free agent out of Pennsylvania on May 2.

The New England Patriots, who open training camp Wednesday, will have first-round draft pick Ty Warren in uniform after the defensive tackle signed with the team Monday.

Terms of the deal for Warren, the 13th pick in the draft, were not disclosed.

The 6ft 5in, 307-pound Warren, who was the sixth defensive lineman selected, was one of seven draft picks signed by the Patriots on Monday.

New England also signed free agent offensive lineman Matt Knutson and waived three rookies.

The Patriots moved up on draft day to select the Texas A&M product, who had 52 tackles and 4.5 sacks during an injury-plagued senior season.

Starting 25 of 36 games for the Aggies, the 22-year-old Warren had 144 tackles and 13.5 sacks.

Warren, who started games at tackle and end while in college, should help a defence ranked 31st against the run last season.

Also signing contracts on Monday were cornerback Eugene Wilson, the 36th player selected in the draft.

Wilson started 35 straight games for Illinois and finished with 176 tackles and 11 interceptions.

Wide receiver Bethel Johnson, also a second-round selection, signed on Monday.

Johnson was a team-mate of Warren's in college and set school records with 117 receptions for 1,740 yards.

Centre Dan Koppen, tight end Spencer Nead and linebacker Tully Banta-Cain also signed, as did sixth-round draft pick Kliff Kingsbury, a quarterback from Texas Tech who was the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year.

Knutson, 24, spent most of last season on the practice squads of the Patriots and New York Jets.

New England created roster space Monday by waiving guard Dave Petruziello, wide receiver Kerry Watkins and running back Derek Watson.

The New England Patriots have signed veteran fullback Larry Centers.

The 35-year-old Centres is the the NFL's all-time leader in receptions and receiving yards by a running back.

Terms were not disclosed, but the Boston Herald reported that it is a one-year deal.

He has played the last two seasons with the Bufflao Bills, and has caught 808 passes for 6,691 yards.

The Patriots' need for backfield help was heightened by a leg injury to free agent fullback Fred McCrary, who has yet to take the field at training camp.

A 13-year veteran, Centers also has played for the Arizona Cardinals and Washington Redskins.

In 1995 he set an NFL record for a running back with 101 catches for 962 yards and two touchdowns with Arizona.