Around the age of seven or eight, Ed Lee started to follow the New England Patriots closely and they remained his favorite team all throughout his high school and college career.

Now the receiver is living his dream, getting coached by Bill Belichick and catching passes from Mac Jones during New England's offseason program. 

“When I first got the call, it didn’t really hit me at first,” Lee said. “Once I got into the locker room for a team meeting with Coach Bill (Belichick) it was like ‘I’m here.’”

The Patriots signed the local receiver at the beginning of June right before the second open OTA session. The undrafted free agent joined from the University of Rhode Island where he finished his final season catching 56 passes for 908 yards and five touchdowns. 

And listed in the personal information in his biography on the URI site is his favorite NFL team which just so happens to play 54 miles away from the college where Lee developed his game.  

"It was emotional for sure," Lee said about this opportunity to play for the Patriots. "There's 32 teams and the one team that I get an opportunity with was my favorite team. So definitely like I said, dream come true, and just excited to be here."

However, Lee did not grow up in New England. 

The 5-foot-10, 185 pound receiver is from Washington, D.C., but the reason for his love of the Patriots is one that many can relate to. 

"“Little kids like who’s winning,” Lee said. “New England is always been big on winning. That’s just how it happened.”

Lee's earliest memories of watching the Patriots are the numerous Super Bowl victories where he cheered alongside his family and friends. 

And when asked about his favorite player, Lee didn't even hesitate. 

"Wes Welker."

Welker was one of the Patriots top receivers during his time in New England, but he also mentioned two other player who certainly left their mark in New England. 

“Deion Branch, Julian Edelman, people like that, so just guys that I kind of model my game after.” 

And with that, Lee also has the opportunity to learn from Troy Brown, who serves as the Patriots wide receivers coach. Brown was a player that Lee grew up watching and now he is being coached by the Hall of Famer. 

“He’s knowledgable, he knows a lot,” Lee said. “He’s been there, done it. Me going through this process, he kind of relates to me as well so it’s just you can’t ask for anything better.”

Lee also learned a lot about the NFL from his father who was drafted by the Detroit Lions in 1981, and played as a receiver until 1984.

“We talk everyday,” Lee said about the relationship with his father. “It’s always good to have somebody who’s done it before you and can lead you into what you’re doing now.”

“Just kind of helped me throughout this whole process. We have a great relationship," the receiver added. 

The Patriots were already familiar with Lee after he was invited to their rookie minicamp along with their local pro day, and he certainly made an impression. 

While he knows there is still a lot of time before the season begins and it will be an uphill battle to claim one of the active roster spots, Lee isn't backing down. 

"I’ve kind of always been overlooked in a sense just coming out draft not having anywhere to go at first. I’ve kind of been in that position before. So just put my head down and keep working,” Lee said. "And then the opportunity presented itself.”

Featured Image via Sophie Weller – A to Z Sports