Meet Chasen Hines, the new Patriots draft pick who idolized David Ortiz
Ortiz: "congratulations and welcome to new england ‘Big Papa.'"
Admittedly we do baseball at Beyond the Monster. But every once in a while there’s a story that crosses both sports. Patriots new offensive guard Chasen Hines grew up idolizing Red Sox Hall of Famer David Ortiz.
Hines was selected by the Patriots in the sixth-round on Saturday during the NFL Draft. The new Patriots guard said that he wore No. 34 growing up to honor Ortiz. He would also tell reporters that his teammates would call him “Big Papa”.
While Hines will not be hitting the baseball over the Green Monster, he will get a chance with the six-time Super Bowl champion New England Patriots. Hines was selected with pick No. 210 and will give head coach Bill Belichick additional depth on the offensive line.
The 22-year-old interior lineman received a shoutout from Ortiz on social media following the draft. Ortiz would tweet at Hines and the Patriots saying, “congratulations and welcome to new england ‘Big Papa’.”
“So, the funny part is my primary number — I wore 34. Growing up I was called ‘Big Papa’ just because I was one of the biggest kids on the team and I batted fourth like he did,” Hines said. “I wore 34 and he was really the main reason why. I always loved baseball and had a passion for it, just watching him.”
Hines comes to New England with the task of protecting quarterback Mac Jones. The former LSU Tiger excels in the running game while playing all three interior lineman positions. That will be music to the ears of running backs Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson.
Hines was projected by The Athletic has the 15th best guard prospect in the draft. He also took part in the 2022 Senior Bowl playing with first-round pick Cole Strange.
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