Kendrick Bourne plays surprise role in Patriots rookie’s pre-draft visit

Sixth-round draft pick Marcellas Dial met Bourne at a Hibachi restaurant.

Arriving in Foxboro the day before his pre-draft visit with the New England Patriots, Marcellas Dial took a visit to Saga Hibachi Steakhouse and Sushi Bar in Patriots Place for a bite to eat.

He didn’t know it at the time, but it was there he’d run into one of his future teammates.

“I know there’s one receiver that we had met in a Hibachi restaurant. I forget his name… Kendrick?,” Dial shared in his introductory video call. “Bourne, yeah!”

After Dial finished his meal, he locked eyes with Patriots’ wide receiver Kendrick Bourne sitting at the bar. Neither knew who the other was, but they immediately struck up conversation.

“It was kind of weird because I didn’t know him, he didn’t know me, but we just kind of connected to each other and started talking about everything,” Dial said. “He was telling me his journey and everything, telling me I was on the right track and everything, and it’s just so crazy that I’m here now. It’s so crazy that I ended up here; it’s so crazy. It’s crazy that he’s my teammate now.”

While the two eventually went their separate ways, it would not be the only time they’d cross paths during Dial’s trip. As the defensive back from South Carolina then made his way to Gillette Stadium the following day for his official visit, they ran into each other yet again.

“Then, I saw him the next day because [the Hibachi] was the day before my visit,” Dial said. “I saw him the next day in the building; he had dapped me up like twice. He saw me twice to three times, and he dapped me up again. He was a cool guy, he was good, he was good energy.”

The two should now see plenty of each other on the field in Foxboro, as New England’s sixth-round pick will be tasked with helping slow down Bourne and the rest of the Patriots’ offense throughout the offseason. Dial, who led the Gamecocks in pass deflections in each of the past two seasons, is ready to put his skills to the test to make it happen.

“I’m a sticky corner in coverage. I’m able to run, compete and play with any receiver, any body type. I’m very good at attacking whenever the ball is in the air. I can make plays on the ball,” he said about his playing style. “I know there’s bits and parts to my game to get better at, but that’s where I’m going to come in, work and get better.”