New England Patriots: 6 Players Who Could Be on the Training Camp Roster Bubble

As we approach the (hopeful) end of the NFL lockout, visions of training camp in July and August will be bouncing through my head.

It's going to be hot, but some of the players on the roster will inevitably be left out in the cold

The New England Patriots have an incredibly young roster of players, and veteran free agents will have a hard time learning the system quickly enough to make the roster. Thus, we already have a decent idea of who's on the bubble entering training camp.

Here is a list of just a few guys that are facing some stiff competition and could be left fending for themselves in the fall when the final 53-man rosters are announced.

Erik Frenz is the co-host of the PatsPropaganda and Frenz podcast. Follow Erik on Twitter @ErikFrenz.

Marcus Stroud

It's hard to believe that the Patriots would bring in a guy like Stroud without good reason. That reason may simply be adding a body to the deep competition of young defensive linemen.

It's already uncertain how much the 33-year-old Stroud has left in the tank, although he's coming off two strong seasons with Buffalo. He will be at an immediate disadvantage, though, as he'll be behind the learning curve so to speak. Players with a year in the system will have the upper hand, and Stroud will have to get on the books early.

Stroud, however, strongly believes he'll be fine.

"I'm familiar with [their system] especially being in the same division with them for the past three years...Once all this lockout stuff is over with, I'll jump in here first thing and learn this defense. I'm quite confident I can do that."

It wouldn't be the first time the Patriots brought in a veteran free agent that didn't even make the roster (see Monty Beisel, Eric Warfield). With a very young group of defensive linemen already on the roster, the prospect of starting the 33-year-old linemen may seem less promising.

Darius Butler

He had an up-and-down rookie year, with more ups than downs. To follow that up, he had an up-and-down sophomore year, but this time with more downs than ups.

Now, he faces a tough competition in a defensive backfield that is filled with promising, young talent. To add to up-and-comer Kyle Arrington, he also has to worry about second-round draft pick Ras-I Dowling, Jonathan Wilhite and most importantly the return of Leigh Bodden.

Malcolm Williams will compete for time on special teams, but his ability to contribute both on defense and in the kicking game could make him more valuable than Butler. Needless to say, butler will have to put in work to earn one of the prized roster spots at cornerback.

Bret Lockett

Lockett has faced some bad press over the past few weeks in the wake of the sex scandal (or lack thereof) with Kim Kardashian.

Although some of that bad press should probably be directed at his bad attempt at a rap career, it was hard for anyone to believe he was really getting some from a woman who has had her choice of any professional athlete (and may have taken some liberties with that).

In any event, it doesn't bode well for Lockett that he has been on the wrong end of the tabloids for the past few weeks. The Patriots typically ask their players to keep their mouths shut, stay out of the papers and just do their job.

Lockett failed to do the first two things, and as a result, he may not even have a chance to do the third.

Quinn Ojinnaka

He was already cut from the team and re-signed back in late September and early October of 2010. The Patriots feel they have a versatile offensive linemen in Ojinnaka, so they have made room for him on the roster.

He does have a domestic dispute on his record, which caused him to be suspended for the first game of the 2010 season. He was cut just three weeks into the regular season, but was signed back a week later.

The Patriots only gave up a seventh-round pick to get him, so it wouldn't be too great of a loss if he didn't make the team. Still, the fact that they gave up anything for him means they must like something they see in him.

Jonathan Crompton

Crompton may very well be a talented quarterback; we don't know, because we've never seen him play a meaningful NFL snap. If he remains in New England, he may never get his chance.

Tom Brady, Brian Hoyer and Ryan Mallett appear to be locked in as the top three quarterbacks on the Patriots roster. Unless Bill Belichick sees similar prospects to what he saw in Brady at the beginning of his career, there's no reason to keep around a fourth.

With so many issues to address defensively, the fourth roster spot could be better used in some other way.

Alge Crumpler

I love Crumpler just as much as the next guy, but he falls into something of a gray area.

Once considered an elite receiving tight end, he has really accepted and excelled in the role of a blocking tight end recently. Thus, age doesn't play as much of a factor in his roster bubble status as one may think.

The Patriots drafted Lee Smith from Marshall in the fifth round. Smith has a similar skill set to what Crumpler has to offer, but Crumpler adds that veteran leadership and mentorship to the young, up-and-coming duo of Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski.

Crumpler may be fortunate that his battle for a roster spot is with a rookie, who hasn't had the exposure to the system and still hasn't even had a chance to look at the playbook.