Last modified: Saturday, May 12, 2007 11:49 PM EDT Rookie free agent Larry Anam, from Boston College, pulls in a pass during Patriots' rookie camp Saturday. (Staff photo by KEITH NORDSTROM) PATS NOTEBOOK: Anam living the dream BY MARK FARINELLA SUN CHRONICLE STAFF FOXBORO - They came from near and far to be part of a professional football team. Some will be part of that environment for a long time, while others may not know the feeling again for the rest of their lives after this weekend. It's the rookie minicamp at Gillette Stadium, the first official on-field experience of the 2007 NFL season. And while Patriots' coach Bill Belichick claims that it's not an evaluation came, it would not pay for any of the draft choices, non-drafted free agents or non-roster invitees to treat it as anything but. That doesn't prevent a few of them from being a little star-struck, though. Just as Olanrewaju "Larry" Anam, the defensive back from Boston College who was signed as an undrafted free agent. "It's like I'm living a dream right now," said the 5-foot-11, 197-pounder from Hialeah, Fla., via Lagos, Nigeria. "The first time I saw Bill Belichick walk into the meeting room, I'm like, 'naw-w-w…' The first 10 or 15 seconds, I couldn't even pay attention to what he was saying. I was thinking, 'am I really standing in front of him, listening to him?' "It's like a dream, and it hasn't sunk in yet," he said. "It's a blessing, and I'm very thankful for it." It's a fairly easy transition for Anam, who had to travel only from Chestnut Hill to make it in time for the minicamp. "It took maybe 35 minutes to drive down here," he said. "My best friend gave me a ride down here. It's not like a big transition for me, as opposed to some of the guys who might have to go to Minnesota or something like that." But after just one practice, without pads or contact and with far fewer athletes available than a normal pro full-squad workout would entail, Anam could quickly see that Chestnut Hill and Foxboro are worlds apart. "Things move really, really fast," Anam said. "You just have to relax and watch other people do it. The playbook is a whole lot bigger. You've got to know a lot more things, a lot more details, and become a student of the game. Everyone is as good as you or maybe better, so you have to know the system or you're not going to play. "And as a free agent," he added, "you have to crack the team on special teams, so I'm going to give them all I've got." But first, there's some unfinished business up at the Heights. "I've got to spend a little more time up at BC, or I'm busted," he said. "Still, I'm pretty happy to be here right now, so I want to get the most out of it." Join the party The workouts Saturday morning inside the Dana-Farber Fieldhouse included four players who had not signed contracts and were in for a look. The rookies among them were wide receiver Chris Dunlap of Georgia Tech and running back Chris Vincent of Oregon, while non-rookies in the same boat were wide receiver Chris Baker of Rutgers and safety Denny Poland of Air Force. Quality instruction John Hannah, the Patriots' first Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, was present and participated in coaching the offensive line candidates Saturday. He's not an official member of the staff as yet, but will likely be around for the summer. Belichick said he was happy to have Hannah around for his input, but said the former left guard won't be his first source for information. "I don't think there's a better offensive line coach than Dante (Scarnecchia)," he said. "I haven't worked with one and I don't think there's a better one in the league, to be honest with you. There isn't anyone's opinion that would carry more weight than Dante's … with no disrespect to anybody, but that's what he does, he's been doing it a long time and he's great at it." Quick kicks Corey Hilliard, an offensive lineman from Oklahoma State selected in the sixth round of last month's drafts, exited the drills early because of his conditioning level. That can't be a very good sign for the future, given the Patriots' obsession with offseason conditioning … Ex-Texas A&M linebacker Justin Warren spent much of the practice pedaling an exercise bike ... The minicamp concludes today, but many of the players will be on site and participating in the offseason conditioning program before the scheduled full-squad minicamp in June.