FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- While an injury can be a short-term hardship for many athletes, it can sometimes produce a long-term gain. Such is the case for New England Patriots wide receiver Chris Hogan.

As a sophomore on the Penn State lacrosse team, Hogan sustained a high ankle sprain, and after attempting to play a couple of games on it, he shut it down for the season. That gave him a redshirt year and the opening to pursue one season of college football after his lacrosse playing days were over.

"Without that, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to play football. I actually don't ever think about it like that, but I guess you could say it was something bad at the time that ended up being good," Hogan said, acknowledging that without the injury he probably isn't a Patriot today.

Hogan, who turns 28 on Oct. 24 and has made a positive impression with his solid on-field work, shared his "football journey" with ESPN.com during a break in preparations for Sunday's season-opening game at the Arizona Cardinals:

When he first started playing football: "Fifth grade. I was a soccer player, but everyone said I was too physical so I moved over to football."

First positions in football: "Running back and quarterback."

Favorite team: "I was a Giants fan growing up. Phil Simms lived around me [Ramapo, N.J.], and I grew up with his kids."

Favorite players: "Phil. Jerry Rice. Wayne Chrebet, obviously, I love watching him play. We have the same agent [Art Weiss], so I've heard all the Wayne Chrebet stories."

Top football memories at Ramapo High School: "Sophomore year, state championship, Giants Stadium. I didn't play the entire year [at receiver], but a teammate got hurt and I had to step in, and ended up as the player of the game, and catching the winning touchdown."

Attending Penn State to play lacrosse: "A decision had to be made, and I ended up going for lacrosse. Four years of lacrosse, and I had a [extra] year of eligibility from getting hurt my sophomore year. So when I graduated, I went through the whole process, sending out old high school film to college scouts and teams. Syracuse was one school, and Monmouth was the other. Monmouth ended up working out."

Memories from one season at Monmouth: "I played offense, defense, special teams. I knew a lot of the guys at Monmouth because I had played against them in high school, so it was a lot of fun. I was just having a blast playing football again, being around the game, things like training camp."

Preparing for the draft: "I almost ended up getting drafted in the seventh round by San Francisco. When they called me when the draft was going on and said, ‘We could take you in the seventh round, be prepared,’ it was the last thing on my mind, getting drafted. They picked me up as a free agent instead. That was a crazy time, because nowhere in my wildest dreams did I think that was happening."

Spending time with the 49ers in 2011: "It was short-lived. That was after the lockout. I had another injury, got my ankle rolled up again. I thought I was doing well up to that point, but wasn't able to compete in any preseason games. When the cuts came, I kind of knew what was going on."

Signed by the Giants: "I spent two weeks on the practice squad [Sept. 13 to 23]. A blur. Then I was back on the couch again before getting picked up at the end of the season."

Joining the Dolphins in late December 2011 and then the Bills: "I was able to spend the whole offseason and training camp with [Miami], and things went well, but I got cut again [Sept. 11]. Once I got a taste of it, I knew I could play, so I wasn't just going to give up. My agent did a good job getting me workouts, I stayed in shape, and I was also coaching lacrosse. Then in November the Bills picked me up."

Appreciating time in Buffalo: "The Bills gave me my first opportunity. In my mind, I'll be forever grateful for that organization. A year on the practice squad was great, going up against first-rounders. [Receiver] Stevie Johnson was there; Fred Jackson was a huge inspiration for me as an NFL player. I learned a lot, all the way up to signing here.”

Getting an offer sheet from the Patriots in the 2016 season: "I was beyond excited. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Playing in the NFL is, but being able to come here, having played against them for four years, I had a good feeling for the organization."

What he loves about football: "I love to compete. No matter what we're doing, it doesn't matter. We could be playing video games or ping pong, and I'm going to get fired up, win, lose or draw. I also think there's so much for me to learn about the game, and ever since I've been here I've taken in so much information and knowledge about football and the game. Just learning from Tom [Brady] and Julian [Edelman] and those guys. It's fun for me to just sit and learn."

Summing up his football journey: "It's been kind of a windy road, ups and downs, and a couple U-turns here and there. I think I have more miles left in this journey, so I'll keep chugging along and working hard. That's all I've ever done."