FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- When tight end Clay Harbor played against the New England Patriots in 2015 as a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars, what he saw across the line of scrimmage made an impression on him.

“I remember thinking the guys were really professional and it really seemed like a good group of guys. They go out and do their job, they’re not talking trash, they don’t show you up, and they played hard all game, even when they were up 20-25 points,” he recalled. “That really stuck in my mind and I wanted to be a part of that.”

So when Harbor hit unrestricted free agency after the season, he was thrilled to have the Patriots express interest in him.

“I had a couple very similar offers, and just came down to wanting to play for the best team in the league under a program like this,” he said. “Coming here to visit, you see how dedicated everyone is to winning.”

Harbor, 29, has been active for the past two Patriots games as a backup option on offense and core contributor on special teams. A native of Dwight, Illinois, he shares his “football journey” with ESPN.com.

When he first started playing football: “In fourth grade. I played a grade up because my brother [Cory] was in fifth grade and I wanted to play with him. So I was in the older group.”

First position: “Wide receiver.”

Favorite teams and players growing up: “I’m from the greater Chicago area, so I was a Bears fan. Back in those days, it was Marcus Robinson, Curtis Conway, old-school Bears players. I was a little outside the ’85 Bears, born in ’87. So the early '90s teams, which weren’t too successful, but I was a big fan.”

Role models in his life: “My brother is a very big influence in my life, probably the most important. He always looked out for me. He was always a great example to look at, always got good grades, and he tried to keep me on a similar path as him with school and sports. He’s an academic adviser at Northwestern, and was Ted Karras' academic adviser at Illinois and now me and Ted live together, which is pretty funny. [Cory] played football with me for four years at Missouri State; he was a linebacker and I was a tight end. We got to play against each other a lot, which was a lot of fun. ... I come from a very supportive family -- mom, dad, grandmas are all big football fans, and all watch the games. They always helped me and cheered me on through the whole journey.”

Favorite memories at Dwight High School: “It was awesome. I come from a really small country town. I graduated with just 67 kids in my class. We had 20 players on the whole team and I played wide receiver, safety, and I was the kicker, punter, the kick returner and punt returner. It was fun. We made the playoffs for the first time in 15 years because we played in a bigger division. It’s a small town, 3,000 people, and a small school. It’s hard to get noticed out of there.”

Enrolling at Missouri State: “My brother got a three-quarters scholarship offer to Missouri State, which was a huge deal for someone from our high school. He talked to the coaches and mentioned he had a brother. I got one half-scholarship offer coming out of high school -- to Missouri State. I went as a receiver, played wideout for two years, and switched to tight end.”

Not thinking NFL at that point: “I was just excited to be at college and to be playing with my brother. We lived together there. After I moved to tight end, I remember thinking, ‘I’m a lot faster than these linebackers at this level,' and I remember my coach told me, ‘Hey, you have a chance to play in the NFL with your skill set.’ I didn’t know how good the guys were from Florida, LSU, teams like that. I worked hard, gained weight, and did everything I could to make it.”

Drafted in fourth round by Eagles in 2010: “My senior year, coming into that, I wasn’t that physical of a player and I changed my game to try to show people I could block. I got invited to the East-West Shrine Game and the Texas vs. The Nation game, and played in both of them. That’s when I noticed that these kids with Florida and LSU on their helmets aren’t any different than these I-AA guys. I got invited to the combine, did well there -- 40 inches in the vertical, 30 reps on the bench press -- and that gave me confidence. I was thinking somewhere between the third and fifth round, and went in the fourth to the Eagles.”

Top memories with Eagles (2010-2012): “There are a lot of them. My first year there, we made the playoffs and that was a lot of fun. Mike Vick, he was such a great player and one of my favorite players growing up; I used to play 'Madden' with him. So playing with him was a great experience. I loved the coaching staff with Andy [Reid].”

Waived then claimed by the Jaguars (2013-2015): “After the first three in Philly, Coach Reid got let go and Chip Kelly came in and I could tell from the beginning that he was going to go in a different direction. I played a little linebacker and some wide receiver before getting released at final cuts. I tried to do whatever I could to help the team and stick around, but got claimed by Jacksonville right off the waiver wire. The first play of the season, I caught a pass against the Chiefs and Andy Reid. It was a great three years. I loved Jacksonville and the coaching staff. It’s a great place and I have nothing but great memories there. Obviously, we didn’t have the success we wanted, but coaches made it a fun place to play and the guys were awesome.”

What he loves about football: “The competition and just being able to work hard and see everything pay off on the field.”

Summing up his football journey: “A lot of perseverance. There have been ups and downs. Luckily, I got that half-scholarship offer to play I-AA football. I was blessed to get that. Coming from a small school like Missouri State, I was just happy to get an opportunity to play NFL football. It’s my seventh season and I feel blessed to be here and a part of something like the New England Patriots.”