Patriot draft picks Shawn Crable, left, and Jerod Mayo take part in yesterday’s mini-camp in Foxboro.

The Providence Journal / John Freidah

FOXBORO — Shawn Crable admits that he wasn’t the best student when he was younger.

So it’s a bit ironic that last weekend he received a degree in education from the University of Michigan.

But a 9-to-5 desk job won’t do for Crable; he wants a job that, as he says, keeps him active.

Becoming a pro football player certainly fits that job description.

Last Sunday, Crable was the New England Patriots’ first pick in the third round of the draft (78th overall) and yesterday began his career in earnest, on the artificial turf inside the Dana-Farber Fieldhouse with the rest of the Pats’ rookies for day one of mini-camp for the newbies.

It is a dream come true for a young man who easily could have given up on dreaming long ago.

Crable entered the foster-care system in his native Ohio when he was 5 years old (he did not share specifics), and was on his third foster home, an emergency placement, at age 11. A member of that family approached Ella Kirkland about the young man who needed a home.

Kirkland met Crable, asked him if he would like to live with her, and over a decade later, it is still the place he calls home.

“She was an angel to me,” Crable said yesterday. “She had a son who had just graduated from college, working on his master’s, and it gave me someone to look up to. She never let me quit anything.”

He said he chooses not to think about what his life might have been like had Kirkland not taken him in.

Though Crable was already involved in sports, Kirkland initially told him no when he asked to play football. He went behind her back, though, and when she found out, Crable said, she was more glad that he was active than upset at the deception. And once she knew he was playing, she wouldn’t let him quit.

At 6-foot-5 and 243 pounds, Crable has the type of thin, muscular legs that look more suited for a small forward — basketball was one of his other sports growing up — than a linebacker, but they suited him fine at Michigan and clearly caught the eye of Patriots scouts.

Ending up in New England has its own story. Crable was on the phone with Bill Belichick when the Patriots were on the clock at number 69, but the Chargers called, inquiring if the pick might be available.

“So [Belichick] said, ‘hold on, we’ll have to call you back in 20 minutes,’ ” Crable said.

The Pats made a deal with San Diego, sending the 69th pick out west, but nine picks later when it was New England’s turn again, Crable got another call. This time it was a done deal. Belichick gave Crable a “very intense, brief description” of how things are done with the Patriots.

Crable had an idea of how things go with the Patriots thanks to his friend and former teammate in Ann Arbor, Pierre Woods. The two have been on the phone together this week, as Woods shares tips with Crable on how to be successful.

“He’s told me a lot of stuff. Most important, he said, come to work, ask a lot of questions, pay attention when you’re not [on the field], and I took that to heart so that’s what I’ve been doing,” Crable said.

He hasn’t been shy about asking for help: late Thursday night, Crable said, he, roommate Jerod Mayo, Vince Redd, Bo Ruud and Gary Guyton were studying photos and plays and needed some further guidance, so they simply called a member of the coaching staff.

Though he worked mostly as a defensive end at Michigan, Crable is another in a line of Patriots who will convert to outside linebacker. He worked both outside spots in drills yesterday.

It has been a whirlwind week for Crable, who mentioned several times that his faith pulled him through difficult times in his young life. He knows that perseverance is rewarded, no matter what one’s background may be.

“Never give up,” he said when asked what advice he’d give others in situations similar to his. “If you have a dream, you’re only hurting yourself if you don’t pursue it.”

smanza@projo.com