Pats' pick Dennard pleads not guilty to assault

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - New England Patriots draft pick Alfonzo Dennard has pleaded not guilty to assaulting a police officer outside a bar in Lincoln, where he played cornerback for Nebraska.

Online court records say Dennard's lawyer filed a written arraignment and the plea on Tuesday. A trial date has not been set.

Dennard remains free on bond. He faces up to five years in prison if convicted.

Dennard is accused of striking an officer during a disturbance on April 21, five days before the NFL draft began. He was the 2011 Big Ten defensive back of the year and had been projected to be a second- or third-round pick before his arrest.

The Patriots took Dennard in the seventh round and signed him to a contract on Tuesday.

Updated May 30, 2012