The likes of Tom Brady and Stephon Gilmore probably will be the New England Patriots’ best players in the upcoming season, but who will be their X-factor?
The Patriots saw quite a few under-the-radar players elevate their games in the 2018 campaign. Cordarrelle Patterson lined up all over the field for New England, while undrafted rookie J.C. Jackson provided a surprising lift in the secondary. There will be a new batch of players primed for breakout seasons in 2019, but ESPN believes the most noteworthy will come on the defensive line.
“Deatrich Wise Jr. is set to lead the Patriots’ edge group in Year 3 despite recording just 80 career pressures over two seasons, winning just 12.1% and 13.3% of his pass rushes, respectively,” ESPN writes. “The tools are there, though, as he generated pressure on 16.7% of his pass-rush attempts while winning 18.0% of his pass rushes during his final season at Arkansas back in 2016.”
A career season from Wise would be monumental for the Patriots, who lost one of football’s best young pass rushers in Trey Flowers over the offseason. New England took steps in filling the void by trading for Michael Bennett and drafting Chase Winovich, but it will be tough to entirely replace Flowers’ production. Wise, a 2017 fourth-round pick, will have a chance to really show his worth after scratching the surface over the course of his first two seasons in the league.
We’ve seen glimpses of what Wise can become, including the Patriots’ Super Bowl LIII win when he was tied for second on the team in total tackles. With higher expectations set for the 2019 season, the 24-year-old will need to answer the bell if he hopes to be a Foxboro mainstay.
