The New England Patriots bolstered their run defense and front seven with the selection of defensive tackle Christian Barmore during the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft on Friday.
The Alabama product, standing at 6-foot-4 and 310 pounds, was taken No. 38 overall after New England traded up with the Cincinnati Bengals. He was widely thought of as the best defensive lineman in the entire class.
The selection of Barmore prompted a trip down memory lane for ESPN analyst Louis Riddick, too. It essentially made Riddick recall one of his most recent conversations with Patriots head coach Bill Belichick last season. And Riddick related that conversation to Belichick selecting Barmore in a way to built the team’s defensive front.
“Let me tell you what else you want to think about, you want to think about the team that Bill Belichick is thinking about. He’s thinking about how the San Francisco 49ers ran the football down his throat last year. He’s thinking about how the Miami Dolphins ran for 200-plus on him down there in Miami,” Riddick said during the ESPN broadcast.
“We talked to him right before they played the Buffalo Bills, I’ve never seen the man more miserable. (He was) talking about their run defense, their inability to get some push on the inside,” Riddick continued. “He signed Davon Godchaux in free agency. He has Lawrence Guy. Now, he’s going to have Christian Barmore, who late in the season, he was rushing the passer with some ferocity unlike he was earlier in the season. All of a sudden something happened to him late in the season. Nick (Saban) got him going, especially when he put him in the three technique and let him go. (Barmore) better give that to Bill because he’s going to be demanding it, that’s for sure.”
Riddick, you’ll probably recall, is spot on.
The Dolphins ran for 250 yards on 6.0 yards-per-carry in a Week 15 win over the Patriots. The 49ers rushed for 197 yards in a dominant Week 7 win at Gillette Stadium. And the Buffalo Bills compiled 190 yards on the ground in Week 8 before tallying another 130 yards in a Week 16.
It was an area of need entering the offseason, and the addition of Barmore is the latest way to address it.
