Flip on the Senior Bowl each February, and there’s a good chance you’ll see at least a handful of future New England Patriots.
The Patriots love drafting players who participate in college football’s premier postseason all-star showcase. They’ve selected at least one Senior Bowl alum in every draft since 2008 and 49 total during that span — an average of 3.5 per year.
Three members of New England’s eight-man 2021 draft class accepted invites to Mobile, Ala.: quarterback Mac Jones (first round), running back Rhamondre Stevenson (fourth round) and safety Joshuah Bledsoe (sixth round).
Ahead of the Patriots’ first full-squad practice — organized team activities begin next week — we rewatched the 2021 Senior Bowl and reviewed practice footage from the preceding week. Here’s what we saw from the three New England draftees:
QB Mac Jones
An ankle injury prevented Jones from playing in the Senior Bowl itself, but no quarterback boosted his stock more in Mobile than the former Alabama star. Jones displayed excellent accuracy and anticipation — two of his strongest traits — during Senior Bowl practice while also showing strong movement skills within the pocket.
Of the six QBs in attendance, Jones had the second-lowest rate of inaccurate throws in practice (eight on 63 attempts) behind Notre Dame’s Ian Book, according to Pro Football Focus’s charting.
Jones garnered rave reviews from analysts in attendance.
Jones, the first quarterback drafted by the Patriots in the first round since Drew Bledsoe in 1993, lamented his minor injury during an in-game interview with NFL Network’s broadcast crew.
“It was a lot of fun this week, but my ankle’s still stinging a little bit, and I didn’t want to take any big risks,” he said. “But I definitely want to be out there. It’s hard for me to sit here and even be doing this (interview). I’d rather be watching the game.”
The 22-year-old Jones likely will begin his Patriots career on the sideline but could unseat returning starter Cam Newton with a strong preseason.
RB Rhamondre Stevenson
Stevenson turned heads with his pass-catching ability in Senior Bowl practice. Despite being a bigger back at 6 feet, 231 pounds, he was an asset in the passing game for Oklahoma (18 catches, 211 yards in six games last season).
The game itself, though, was one to forget for the former Sooners star.
After picking up 4 yards on his opening carry, Stevenson managed just 5 total yards on his final six rushing attempts. The elite tackle-breaking ability that defined his stellar 2020 season was largely absent as he averaged just 1.3 yards per carry.
The blocking in front of Stevenson was not top-notch, but North Carolina’s Michael Carter finished with 60 yards on eight carries while running behind the same National Team offensive line.
Stevenson also appeared to drop a short pass. He tallied one catch for 5 yards and didn’t have any notable pass-blocking reps in his 22 offensive snaps.
The Patriots often redshirt their rookie running backs. But with no clear No. 2 pass-catching option behind James White, Stevenson could push for playing time this season if he proves he can contribute in that area.
S Joshuah Bledsoe
Bledsoe’s greatest assets are his experience and versatility. He showcased the latter in the Senior Bowl, playing roughly half of his snaps as a deep safety (15 snaps) and the other half as a slot defender (13 snaps).
The bulk of Bledsoe’s slot reps came against South Dakota State receiver Cade Johnson, who was not targeted in any of their 1-on-1 encounters. Bledsoe did have some issues in coverage, though, particularly on one fourth-down rep against UCLA’s Demetric Felton.
Felton, a shifty running back/receiver hybrid, lined up in a stack formation and easily evaded Bledsoe on an angle route to move the chains on fourth-and-3.
Slot corner was Bledsoe’s primary position over his final two collegiate seasons, but he doesn’t seem to have the speed or quickness necessary to keep up with NFL slot receivers. It’ll be interesting to see how the Patriots deploy him in training camp.
Bledsoe also was the closest man in coverage on two other receptions, including a seam-route touchdown to tight end Kenny Yeboah (who should have been ruled down just short of the goal line). Bledsoe, playing as a Cover 3 deep safety on the play, tried to separate Yeboah from the ball but landed awkwardly beneath the pass-catcher, suffering a wrist injury that prevented him from testing at his pro day.
Coverage ability is the biggest concern with Bledsoe as he transitions to the NFL. He allowed eight touchdowns with one interception over the last two seasons and posted subpar passer rating against marks of 102.5 in 2019 and 111.9 in 2020.
