For the sake of Rhamondre Stevenson and the Patriots, here’s hoping the 2021 fourth-round pick doesn’t live up to the nickname he was given by Cam Newton.
Newton has nicknames for a slew of his New England teammates, and the rookie running back has been added to the list. Speaking with the media after Thursday night’s preseason win over the Philadelphia Eagles, Newton revealed “Eddie Lacy” is among the monikers he’s tabbed Stevenson with.
The nickname, of course, stems from the similarity in size between Lacy and Stevenson. The 5-foot-11 Lacy hovered around 250 pounds over the course of his five-year NFL career, though he often struggled with his weight. The Patriots currently list Stevenson at 6 feet and 227 pounds.
To Lacy’s credit, he burst onto the NFL scene after being selected in the second round of the 2013 draft. The Alabama product rushed for over 1,100 yards in both of his first two seasons with the Green Bay Packers and was named to the Pro Bowl as a rookie. But Lacy flamed out from there, rushing for a combined 1,297 yards over his next three (and final) seasons in the league, the last of which was with the Seattle Seahawks in 2017.
As for Stevenson, he’s still a few weeks away from his potential regular-season debut. But he’s impressed to date, scoring a combined four touchdowns in New England’s first two preseason tilts.
