The moment the Patriots selected Rhamondre Stevenson in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft, many looked forward to watching the Oklahoma running back play sometime in 2022. New England is notorious for essentially red-shirting rookie running backs -- James White, Shane Vereen and Damien Harris all come to mind.
And Stevenson seemingly was headed for a similar fate early in his Patriots tenure. He was harshly criticized by Patriots running backs coach Ivan Fears early in training camp for not being in good shape, and Stevenson himself recently said he wasn't ready for the daily grind of life in the NFL. However, Stevenson's impressive preseason performance ultimately led to a legitimate backup role, one he fumbled away on just his second touch of the season.
The 23-year-old then was a healthy inactive for three consecutive games, played in two straight and again was benched in Week 7. He seemed destined for a minimal-at-best role, despite his obvious talent.
Since then, Stevenson has been one of the most effective running backs in the NFL, and arguably the best back on the Patriots roster. Among running backs with at least 180 snaps, Stevenson is ranked 11th overall at Pro Football Focus (Harris is sixth). The two essentially are in a timeshare, with Stevenson recently seeing more time due to Harris' injuries.
Stevenson arrived in New England having heard about how hard it is for Patriots running backs to see playing time in their rookie seasons. But he ignored it, and has forced his way into a significant role in the Patriots offense.
"I really didn't even listen to that," Stevenson said Thursday at Gillette Stadium. "I just put my head down, worked, and, you know, I'm playing probably a lot more than any other rookie running backs.
"So, very grateful for that, but I put the work in. I feel like I deserve it."
Along the way, Stevenson has changed the narrative and earned the respect of both his teammates and coaches.
"I've been impressed by Rhamondre’s growth," Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said Thursday in a video conference. "He's very coachable. ... I think anybody on the team would tell you that he's improved tremendously from where he was, let's call it in July, to where he is now."
Stevenson entered Week 15 with 429 yards and three touchdowns on 100 carries, to go along with 12 receptions for 117 yards. He'll look to add to those numbers Saturday night when New England visits the Indianapolis Colts.
