Much has been made about the 2021 New England Patriots' lack of a consistent passing game. While most of the gripes are well earned, New England rostered some players who provided hope for the future. Specifically Kendrick Bourne, who was among the league's best in one specific category.
Catch rate over expected (CROE for short) is an advanced football metric that measures the difficulty of a completion using a number of factors, including separation from nearest defender, depth of target, speed, area of field, etc. Essentially, it tracks how good they are at catching balls they have no business catching.
According to NFL.com's Nick Shook, only three players had better CROE numbers than Kendrick Bourne in 2021.
The metrics shared by Shook indicate that Bourne reeled in 78.6% of the passes thrown his way, despite the fact that his expected catch rate was 69.6%. That 9% improvement trails only Seattle's Tyler Lockett (+9.2%), Jacksonville's Christian Kirk (+9.4%) and Cincinnati's Tee Higgins (+9.8%).
Bourne was by far New England's most dynamic playmaker on offense in 2021, amassing 925 total yards while scoring five touchdowns. He led all Patriots with a 19.5% explosive play rate in his first year in New England.
Headed into his second year in New England, it can be expected that Bourne receives more opportunities than he did one year ago. With those, perhaps he can improve on the already impressive advanced metrics he posted in 2021.
