New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones has really taken some shine away from the rest of his 2021 NFL Draft classmates, whether it be in a good way or a bad way.
Jones is the most polarizing player on New England's roster, with the talk about his standing as Patriots QB ranging from extremely positive to extremely negative. If you add in all the coaching turmoil from 2022 and the up-and-down nature of free agency talk, those who were drafted in 2021 have been lost in the shuffle.
Rhamondre Stevenson has been excellent through two seasons and projects to be one of the top running backs in the AFC this season. Ronnie Perkins, who was drafted prior to Stevenson, has yet to suit up for a game. Cameron McGrone and William Sherman are both long gone, while Tre Nixon and Joshuah Bledsoe are handing on to roster spots for dear life. Then there is Christian Barmore, who was a steal for the Patriots in the second round and has shown flashes when healthy, but hasn't quite broken out like many have hoped.
That could be until now, according to Zoltán Buday of PFF, who pointed to him as the Patriots' top breakout candidate for 2023.
Many expected Barmore to have a breakout season in 2022, but his sophomore season got off to a slow start before he missed time due to injury. However, he finished strong, which is a good sign for 2023. Prior to Week 17 of 2022, Barmore had failed to record a PFF grade over 82.0 in any games, but he followed that up with two elite performances. He earned PFF grades of 90.8 and 88.4 in Week 17 and Week 18, respectively. Consequently, he was PFF's highest-graded player at his position over the last two weeks of the season, sporting a grade that would have been good for third place among interior defenders throughout the entire season.
Barmore has been far from bad in his time with the Patriots. He just hasn't lived up to the expectations placed upon him coming out of Alabama, as many viewed him as a first-round talent that fell into the perfect situation in New England. In terms of ability, those people were right, with Barmore serving as one of New England's most prolific interior pass rushers when given the opportunity.
The 23-year-old was hindered by injuries in his sophomore campaign, however, and hasn't been able to crack the lineup as a consistent force against the running game. The good news? The Patriots have seen multiple second-round picks break out in their third years recently. Kyle Dugger and Josh Uche, each picked in the second round in 2020, combined for 12.5 sacks, 14 tackles for loss, 16 QB hits, 105 tackles, three forced fumbles and three interceptions in 2023.
That isn't half bad.
If Barmore can follow in their footsteps, which many of his Patriots teammates believe he can, the Patriots could be in line for a stellar defensive campaign.
