Key Patriots Defender Viewed As Possessing This Top Skill In NFL

The New England Patriots don’t have many players, if any, that do something better than the rest of the NFL.

Actually, there might be only one exception to that.

ESPN’s Matt Bowen laid out 101 traits and selected the best player that possesses each specific skill. The Patriots only had one player make Bowen’s list. He viewed third-year defensive tackle Christian Barmore as the league’s best pass-lane swatter.

“Barmore’s ability to play with effort through the down and create an interior push puts him in a position to get his hands up on the throw,” Bowen wrote. “His six batted passes are tied for most in the league.”

Barmore has been one of the few highlights for the Patriots during a dreadful season. The 24-year-old, who New England picked in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft, has come into his own after a slow start to the season.

Barmore has recorded 40 tackles, nine of those being tackles for loss, which is three times more than he had in any previous season. He also has notched a career-high 5.5 sacks — three more than he compiled all of last season — and when he can’t get to the quarterback, he showed he can still be disruptive as Bowen pointed out.

“He’s getting better every year,” Deatrich Wise told reporters last month. “He’s definitely improving every time he steps on the field.”

Barmore’s ascension has turned him into a key piece on New England’s defensive line and one the Patriots can not only continually count on, but might even look to build around going forward.