PFF believes this Patriots player can take big step in Year 2

The New England Patriots’ 2021 draft class proved to be a highly successful one last season. From Mac Jones to Rhamondre Stevenson, many of the draft selections contributed right away. This included defensive tackle Christian Barmore, who showed the NFL what he could do early on.

Barmore recorded 46 tackles and 1.5 sacks on the season. The former Alabama star was a key piece of New England’s defensive line. Many believe that he will be able to improve upon his rookie year after a successful season under his belt.

As the season progressed, he looked more comfortable on the line. He recorded five tackles in the season finale against the Miami Dolphins and had his first sack of the season the week prior against the Jacksonville Jaguars on January 2.

PFF’s Mike Renner believes that Barmore will be able to translate a solid rookie season into a successful sophomore campaign.

Defensive tackle is right near the bottom of the list among positions where you can expect a rookie to hit the ground running. The physical learning curve going from manhandling teenagers to doing the same against grown men is massive. Even the greatest defensive tackle in modern football history, Aaron Donald, managed a meager 44 pressures as a rookie. He has averaged double that in his seven seasons since.

So, when a second-rounder like Barmore racks up 48 pressures for the Patriots as a rookie, the football world should take note. Even scarier, we already saw him look like a different player in the second half of last season. He went from a 63.5 pass-rushing grade in the first eight weeks of the season to an 82.6 pass-rushing grade across the final nine. The latter figure was good enough for fifth best among defensive tackles over that span.

The Patriots would be pleased with another big season from Barmore, as they look to continue to develop the defensive tackle position. Inconsistency at the position has plagued them in recent seasons. Barmore has a chance to become that key piece the organization has been looking for at the position. The AFC as a conference has strong running back talent. Having a piece like Barmore is important defensively as he can help close the gaps, and make things difficult in red zone situations.

We still have yet to see how this season plays out, of course. However, Barmore may be in good shape to have another big year. He will be an intriguing player to watch, as he looks to build upon that rookie season.