Grading Every Relevant Patriots Player
By: Jason Stellakis and Alex Grondin
Despite a horrific defeat in Buffalo on Saturday night there are still many positives to take away from this season, such as the emergence of the Patriots new signings and the uprising of quarterback Mac Jones. When the Patriots season began many fans had fairly low expectations and hoped for a positive record at the very least. However, the young Mac Jones with the help of his teammates and future hall of fame coach Bill Bellicheck led his team to a 10-7 record that landed them the 5th seed in the playoffs. Now the question arises, how good was every relevant player this season?
Offense
Mac Jones: B+
He was the story of the Patriots this season. He was the 15th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, and the 5th and final quarterback taken in the first round. In all 17 games he played this season, he threw for 3801 yards with 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions, with a passer rating of 92.46. He was having a solid season up until the bye week. But after that, he seemingly fell apart, throwing 4 interceptions in the games against the Bills at home and against the Colts in Indianapolis. Aside from the “rookie wall” he hit after the bye week, he did show that he is the Patriots new franchise quarterback and looking to have success next season.
Damien Harris: A
Aside from a few costly mistakes, he has shown he is a very good running back and fell into the top 10 running backs this season. He ran for 929 yards with 15 touchdowns in 202 attempts. He averaged 4.6 yards per carry. Despite the fumbles he had being costly, he only fumbled twice this season. He ran for 100+ yards in 5 games this season, along with a 64-yard rushing touchdown in Buffalo in week 13. It seems like the Patriots got a steal with Harris, who was the 87th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, and his future seems bright as he is massively improving.
Rhamondre Stevenson: B
Despite missing 4 games this season for various reasons, the 120th overall pick panned out for the Patriots. In 13 games, he ran for 606 yards and scored 5 touchdowns in 133 attempts. He averaged 4.56 yards per carry, which is not bad for a power back like himself. Considering he was a backup to Harris for most of the season, he brought a different element to the Patriots run game, which was having a really good RB2 who is quick and elusive as a power back. It seems like the Patriots run game needs little to no improvement and will be a crucial part of the offense moving forward.
Jakobi Meyers: B
Despite having a fantastic season Jakobi Meyers did not find himself in the end zone until week 10 against the Browns and only got 2 receiving touchdowns on the season. However, Meyers did have 866 yards with an average of 10.43 yards on 83 receptions. In 8 of his 17 games this season Meyers had a 20 plus yard reception with his longest reception being 39 yards against Miami in the final week. However Meyers did not have a game over 100 yards receiving and it seems like most top receivers do. Despite not being the biggest name, Meyers exceeded expectations and was a crucial part of the offense this season.
Kendrick Bourne: B+
Kendrick Bourne was one of many off-season pickups and was one of few who exceeded expectations. On just 55 receptions he had 800 yards and 5 touchdowns and averaged a very high 14.55 yards per reception. He was arguably the best target for Mac Jones and came up clutch in many important scenarios. Despite not having a 100 yard game he came very close twice with a 96 yard and 98 yard game vs. the Saints and the Browns. We believe Bourne was the number one receiver for the Patriots and must be targeted more next season.
Nelson Agholor: C
Nelson Agholor was probably the most anticipated signing of the offseason. Despite being known for dropping simple passes he had nearly 900 yards and 8 touchdowns in his previous season with the Las Vegas Raiders. This season he was disappointing, only having 473 yards and 3 touchdowns on 37 receptions. In fact he did not catch more than 5 passes in any game this season. On the positive side he showed why he is a deep threat because in 7 of 15 games he had a reception for 20 yards or more. We will have to see what Belichick plans to do with Agholor because he has one more season remaining on his contract and due to a lackluster performance this season we would not be surprised if Belichick does not re-sign him.
N'Keal Harry: F
This comes to no surprise to anyone. He had yet another disappointing season for the Patriots. In 12 games, he had 184 yards on 12 receptions. Along with his disappointing stats, he did cost the Patriots a crucial game against the Bills in week 15 where he caused at least one big interception. As he is a player who is going to be in his last season on the Patriots, he must show major improvement to earn a new contract. The only positive that came out of this season was his ability to block on runs, but this is the last thing that should be focused on as a first round wide receiver.
Hunter Henry: A
He was by far the best signing in the offseason for the Patriots, and in consideration for one of the best in the league. In 17 games this season, he had 603 yards on 50 receptions with an average of 12.16 yards per reception, and on top of that, he had 9 touchdowns, which was tied for second most in the NFL. Just like Agholor, he can also be considered as a deep threat, as he had 7 games with receptions of 20+ yards. Overall, he filled in the tight end roll for the Patriots which was something they desperately needed after Rob Gronkowski left.
Jonnu Smith: D-
This was another disappointing signing this offseason, having 291 yards and only one touchdown on 28 receptions, compared to his previous season where he had 448 yards for 8 touchdowns and 41 receptions. He is a tight end made for yards after catch, which we did not see as much as a season ago. It seemed as if he lost his confidence throughout the season with Hunter Henry serving as TE1. Smith has 3 years left in his contract and similar to signings that did not do well, he is going to have to do a lot in order to obtain his old role as TE1.
Offensive Line: C
In terms of run blocking, the Patriots offensive line did a really good job allowing Harris and Stevenson to burst through the defense lines of the oppositions. However, this is the only positive factor that came out. As for protecting Mac Jones, he was under pressure all the time, as he was sacked 28 times. This is a crucial aspect of the Patriots offense, considering Jones is a pocket passer. This is one of the biggest things that needs to improve for the offense if they are going to have success moving forward.
Defense
Devin McCourty: C
He was a player who was neither good nor bad. In 17 games, he recorded 3 interceptions, 10 passes defended and 8 tackles. All of those stats are very average for a safety like him. He knows the system since he has been a Patriot for over a decade, so we were hoping for a little more out of him. Since McCourty is a free agent and will be 35 at the start of next season, it will be interesting to see if he will be willing to play another year.
Kyle Dugger: A-
Considering the fact Kyle Dugger came from a division 2 school, he has performed amazingly in the last two years, and this year has been his best. He had 63 tackles, 56 of which were solo tackles, along with 5 TFL’s (tackles for loss). Last year he had similar tackle numbers but this year he got his first 4 interceptions. If Dugger can keep improving off the year he had, he can find a lot more money in his pocket in the future.
Adrian Phillips: B
Not only does Adrian Phillips earn a B on our list, but he also earned a 3-year contract extension. Unlike Kyle Dugger, Phillips played more of a coverage role throughout the season. Despite Phillips having 52 tackles compared to the 74 he had last season, he improved in the interception category, having 4 interceptions, one of which was a pick-6. Some touchdowns he gave up this season are ones in which there was nothing he could have done better to prevent them from scoring. Take the playoff game against the Bills as an example. When the Bills took a 14-0 lead on a Dawson Knox touchdown, Phillips was stride-for-stride covering Knox, getting his hands close to the ball. However, due to the sheer strength of Knox and the accuracy of Josh Allen, the play resulted in a touchdown. I think we speak for all Patriots fans when we say this, I think we are glad his contract was extended.
J.C. Jackson: A+
Once again J.C. Jackson impresses the league and is in our opinion the number one corner in the league. Jackson led the league in passes defended with 23 and had 8 interceptions, just 3 shy of Trevon Diggs, who many people believe to be overrated. Some may say that Jalen Ramsey is the best corner, however, he only beats Jackson in one stat which is yards allowed, and he only leads him by 34 yards. Jackson leads Ramsey in interceptions by 4 interceptions and they both have 1 forced fumble as well as 3 touchdowns allowed. So you can see why we grade him with the one and only A+.
Jalen Mills: F
Just like N'Keal Harry, Jalen Mills earns himself an F. Mills was absolutely atrocious this year, giving up 406 yards on 37 completions for an average of 10.97 yards per completion, which is more than a first down. If you have ever watched this man play you know why Patriots fans are very upset with him. Mills pulled out all the tricks from his hat and even tried to summon the Green Goblin when he dyed his hair puke green. Mills was targeted 65 times and only had 7 passes defended, that means that 21 times the incompletion was not because of Mills but rather due to a receiver mistake or a quarterback mistake. Mills did have 33 solo tackles this season but let’s be honest that is only because he let up the reception.
Matt Judon: A
Matt Judon was an early season defensive player of the year candidate and ended his season with 12.5 sacks and 25 quarterback hits. By no means are those bad numbers, in fact their outrageous. Judon ended 7th among defensive players in sacks and pressured the quarterback a lot. However there is a difference between great and spectacular because T.J Watt had a nfl record of 22.5 sacks which is mind boggling. Anyway, let's get back to Judon. He had 31 solo tackles and 14 TFL’s for 90 yards. The reason we do not give him an A+ is because he fell off a little bit after Mac Jones did, he recorded 0 sacks in the last 4 games as compared to 3.5 sacks in previous 4 games. Judon was a beast this year and was one of the best defensive signings in the offseason and you can see why Belichick signed him for 4 years.
Defensive Line: C-
The Patriots D-Line was underwhelming this season and despite having a lot of quarterback pressure they only managed 8 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. These are not horrible stats but with all the pressure they got you would have hoped for more sacks. The running defense was horrific. When the Patriots played the Titans, Derrick Henry was not active and despite that, both backup running backs had over 100 yards on the ground. However the block shed of the D-Line was remarkable, as mentioned previously the D-Line had outstanding pressure on quarterbacks. However, the problem was that the Patriots would get two hands on either the running back, quarterback, or receiver and the tackle was not made until the second or third level. As for the overall grade, we had a disagreement. Jason thought the Patriots only deserved a D but Alex believed they should have a C, which resulted in a C- compromise. Jason thought the rush defense was so bad that the defense did not deserve a higher grade, despite the pressure brought to the quarterback. Alex believes that the D-Line is one of the best when it comes to block shed and it is not fair to criticize the tacking because the whole team failed to tackle this year. Overall the D-Line needs to improve, but we both agree there is potential and with the right steps, the quarterback's legs could be shaking before the snap.
Special Teams
Nick Folk: A
Nick Folk has improved a lot over the past 3 seasons as a Patriot. Folk was 36 of 39 on field goals with a long 53 and made 42 of 47 extra points. Folk was a crucial part of the Patriots this year because when they failed to convert on third downs, Belichick knew he could count on Folk to give them 3 points. The only mistake he really made was missing the field goal against the Buccaneers, but to be fair it was a 56 yard attempt in a highly anticipated matchup, for obvious reasons, and it was freezing cold and raining.
Team as a whole: B+
In a season where fans had a lot of questions about the team, the Patriots came out and proved everyone wrong. Early into this season, 2 of 4 fans were nervous about another terrible season. After the bad 2-4 start to the season, the Patriots turned on the jets and won 7 in a row, but eventually it started to go downhill after the loss at Indianapolis and the Patriots won 1 of their last 4. The Patriots faced struggles within their division, finishing 3-3. However, like we mentioned, the Patriots exceeded our expectations and made the first round of the playoffs. Despite losing by 30, the Patriots future's still bright and with the right steps (RESIGN J.C. JACKSON), they could find glory once again.
Patriots Awards
Offensive Player of the Year: Damien Harris (15 TD’s)
Defensive Player of the Year: J.C. Jackson (8 INT’s and 23 passes defended)
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Mac Jones (3801 yards)
Defensive Rookie of the year: Christian Barmore (24 Tackles)
MVP: J.C. Jackson- This was a bit difficult but we felt that because Stevenson was such a good RB2 Harris was “less important” than Jackson was. However Harris was obviously fantastic this season. It is just that the Patriots offense does not need to rely on Harris as much as the defense relies on Jackson.