ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler recently wrapped up his NFL positional rankings series, which he created by polling executives, coaches, and scouts around the league. And the final products generated debate among NFL fans, to say the least.
The New England Patriots had four players ranked or named as honorable mentions at their respective positions, and that feels about right. However, you could argue a handful of players were snubbed, with some cases better than others.
Let’s look at the players who made the cut, and then discuss potential snubs.
Patriots Players Named in ESPN’s Positional Ranking Polls
Kyle Dugger, S
Kyle Dugger earned the No. 8 spot on the safety rankings. At least one person ranked him No. 1, while at least one other left him unranked.
“He’s always been physical and a smart football player, but he’s become more of a complete player every year,” an NFL personnel executive told Fowler. “He will physically strike you.”
Dugger is 11th on Pro Football Network’s safety rankings.
Christian Barmore, DT
Christian Barmore earned an honorable mention on the defensive tackle rankings. He was the final honorable mention listed, although it’s unclear whether that’s reflective of the votes he received.
“A run-stopper with sack production and big upside,” an NFC scout told Fowler. “Can rush from the inside. Has some Chris Jones to him.”
Barmore is 10th on PFN’s DT rankings, and we also compared him to Jones.
Christian Gonzalez, CB
Christian Gonzalez is the fifth of sixth honorable mentions named in the cornerback rankings. However, the 2023 first-rounder might’ve been ranked higher had he not missed most of his rookie campaign due to a torn labrum.
“I’d have him really high had he not gotten hurt [last season]. A stud,” an AFC executive told Fowler.
Gonzalez is unranked in the Pro Football Network cornerback rankings.
Mike Onwenu, IOL
Mike Onwenu is the fifth of seven honorable mentions in the interior offensive linemen rankings. It’s currently unclear whether Onwenu will play right tackle or right guard for the Patriots next season — he spent most of 2023 at tackle — but ESPN classified him as an interior lineman.
“Probably doesn’t get the credit because he plays on a bad offense,” an NFC executive told Fowler. “A physical player with movement ability.”
Were Any Patriots Players Snubbed?
Note: Some of these players appeared in the “also receiving votes” sections, while others didn’t.
Matthew Judon, EDGE
Matthew Judon received votes in the edge rusher rankings but was neither ranked nor named as an honorable mention.
That’s likely because Judon suffered a season-ending biceps tear last October and will turn 32 in August. However, he averaged 14 sacks the previous two campaigns and was on a sack-per-game pace last season before tearing his biceps. He still is one of the NFL’s premier sack artists.
Judon is ninth on PFN’s EDGE rankings.
Rhamondre Stevenson, RB
Rhamondre Stevenson also received votes. A tough, physical runner, Stevenson is also deceptively fast and a capable receiver. He battled injuries late in the last two seasons, but when healthy, he arguably was the Patriots’ best offensive weapon.
In 2022, Stevenson posted 1,461 all-purpose yards and six total TDs. He’s ranked 18th on the Pro Football Network running back rankings, although you certainly could argue for him to be higher.
Ja’Whaun Bentley, LB
Ja’Whaun Bentley didn’t receive any votes in the off-ball linebacker rankings, which included 10 ranked players, seven honorable mentions, and five others receiving votes.
So, is Bentley one of the 22 best off-ball LBs in football? It’s debatable. He’s neither impressively fast nor great in coverage, but he’s an excellent run defender and an underrated pass rusher (five tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks in 2023).
Bentley is also a physical tone-setter and the captain of New England’s defense. If you’re into advanced metrics, Pro Football Focus ranked him as the eighth-best linebacker in 2022 and 44th-best in 2023. On PFN’s LB rankings, he’s ranked 27th.
David Andrews, C
David Andrews didn’t show up in the interior offensive linemen rankings, which included guards and centers. Had ESPN ranked centers, he surely would’ve appeared on the list.
Regardless, Andrews doesn’t get nearly enough respect. He’s one of the best centers in football and has gotten better with age. Check out his PFF rankings for his last six seasons (he missed all of 2019):
2017: 4th
2018: 8th
2020: 14th
2021: 5th
2022: 7th
2023: 12th
We understand why Andrews wasn’t one of 28 linemen named in ESPN’s IOL rankings. But we also think he was overlooked by the scouts, executives, and coaches polled by ESPN.
Hunter Henry, TE
Hunter Henry was one of five players who also received votes in the tight end rankings, which ranked 10 players and named five honorable mentions. That’s probably fair, as it’s debatable whether he’s a top-15 tight end at this point in his career.
That said, Henry is still a very good player. He’s missed just three games since joining New England — the final three weeks of last season — and has 17 TDs in a Patriots uniform. He also has 133 catches for 1,531 yards over his three seasons in Foxboro. Those aren’t elite numbers, but they’re rock-solid.
Henry is 14th on the Pro Football Network TE rankings.
Jahlani Tavai, LB
Jahlani Tavai is a difficult player to categorize because he’s a versatile piece for the Patriots and can line up in multiple spots. Tavai can play both inside and outside, and excel at both.
Nevertheless, he didn’t appear on the off-ball LB rankings despite coming off a career-best season. Tavai surprisingly finished fourth on PFF’s linebacker rankings, trailing just Tyrel Dodson, Fred Warner, and Demario Davis.
Ultimately, it would be a stretch to label Tavai a top-22 linebacker. He’s also unranked on PFN’s LB rankings.