New England Patriots: 1 realistic goal for each rookie in 2021

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - JANUARY 01: Quarterback Mac Jones #10 of the Alabama Crimson Tide scrambles against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the third quarter of the 2021 College Football Playoff Semifinal Game at the Rose Bowl Game presented by Capital One at AT&T Stadium on January 01, 2021 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

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New England Patriots defensive end Christian Barmore (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images) /

New England Patriots second-round pick, Christian Barmore, defensive tackle/end

Christian Barmore is a big, strong defensive tackle/end who is a menace in the interior of a defensive line. He can flat-out demolish even quality offensive linemen in the trenches as he did in the SEC.

For Alabama, which faces the toughest schedule most likely in college football, he notched eight sacks from the tackle/end position. That’s eight, and 2 1/2 more than any Patriot in 2020.

That’s how effective Barmore was when he was on the field. So, let’s set a realistic total of three sacks for the rookie. That would be a strong first season.

That modest total reflects that he has a lot of competition on the Patriots’ defensive line and he has lots to learn in a relatively short time.

Third-Round Pick, Ronnie Perkins, edge player

Ronnie Perkins is an edge player who looks like he’ll be slotted in at outside linebacker for New England. But he can also play with his hand on the ground so he’s versatile.

He missed a good part of 2020 due to suspension, but he turned the Oklahoma defense around when he returned. He had five and a half sacks in six games.

Perkins is another solid edge player added to a Patriots defense that lacked sacks in 2020. Perkins can get to the quarterback.

With that in mind, let’s set his goal at 2.5 sacks in 2021. That total would be an asset.

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