New England Patriots: 13 players Bill Belichick need to make leaps in 2022

13 players Bill Belichick, New England Patriots need to make leaps in 2022

FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - JANUARY 02: Rhamondre Stevenson #38 of the New England Patriots scores a touchdown in the fourth quarter of the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Gillette Stadium on January 02, 2022 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) /

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New England Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

No. 2: Will Christian Barmore be even better in 2022?

The 2021 NFL season proved the New England Patriots have a special talent in the middle of the defensive line in Christian Barmore.

Demanding more time on the field as the season went along, the 6-foot-5, 310-pound Barmore was a disrupter in the middle of the Patriots’ defense. He recorded just 1.5 sacks on the season, but the Alabama product was a nightmare for opposing offensive lineman and quarterbacks.

As off-the-field concerns led to Barmore’s fall into the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft, Belichick took a gamble and the defensive tackle played like a top 5 pick during his rookie season.

With a taste of that success, Barmore is hungry for more and so is Belichick who really needs Barmore to continue his impact along that defensive line. Obviously, other players will need to step up along that defensive line, especially veterans like Davon Godchaux, Henry Anderson, Lawrence Guy and another young player in Byron Cowart, but it will center around Barmore as it should.

A budding star on defense, Barmore has proved to be the type of player who can set the tone on defense and Belichick will need him to do just that.

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