Some guys in the NFL find success because they have elite talent. Others make a name for themselves as much on work ethic as ability.
Then there are the special players who combine obvious jaw-dropping, God-given talent with behind the scenes work.
Without getting too far ahead of ourselves, second-year Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson is trending toward being part of that latter group, generally the best, most productive players you’ll find on a football field.
Yes, he’s that damn good.
A year ago around this time, Patriots captain Matthew Slater declared that he couldn’t remember a young player who showed more daily incremental improvement than what the then-fourth-round rookie Stevenson was putting forth as he worked to put to bed early-career questions about ball security and pass protection.
Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium, Stevenson essentially was the Patriots’ offense on the way to the 22-17 win that New England so desperately needed against the upstart rival Jets.
He rushed for a game-high 71 yards on his 16 attempts (4.4 avg.) including a 35-yard scamper on the first play of the third quarter that jumpstarted a Patriots’ touchdown drive that jumpstarted the victory.
He had a team-high 72 yards receiving on seven receptions.
He was not only New England’s best player, he was probably the best player on the field.
Powerful runs. Decisive vision. One-handed grabs. Run-after-catch. Stevenson showed it all.
After witnessing yet another impressive performance by his versatile young running back, Bill Belichick like Slater raved about Stevenson’s impressive behind-the-scenes work that’s leading to the obvious on-field results.
“Mondre just gets better every day,” Belichick said in a Victory Monday morning Zoom with local reporters. “He's one of the guys that I've coached that really has shown just continuous improvement almost every day he walks into the building. Just in every phase of the game. This kid's really come a long way in just every part of his game. You mentioned some of the things in the passing game, awareness, route running, blitz pickup, recognition, getting out on fake blitzes, versus reading the difference between fake blitzes and blitzes. In the running game his patience and setting up blocks, running on the second level, stiff arm and contact balance, ball security. You name it.”
Even in just the last few weeks, with Damien Harris nursing a hamstring issue, Stevenson has exploded. He had career day with 161 yards on 25 carries to blowout the Lions.
In the last two games he’s caught 15 of the 16 balls thrown his way, not too shabby for a guy who played at somewhere around 250 bruising pounds at Oklahoma.
Obviously the most well-rounded back on the Patriots current roster and possibly that the team has had during Belichick’s tenure in New England over the last two-plus decades, Stevenson is showing himself capable of the kinds of running and receiving contributions generally reserved for such NFL stars as Saquon Barkley, Christian McCaffrey and others.
Don’t think Stevenson is worthy of such grand comparisons? Check the stats. He’s currently on pace to rush for nearly 1,200 yards and haul in 68 passes. He’s worthy.
All thanks to his incredible combination of size, talent and hard work. And oh what a combination that is.
“I have a ton of respect for the way he's worked at his game, improved his training habits,” Belichick said. “He's still got a ways to go. But he just gets better at all the things he works at every day. He's got a long list of them. But he's made significant progress in so many areas. He's really been impressive.”
That Stevenson still has a long way to go may be the most impressive aspect of his young development. The “sky’s the limit” description is an overused cliché in sports. But it seems apt for Stevenson. Based on where he’s come from – back when the most positive thing that veteran running backs coach Ivan Fears could say was that Stevenson was on the field practicing – there’s no telling just how good he can be. He has gone from a healthy-scratch in the proverbial doghouse due to ball security and pass protection issues to three-down back status in barely a year.
And given how hard those around him see Stevenson work, there’s no to reason to believe he’s reached his potential. Quite the contrary.
How good is Stevenson right now?
Really good. Probably the best player on the Patriots and certainly the best player on the offense that’s needed him to carry a huge share of the load over the last month.
How good can Stevenson be given that he has a total of just four career starts as he’s now played 20 games over two seasons?
That remains to be seen, but based on his combination of talent and work ethic he’s just scratching the surface of his superstar potential.
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