Mac Jones wasn't the only rookie draft pick who hit in a big way last season.
By the end of the 2021 season, second-round pick Christian Barmore had become arguably the most disruptive interior defender on the team. He racked up the second-most snaps of any defensive lineman outside of Davon Godchaux and placed behind only Matthew Judon among all Patriots defenders in quarterback pressures, according to Pro Football Focus.
Though he still has some work to do as a run defender, he posted the defense's fourth-best grade in pass-rush situations.
In a year where the Patriots' pass rush looks more uncertain than it did last season due to personnel changes on the edge, Barmore might be one of the players the team needs to step up most in 2022.
"I look for growth in terms of what he can do," said Sports Illustrated Patriots beat reporter Mike D'Abate on the "1st and Foxborough" podcast, naming Barmore as the "X-factor" for a Patriots defense going through transitions at multiple position groups.
In particular, D'Abate pointed to Barmore's pass-rushing prowess, which helped the Patriots get to quarterbacks with just four down linemen and play more zone coverage in the secondary as a result, as a key component to the team's operation in 2022.
He also suggested a second-year surge from Barmore could result in another productive year for Judon, who had 12.5 sacks last season but fell off at the end of last year.
"You saw last year when Barmore was drawing the attention of more blockers, that freed up Judon to get after the quarterback," D'Abate said. "When that stopped, all of a sudden you started to see Judon's numbers are down. People are wondering, "Where's Judon?" … It had a lot more to do with how Barmore was being played than how Judon was being played. All of a sudden, Judon was seeing a lot more coverage, and it's difficult. Any player would struggle with that. So I think in that regard, if Barmore can return to that form, that's going to free up the pass rush. That's going to free up Matt Judon a little bit."
The drop-off in Judon's productivity and lack of overall pass rush over the last five games of the season, including the playoffs, coincided with substandard defensive efforts against the Buffalo Bills (twice), Indianapolis Colts, and Miami Dolphins. The Patriots especially got diced up by Josh Allen and the Bills, who tore New England's defense up to the tune of 622 yards and eight touchdowns (no interceptions) through the air in their final two matchups of the 2021-22 season.
A more dominant version of Barmore in Year 2 could elevate the rest of the defensive front and take pressure off of a cornerback room that might need all the help it can get.
Additionally, though, an improvement from last year's 38th-overall pick against the run could also make life easier for off-ball linebackers like Mack Wilson, Raekwon McMillan, and Cameron McGrone.
Though Kyle Dugger deserves consideration as a young Patriots player most likely to break out in 2022, the impact of a Pro Bowl-caliber season from the second-year player out of Alabama might be even greater.
To hear more on from D'Abate talking about Barmore and the Patriots, click here.
