The New England Patriots have had their share of NFL Draft steals during head coach Bill Belichick's 22 years running the roster, and it's just about time to add Christian Barmore's name to the list.
Barmore was a first-round talent entering the 2021 draft but fell to the second round, where the Patriots traded up to the No. 38 pick and selected the defensive lineman from Alabama.
He's made a tremendous impact on the Patriots defense through the first 10 games of the season.
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Here's a look at a few important defensive stats -- via Pro Football Focus -- where Barmore ranks in the top 18 (or better) among all players at his position, not just rookies.
Barmore gave the Browns offensive line fits all day Sunday as the Patriots cruised to a 45-7 win at Gillette Stadium. He tallied four tackles and put plenty of pressure on Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield.
"Christian’s a strong player," Belichick said at a press conference Monday. "He’s also got good length, so a combination of those two things can create some power and leverage against the offensive linemen.
New England Patriots
"Cleveland’s got a pretty big group. Their guards are pretty long. Two of them are 6’5”, some of the longer guys in the league, but Barmore is a powerful player, and he’s really been kind of doing that all year for us."
The Patriots defense has been one of the league's top units all season, and Barmore has played a significant part of that success. At this rate, he could be one of the top candidates for the Defensive Rookie of the Year award.