Looking to the future: Patriots cornerstones - offense edition
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| Photo from ESPN.com |
Quarterback: Jimmy Garoppolo - Like I mentioned above, Tom Brady is getting up there in age and likely only has a couple good years left in him. The guy to take his place? Jimmy Garoppolo. It would appear that Ryan Mallet's days are numbered with the Pats, opening the door for Garoppolo to solidify his spot as the Patriots QB of the future. Going back to the film review that our own Ned Brady, he models his game on Tom Brady's game and it's easy to see him fitting in with the Patriots system. Whether he will display the same leadership and clutch gene as Brady is up for debate, but the potential is there and so is the skill set.
Wide Receivers - Kenbrall Thompkins: Thompkins is entering his 2nd year, but he showed some flashes of potential last year. It seemed like he was either making great catches (the last second catch against the New Orleans Saints anyone?) or getting cold hands. I don't think he was as bad as Aaron Dobson, though, as far as drops though. Maybe it's just me, but I think he could be one of the cornerstones of this Pats offense down the road. Granted, he has to work on his hands, but if he does that, this kid's got the talent to thrive with the Pats.
Tight Ends - Justin Jones: When Tom Brady retires eventually, I'm sure Pats fans will look to Rob Gronkowski (assuming he's still with the Pats) to step up in a leadership role. The Patriots will surely look to build around him when Brady's retired, but another tight end that could be a building block is Justin Jones. He was declared ineligible for his senior season, then picked up by New England as an undrafted free agent, according to Boston.com. The Patriots have a glaring hole at tight end with Gronk's healthy constantly a question mark and no other tight end ready to fill in should Gronk suffer another major injury and Jones could be that guy.
Running Backs - James White: He's a rookie who has been picking up some momentum so far. So much so that he's had nearly everyone around the Patriots organization so far. According to the Boston Globe, he could well have a big impact this year with Dominique Easly's injury problems and Jimmy Garoppolo nowhere near the starting QB job. White is showing that he is well rounded, and he could well be the Patriots guy at running back in the future.
Offensive Line - Cameron Fleming: The 4th round pick recorded 102 key blocks at Stanford in his junior year at Stanford, which was good for All-Pac 12 2nd team honors. He also started 39 straight games, including all 14 in his junior year, so he doesn't have a big injury history. That stability could be huge going forward...like when Jimmy Garroppolo takes over for Brady down the road. I'm sure he'll need solid protection and Fleming will help with that down the road.
Stay tuned tomorrow as we go through the defensive side of the roster.
