Patriots 53 Man Roster Projection 3.0

Defense (25)

Defensive Line (9) – Chandler Jones, Rob Ninkovich, Dominique Easley, Sealver Siliga, Malcom Brown, Jabaal Sheard, Antonio Johnson, Trey Flowers, Geneo Grissom

Brown the team’s first draft pick in 2015 and Easley last season’s top selection are the future. They can penetrate, disrupt plays in the backfield and get after the quarterback. Johnson and Siliga are the big men who can fill gaps and stuff the run. Johnson gets the nod over Branch as he’s been here, on the field and effective in camp thus far. Branch is still on NFI and has yet to see action.

Ninkovich and Jones finally have a rotation with Sheard who has had a very strong camp and in the draft they’ve added Grissom and Flowers. Both rookies have flashed their potential. Flowers has been getting plenty of reps and Grissom with his athleticism is beginning to emerge a bit.

Right now this forces out veterans Chris Jones, Joe Vellano and veteran Alan Branch. Zach Moore can still find his way onto the practice squad. There is still a long way to go, and we’ve heard rumors that Casey Walker may be on his way back to NE.

Out: Zach Moore, Chris Jones, Joe Vellano, Alan Branch, A.J. Pataiali’l

Linebacker (6) – Jerod Mayo, Jamie Collins, Dont’a Hightower, James Morris, Eric Martin, Matt Wells

The top three (Mayo, Collins and Hightower), are a talented, deep group. Hightower is still wearing a red non-contact jersey but is on the field daily. Mayo shows no signs of suffering after effects of his injury last season and is a full participant. Collins is having a strong camp.

After them the competition is wide open. Morris is a smart inside linebacker who can plug holes in the running game and cover. Martin is having a quietly strong camp and is flashing in pass rush drills. Wells is an athletic type who can cover, play special teams and is looking like he belongs. Competition can change the bottom three from week to week here.

Out: Dekoda Watson, Xzavier Dickson, Darius Fleming, Dane Fletcher, Rufus Johnson, Chris White, L.J. Fort, Jonathan Freeny, Cameron Gordon

Cornerback (5) – Tarel Brown, Logan Ryan, Malcolm Butler, Bradley Fletcher, Darryl Roberts

Huge turnover from 2014, Butler is having an outstanding camp and surprisingly Brown looks more like the guy who was a solid player for the Niners than the guy who struggled last season in Oakland. Fletcher and Ryan are definitely behind those two. In fact Ryan is looking more like a slot guy who is locked in a battle with Fletcher. Roberts is a rookie who is coming on in camp.

Swanson and McClain are far from out of the running, the margin is razor thin. Jimmy Jean is an intriguing guy with his size and is a definite practice squad candidate.

Out: Robert McClain, Daxton Swanson, Jimmy Jean

Safety (5) – Devin McCourty, Duron Harmon, Patrick Chung, Jordan Richards, Tavon Wilson

McCourty, Chung and Harmon are all locks here. DMac just got rewarded with a big contract extension. Harmon will push Chung for starting reps and Richards is having himself a pretty solid camp. He’s flashing good potential and already looks like he’s learning the defense very quickly

So the final positional slot will be between Ebner, Wilson and King. Wilson has been having a very solid camp on defense and gets the nod…for now over Ebner. King is a good candidate for the practice squad and is getting a lot of 1-on-1 instruction in the special teams game.

Out: Nate Ebner, Brandon King

Next Special Teams…

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About Steve Balestrieri

A former US Army Special Forces NCO and Officer, Steve has been following the Patriots since their days at Fenway Park. Steve has worked in the film industry and wrote as an Military Editor at SpecialOperations.com, 1945.com as a reporter for the Millbury Daily Voice, Millbury-Sutton Chronicle, and the Grafton News. He's also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA)

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