In Part 4 of the Pre-Training Camp roster, I will concentrate on the New England Patriots’ Defensive Line.
Edge Rusher
Keion White: This is a big year for White since it is a contract year. White who has disappointed during his 1st two years since being drafted in the 2nd round of the 2023 draft. Last season, White had 5 sacks, but they were all in the 1st two games. He often would rush up field and abandon his rush lanes to contain the QB in the pocket, allowing them to escape and extend the play. Under Mike Vrabel, Defensive Coordinator Terrell Williams and D-Line coach Mike Smith, White should be able to put pressure on the QB, especially with Milton Williams and Christian Barmore applying pressure up the middle. White’s sacks came mostly from rushing as a D-Tackle and not from the Edge. This spring, in open practices to the media, White had multiple sacks. Two of those came against rookie Will Campbell during OTAs. The 6’5” 290-pound lineman had a 67.5 rating (#64) as an Edge Rusher. His Pass Rush grade was 76.7 (#23). I see him more as a third DT in this Defense. He is not good against the run with a 55.3 rating.
Anfernee Jennings: He performed well at setting the edge and replacing Matt Judon. What he couldn’t do was replace the pass-rush ability of Judon. His PFF grade on Defense was 66.9 (#70), Pass Rush grade 59.2 (#113) with only 3 sacks, and a 73.0 grade against the run (#24). Jennings will be in a battle to make the 53-man roster.
Harold Landry: He was signed as a key Free Agent this off-season. Landry played for Mike Vrabel at Tennessee. When he was released prior to Free Agency, the Patriots were quick to sign the 7-year veteran. The 6’2” 252-pound Boston College product was a 2nd round pick by Tennessee in 2018. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2022 and has 50.5 sacks for his career. Last season he played in all 17 games and had 71 tackles and 9 sacks, which was better than any Patriots player. His PFF overall Defense grade was 70.5, Pass Rush Grade was a disturbingly low 49.6 but he had an outstanding Rush Defense Grade of 82.2 (#7). Landry just turned 29 and the question is he on the downside of his career.
K’Lavon Chaisson: He was a Free Agent signee from the Las Vegas Raiders. In the second half of last season, Chaisson resurrected the promise of being a top-notch pass rusher. The 6’3” 245-pound Edge Rusher played 15 games and started 4 for Las Vegas last season. The former 1st Round pick (#20) of Jacksonville in 2020 had 6 sacks for the season. Chaisson had 5 of those sacks in the last 6 games. His PFF grade on Defense was 63.0 (# 92), Pass Rush Grade of 74.7 (#27), and 59.5 (#108) Rush Grade. The LSU product appears to be on the upside and should be a major contributor to the anemic pass rush the Patriots had last season. He will be on the 53-man roster.
Bradyn Swinson: The Patriots received kudos for drafting Swinson in the 5th round #146 in this year’s draft. Many draft prognosticators had Swinson in the Top 100 players in the draft. Why did he fall? Some scouts felt that Swinson’s mediocre play prior to 2024 was a concern. He did nothing at Oregon and in his 3 years at LSU, only had the one good season.
According to Pro Football and Sports Network Ian Cummings, “Swinson isn’t always included among the cluster of EDGE prospects in the early-to-mid Day 2 range, but he grades as a top-50 talent on my board. A late bloomer, Swinson racked up 8.5 sacks and 14 TFLs in his fifth year, catapulting his NFL Draft stock.” The 6’4”. 255-pound Edge Rusher played 3 seasons for Oregon before transferring for the last two at LSU. I’m excited to see what Swinson can bring to the Patriots.
Truman Jones: Played college ball at Harvard. The 6’4”, 250-pound Edge Rusher was signed to the Patriots’ Practice Squad in November of last year. For the last game against Buffalo, he was elevated and got in 19 snaps with 2 tackles. He is going to have a tough time making the team and is likely a practice-squad candidate.
Elijah Ponder: The former FCS All American played for Cal Poly. The 6’4” 245-pound Edge Rusher had 27 career sacks, with 10 coming in 2024. The two-time Big Sky All-Conference 1st team player, Ponder, had a 9.7 Relative Athletic Score and ran a 4.64 40-yard dash. He is an underrated prospect with an outside chance of making the team. More likely, he would be signed to the Practice Squad.
Defensive Tackles
Milton Williams: He was the prize of Free Agency. Williams was the #1 Pass Rusher grade of 91.7 (#1) from the DT position according to PFF. He had 8 sacks last season and just 25 tackles. He was only on the field for 500 snaps because he was playing behind to Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis. The 26-year-old is coming into his prime and will be expected to play major minutes for the Patriots Defense. I don’t have a problem overpaying a young, underrated player with huge potential. Mike Vrabel and Eliot Wolf identified a need, and had the cap space to go out and get that player. My only concerns with Williams are with increased playing time, will he be more susceptible to injury, and can he hold up against the run?
Christian Barmore: Having Barmore back from the Blood Clot issues that plagued him last year is a huge bonus for the Defense. From the start of OTAs, Barmore has been a full participant. There is a symmetry developing and rivalry between Barmore and Williams. They each try to outdo the other, whether it’s who will arrive the earliest at the facility or how many reps they perform in the weight room. If we can get the 2023 version of Barmore, that is a huge bonus for the Defense. I can’t wait to see Barmore and Williams wreaking havoc on opposing QBs.
Khyiris Tonga: He was signed to a one-year contract as a Free Agent to bolster the D-Line in short-yardage situations. The 6’2” 335 run stuffer played at BYU. He was drafted in 2021 by Chicago in the 7th Round (#250). Last season in Arizona, he played in 13 games with 1 start and 22 Tackles. He will be used much in the same way as a space-eater. Tonga ran an amazing 5.07 40-yard dash at his Pro Day.
Joshua Farmer: He’s another Day Three find for the Scouting Department. Farmer was another player who was expected to be drafted much higher, and the Patriots pounced on him. He lasted until the 4th Round (#147). The Florida State product stands 6’3” 312 pounds and ran a 5.08 handheld 40 at the Combine. In his career, he played in 42 games with 25 starts. In 2023, he had 32 tackles and 5 sacks with 2 Pass Blocks. He followed that up with 12 starts, 32 tackles, and 4 sacks in 2024. He also has leadership qualities, as he was named Captain 8 times in 12 games for FSU last season.
Jaquelin Roy: He was having a pretty good season before the injury bug hit him last season. He injured his foot in a game versus the Bears in November, and it didn’t respond, so he was placed on IR in December. Before that, he played 6 games with 1 start, 17 tackles, and 2 sacks. The 6’3” 305 DT from LSU showed promise before the injury. He will be battling Khyiris Tonga and Jeremiah Pharms for a roster spot.
Jeremiah Pharms: It’s been a wild ride for Pharms to reach the NFL. After completing his career at Friends University (NAIA). He went undrafted in 2020 and played Champions Indoor Football in 2021. From there he signed on with the Pittsburgh Maulers of the UFL in 2022. After completing that season, Pharms was signed by the Patriots to their 90-man training camp roster. He was cut and signed to the Practice Squad. In 2023, he signed a futures contract with the Pats and was impressive in camp, but failed to make the roster out of camp. He was re-signed to the Practice Squad and was signed to the active roster in November. In 2023, he played in 12 games with no starts and 9 tackles. In 2024 pre-season, he was outstanding, especially in joint practices, but his play seemed to wane as the season went on. For 2024, he had 16 games with 5 starts, 33 Tackles, and 2 Sacks. Pharms signed a two-year extension with the Pats in February 2025. It’s a battle for that 4th DT position. If they are going to keep 5 DTs, another spot will need to be carved out from another position.
Isaiah Iton: He was signed after a tryout at Patriots Mini-Camp. The Rutgers and Ole Miss players spent 2024 on the Titans’ Practice Squad. He is a bit undersized at 6’2” 277 lbs. He has an estimated 5.04 40-yard dash. Iton is a long shot to make the roster, but it is a testament to both the Patriots’ coaching staff for signing a player on a tryout and to Iton for having the determination to keep on trying to make it in the NFL.
Jahvaree Ritzie: Another longshot to make the team, Ritzie was a 4-star recruit at North Carolina. He posted 51 starts for 138 Tackles and 9 Sacks for his career at Chapel Hill. The 6’4”, 294-pound DT has 4.95 speed. I would expect that he is vying for a spot on the Practice Squad.
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Merrimack Valley native and lifelong fan of the New England Patriots. My earliest memories of the Patriots were attending as a child with my dad, the off-season practice at Phillips Academy. I was at the Patriots game at Harvard Stadium in 1970 where Bob “Harpo” Gladieux was called out of the stands by the stadium announcer over the PA to play in the game. Analyzing the draft since ESPN first started to televise it in 1980 and former writer for the Lowell Sun Newspaper.
That Pats D caved in last year as they got run on. I think it was 130 plus yards per game given up on the ground. Once opponents could run on the Pats, that opened up the play-action passes. As a by-product of that, the pats went from a solid D (top 10?) to a 24th in the league. Well, they certainly got back some players that were out like Peppers, and brought in a ton of new players and coaches. However, the question in terms of if the D will be good in 2025 still rests on if they… Read more »