Patriots Welcome 2 Promising Rookies to Practice Debuts

The New England Patriots brought a couple of rookies in for practice debuts. Head coach Bill Belichick is trying to “season” his roster and bringing fresh names is always a good idea. Rookie Cameron McGrone has a chance to contribute to the linebacker group. Belichick got rookie Joshua Bledsoe hoping to add depth at safety. McGrone and Bledsoe had their practice debut on Tuesday. They got a chance to practice with the Patriots and that sure means a thing. Maybe Belichick has a plan for their future. They may be long-term options for the organization.

New Patriots players at practice:

19 – Punter Corliss Waitman (South Alabama/Raiders … open practice squad spot)

24 — Safety Joshuah Bledsoe (clock starts to practice off non-football injury list)

45 — LB Cameron McGrone (clock starts to practice off non-football injury list) https://t.co/obYLnOFvQU

— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) November 23, 2021

New Patriots rookies may get a chance to play following their practice debuts

Crabbs of The Draft Network had great words for McGrone. He discussed his skillset and his potential to contribute to any NFL team. The talented linebacker has excellent straight line speed and incredible ability to avoid blockers.

“Cameron McGrone projects as a starting MIKE linebacker at the professional level. McGrone is just a redshirt sophomore who enters the NFL draft process with just 19 games and 15 starts at Michigan under his belt—a significantly small sample size that will leave teams needing a little extra clarity in order to decipher his ceiling within their respective defensive systems. McGrone claimed the Wolverines’ starting MIKE LB position in 2019 after injuries forced the team to shuffle around their defensive depth chart and McGrone never looked back as a redshirt freshman.”

Crabbs has more on McGrone’s skillset

“He was tremendous throughout the course of the 2019 season and while he did not quite play to that same caliber or level in 2020, he clearly has all of the physical tools needed to become a dynamic defensive playmaker for an NFL franchise as the heartbeat in the middle. McGrone operated as the MIKE in Dom Brown’s blitz-heavy defensive scheme, which has groomed McGrone to offer an NFL defense ample value on third downs and obvious passing situations. There’s not a great deal of exposure to more pure coverage reps, although he was afforded a handful of opportunities to pick-up back releases in man coverage or go flexed out wide against tight ends (Indiana 2020).

“McGrone also showed admirable toughness this past season, playing with a cast on his hand and continuing to play with a twitched presence who wasn’t afraid to lock horns with offensive linemen at the line of scrimmage. McGrone’s value stems from an explosive athletic profile and three-down value for the NFL game—meaning he should get a chance to crack a starting lineup fairly early on despite his lack of experience at the college level.”

Bledsoe is less explosive

Bledsoe may not have the same playmaking abilities as McGrone but he definitely provides a few great options for the Patriots. Many have compared him to Adrian Phillips and Patrick Chung. Belichick had great experience with these two, and he may have the perfect spot for Bledsoe.