The New England Patriots have a sneaky good roster this year and some of the key players don’t get as much media praise because of the high-profile guys.
Matthew Judon, Mac Jones, Hunter Henry, Jonnu Smith and Christian Barmore are some of the newly-acquired players that have received plenty of media attention this season. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell put together a list named “NFL All-Underrated Team 2021” and it includes 24 players around the league who don’t get this recognition for their contributions.
Wide receiver Kendrick Bourne and safety Kyle Dugger are the two Patriots who made this list.
Bourne, who came this offseason on a three-year deal worth $15 million, is the Patriots’ leading receiver right now with 562 yards and three touchdowns. He has 78 rushing yards and he even has a touchdown pass on the season.
Here’s what Barnwell said about Bourne.
The Patriots’ free-agent shopping spree at receiver has yielded a mixed bag of results. Nelson Agholor and Jonnu Smith haven’t been impressive given their salaries, but Hunter Henry has been a red zone threat and Bourne has been an extremely effective second receiver option behind Jakobi Meyers. You’ve probably seen plenty of Bourne’s two highlight-reel plays, given that they featured him splitting between Damontae Kazee and Trevon Diggs for a 75-yard touchdown and a spectacular leaping catch for a score against the Browns.
Those plays aren’t necessarily typical of his week-to-week role in the offense, but the former 49ers wideout has caught more than 78% of his targets this season. NFL Next Gen Stats has his expected catch rate at 67.4%, meaning he’s operating at nearly 11% above expectation. That’s the third-best mark in the league, behind only those of Christian Kirk and Patrick.
Some of the hype surrounding the Patriots’ offense is overstated, given that they rank 16th in offensive and passing DVOA, but Bourne has outplayed his three-year, $15 million deal.
Dugger is leading the Patriots in tackles with 71 and he has three interceptions on the year, one of which he returned for a touchdown. The second-round pick out of Lenoir-Rhyne last season showed his potential, but now he’s quickly ascending.
One more defensive back from the 2020 draft? Sure. Dugger is nominally a safety on paper, but he plays both safety spots and also chips in a fair amount of the time as a slot corner. When NFL Next Gen Stats identifies him as a slot defender, he has allowed a passer rating of just 35.2 and generated 13.2 EPA for the Patriots’ defense, the latter of which ranks fourth in the NFL.
Bill Belichick finds a variety of roles for the defender with tremendous measurables, but alongside fellow All-Underrated Team candidate Adrian Phillips, Dugger might be best at shutting down opposing tight ends. He was among the defenders who helped slow down Falcons star Kyle Pitts in last week’s shutout win over Atlanta.
Both Bourne and Dugger will be instrumental in the Patriots’ likely playoff run this season.
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