The 2020 NFL Draft has come and gone and now we are just over three months away from the opening week for the 2020 season.
There are currently 89 players on the Patriots roster, but by September 5 the team will have to shape it down to 53 – effectively trimming 36 players. With many talented players already on the team, head coach Bill Belichick has a tall task ahead to narrow it down. The man in the hood certainly isn’t new to this process and in the past he’s even said its one of the more difficult aspects of the season.
Here are four underdogs currently on the roster that have a chance at cracking the 53-man roster:
WR Will Hastings
Hastings is an undrafted rookie out of Auburn where he caught passes from quarterback Jarrett Stidham. The pair hooked up for 26 completions, 525 yards and four touchdowns during the 2017 season. The 5-foot-10, 175-pound receiver tore his ACL the following year and missed the entirety of the season.
On top of his already established chemistry with Stidham, another advantage Hastings has towards possibly making the team is his versatility, something Belichick deeply admires in a player. Hastings walked onto Auburn initially as a kicker, specializing in onside kicks.
Unfortunately for Hastings, those two factors still might not be enough, as there are 14 total receivers on the current roster. However, with the only clear locks being Julian Edelman, N’Keal Harry, Mohammed Sanu and Matthew Slater, that narrows the field to 10. Historically, the team usually has six to seven players at the wide receiver position.
QB Brian Lewerke/J’Mar Smith
It is not out of the realm of possibility that the Patriots could roll with three quarterbacks for the 2020 season. With second-year quarterback Jarrett Stidham seemingly ready to take over for the departed Tom Brady, and aging knowledgeable back up Brian Hoyer right behind him, it seems like there is room for more depth at the position.
The other two quarterbacks currently on the roster are both undrafted rookies – Brian Lewerke out of Michigan State and J’Mar Smith out of Louisiana Tech. Both Lewerke and Smith possess notable accolades from their time in college: Lewerke finished as the school’s all-time leader in total offense with a combined 9,548 yards, while Smith was named USA Conference Player of the Year after his 2019 senior year.
If the Patriots decide to go with three quarterbacks it will likely be a battle between Lewerke and Smith for the third spot.
LB Derek Rivers
Unfortunately, Rivers has not had the best of luck when it comes to staying on the field in his first three seasons. Rivers was taken in the third round of the 2017 draft but missed all of his rookie campaign after tearing his ACL. He returned the following season and played in six games, registering two tackles and one sack. Rivers then missed all of the 2019 season after a season ending injury in week two of the preseason.
Assuming Rivers makes the final roster for the upcoming season, it is certainly do-or-die for the defensive end. Luckily for him, Belichick has highly praised Rivers in the past. “I like Derek,” Belichick said in December 2018 at a press conference, “I think he’s got a bright future.”
Regardless if his future is bright or not, will it be as as a member of the Patriots? Currently the team has 13 linebackers on the roster, but Rivers specializes more as an edge rusher on the defensive line so he will be competing with John Simon, Deatrich Wise Jr., Lawrence Guy, Byron Cowart, Nick Coe, and Nick Thurman.
