2021 NFL Draft: Five first-round targets for the New England Patriots
By Ian Higgins
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Christian Barmore DT
2020 Starters: Lawrence Guy (FA), Adam Butler (FA), Byron Cowart
One of the biggest unknowns entering free agency this offseason, the New England Patriots need to find their short-term plan on the interior of the defensive line determining the best candidates for return as well as potential youthful options in the 2021 NFL Draft.
With a defensive tackle class lacking top-tier talent, there is a single prospect who has managed to elevate himself above the rest with a disruptive performance in Alabama’s run to the national championship.
Recently populated by run-focused man-eaters on the interior, the New England Patriots desperately need an injection of new-age interior pass-rushing that can open opportunities on the edges for their young confidence-needy edge defenders. A well-built defender who translates head-strong bullrushes into pressures, Barmore is a defender who can change the dynamic of a pass-rush.
At six-foot-five, Barmore possesses impressive reach capable of outmatching conventional six-foot-two guards he will be commonly matched against. Able to use this advantageous reach in his bullrush, Barmore outreaches blockers to their chest plate and delivers a hearty shot knocking them back and enabling him to drive forward with surprising quickness.
Once in the defensive backfield, Barmore gives a quick shuck to open a lane to the quarterback and unleashes his footspeed to hound the ballcarrier.