For each of the past two seasons

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Chase Winovich Jersey Boys , the identity of the Patriots defense didn't become clear until late in the year.Both times the group had stumbles early, followed by steady improvement. Those leaps were aided at least in part by the increased contributions of newcomers or role players that previously had much smaller roles.That pattern is holding true in 2018 as the Patriots prepare for back-to-back road games at Miami and Pittsburgh that will go a long way in determining their playoff seeding.Earlier this season, New England's opponents took advantage of a defense that struggled to get pressure up front and that was susceptible to giving up big plays in the secondary.After allowing 300 or more passing yards four times in its first seven games, New England (9-3) has not allowed a 300-yard passer in five straight games. It also has not allowed a 100-yard rusher in nine straight games, going back to Week 3 against the Lions when Kerryon Johnson did it.Those are important markers for a Patriots defense that has had trouble recently at Miami. New England is 17-7 against the Dolphins since 2007, but has lost four of its past five at Hard Rock Stadium.Ryan Tannehill threw for 350 yards and two TDs in the Dolphins' 20-10 win in the 2015 regular-season finale in Miami.That came a season after Knowshon Moreno rushed for 134 yards and a touchdown in Miami's 33-20 win to open the 2014 season. Tannehill had two touchdown passes in that game to help the Dolphins outscore the Patriots 23-0 in the second half."It's a week-to-week challenge in the season," Patriots Bill Belichick said of his defense's evolving identity. "We haven't established anything against Miami, so we'll have to go down and do that on Sunday and we'll see what happens. Certainly, they'll be a big challenge for us."Since allowing a season-high 40 points in their win over Kansas City in Week 6, only two teams have scored more than 17 against the Patriots over the past six games 鈥?Chicago (38-31 win over the Bears) and Tennessee (34-10 loss to the Titans).One reason the Patriots defense has tightened has been the improvement of the secondary. That has included key contributions from rookie cornerback J.C. Jackson, who has seen an increased role since Eric Rowe was placed on injured reserve at the end of October.Jackson has two interceptions and contributed to another in last week's win over Minnesota, tipping Kirk Cousins' pass into the hands of teammate Duron Harmon in the closing minutes.Linebackers coach Brian Flores, who is calling plays for the defense this season Youth Julian Edelman Jerseys , said Jackson and fellow rookies Keion Crossen and Duke Dawson have earned the trust of their teammates through their work ethic off the field.Belichick said Jackson's ball skills first caught their attention as an undrafted player in the spring."He's just been very dependable and gotten better every day. It's not always perfect, but he learns from his mistakes and corrects things," Belichick said. "It's taken a little time for him to gain some experience, but he's doing a good job with it."Safety Devin McCourty said Jackson's willingness to be on an island at times will serve him and the team well going forward."I think we're starting to feel it that he knows we believe in him," McCourty said."We know he's talented and can play and we've got his back. ... We had him in some tough situations where we were counting on him to make plays sometimes by himself with no help and he showed up. He had been doing that every time we gave him an opportunity to be out there." A look back at New England’s 2018 rookies and what happened to them since they joined the club."WhitePatriots News Opinion and Analysis Contribute! FanPostsFanShotsAbout the Site List of Patriots Twitter AccountsWrite For Pats Pulpit!New User Welcome and Commenting GuideCommunity GuidelinesMastheadTopics Patriots Off-Season CoveragePatriots Opinion/AnalysisPatriots NewsPatriots Draft CoverageSportfolio ManagementNFL DraftPatriots Opinion/AnalysisPatriots 2019 NFL Draft CoverageRevisiting the Patriots’ 2018 Rookie Class: Where are they now a year later?New,6commentsRead more: Mel Kiper re-grades the Patriots’ 2018 draft classEDTShareTweetShareShareRevisiting the Patriots’ 2018 Rookie Class: Where are they now a year later?Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY SportsThe Patriots drafted nine players in the 2018 draft, with all nine of them still being on this year’s offseason roster. The Patriots’ 2018 class was unique in the sense that they opted to completely skip the 3rd and 4th rounds to compile picks for the 2019 draft. They took three players in the first two rounds and did not make a selection until the 5th round. They took six players in the final three rounds. Of the nine players taken, only two of them were active for Super Bowl LIII as the other six ended up spending time on injured reserve and another landing on the practice squad. 1st Round (23rd Overall) OT Isaiah Wynn: The Patriots drafted Wynn to be a tackle despite his lack of ideal height, as he saw action at both LT and RT for the 1 1鈦? preseason games he played. The media and likely some teams scouting departments likely evaluated him as a guard, which allowed a player with Top 15 upside to slip all the way to the 23rd pick. While blocking defensive end Michael Bennett, who is now his teammate this season, Wynn ruptured his Achilles tendon and sat out his rookie year. As a result of the injury, the 2019 season essentially serves as his rookie season. It’s unlikely that Wynn will start the season as the starting left tackle unless he’s 100% recovered Julian Edelman Jerseys Stitched , since offensive lineman need to be able to explode out of a 3-point stance when run blocking or selling the run blocks. Once Wynn is healthy, I see him taking on the LaAdrian Waddle role of backup swing tackle and as a sixth offensive lineman when the Patriots go with 23 personnel on short yardage or goal-line situations. If that goes well, I can see him taking over either the starting LT or RT job in the 2020 season. Time is still on his side, as the Patriots control him for four more seasons unless the 5th year option is not exercised. 1st Round (31st Overall) RB Sony Michel: Michel was a big part of the Patriots’ success on offense, putting up 900 yards in 13 regular season games before dominating in the postseason for 336 yards and 6 touchdowns in 71 carries. Michel’s ability to make smart decisions, maximize the amount of space he has, and finish runs made him one of the top backs at gaining yards after contact in the NFL. Michel is not going to break off one of those 70-yard runs in which he outruns the defense, but he’s rarely going to have runs that end up swinging for losses. There is still more he can improve on in his game, as Michel will need to work on the pass catching part of his game. Michel has the speed and athleticism to separate from linebackers in single coverage, it’s just a matter of understanding the nuances of route running and catching the ball. Knowing the type of player he is, Michel is probably working on that right now. Long term, Michel should put up 1000+ yard seasons every year if healthy.2nd Round (56th Overall) CB/S Duke Dawson: Dawson had a hamstring injury in training camp and as a result ended up starting the season on IR and did not play despite returning to the 53-man roster during Week 11. That was a result of the emergence of UDFA J.C. Jackson and trade acquisition Jason McCourty turning in another solid campaign. It will be interesting to see how the team views Dawson’s long term fit as Jackson and McCourty figure to be in the team’s plans at CB behind First Team All-Pro Stephon Gilmore. Dawson primarily is a slot corner, where he excelled in his final two seasons in college Youth Rob Gronkowski Jerseys , so to get him on the field the team will have to explore what other type of roles he can fulfill. One idea is to move him to safety on base downs, especially when the Patriots want to go with the three-safety nickel package. If the Patriots indeed elect to go that route, then Dawson will be covering all types of receivers: slot receivers, tight ends, and even RBs. This upcoming preseason should give a bit of an indication of where the Patriots envision his long term fit being.5th Round (143rd Overall) LB Ja’Whaun Bentley: Bentley played three games before ending up on injured reserve for a biceps injury. Bentley was mostly overlooked since he fits the mold of a Ted Johnson/Brandon Spikes LB who is more useful as a run defender. He played reasonably well in the limited amount of time he saw, both in the preseason and regular season. For 2019, Bentley is either going to be third or fourth on the linebacker depth chart for base downs when the team will be employing three or more linebackers. I’m not sure if his role will end up expanding beyond that, it will depend on what the team does with Kyle Van Noy. Van Noy is in a contract year and is a candidate for a possible extension given how well he played last season and postseason. 6th Round (178th Overall) LB Christian Sam: I put Sam in a similar situation as Bentley, assuming he sticks around. Sam spent his rookie season on IR, but from preseason tape looked slower than Bentley. 6th Round (210th Overall) SR Braxton Berrios: Berrios had a pectoral injury while doing the bench press at the combine and I think that affected him a bit when training camp rolled along. Berrios fits the stereotypical mold for slot receivers: quick twitch, exceptionally-gifted route runner, and can surprise you with vertical speed. With the Patriots’ lack of receiver depth, there is an opportunity for Berrios to claim a role as a pure slot receiver as well as a punt returner. I wouldn’t be surprised if he carved out a role on the 2019 team. 7th Round (219th Overall) QB Danny Etling: Etling was the only rookie that did not spend the majority of the year on injured reserve or the 53-man roster. He did spend the year on the practice squad Rob Gronkowski Jerseys Stitched , likely assisting backup QB Brian Hoyer in scout team looks. Etling’s long term fit is definitely interesting as I see him more as a career backup at best based off the college and preseason tape. Etling likely doesn’t do anything to prevent the Patriots from expending big resources on getting a backup and/or heir to Brady at the position. 7th Round (243rd Overall) CB Keion Crossen: Crossen was the only other player from this draft class to spend the entire season on the 53-man roster after Sony Michel. Crossen is an interesting fit long term, he has a long special teams career ahead of him due to the combination of 4.3 speed and willingness to be physical on the ball, but was inconsistent with his CB play both preseason and regular season. From a mindset perspective, Crossen is willing to be aggressive and physical despite a 5’9” frame, which bodes well as a potential slot corner or covering smaller boundary receivers. On special teams, a few times I see him playing a bit out of control when covering kicks, which has led to both big stops and missed tackles. If he can clean up the missed tackles, I can see him developing into a key special teams player in the NFL. 7th Round (250th Overall) TE Ryan Izzo: Izzo, not related to former Patriots ST ace Larry Izzo, was reportedly one of the last cuts on the roster after a solid preseason showing. He sits behind future Hall of Famer Rob Gronkowski and recent free agency pickup Matt LaCosse on the depth chart. Izzo has value as a blocker, outlet receiver, and special teams contributor, so I can see him potentially making the 2019 roster as the #3 TE. UDFA CB J.C. Jackson: I would be remiss if I did not include Jackson Color Rush Damien Harris Jersey , who has done nothing but take advantage of the opportunities handed to him. The Patriots entered the 2018 season with questions at the CB position after Gilmore, but finished the season with a clear-cut Top 3 and the position itself being one of the deeper units on the 2019 roster. Jackson is 3rd on the CB depth chart behind Gilmore and McCourty, although when all three are on the field, Jackson is outside while McCourty kicks inside to the slot. Jackson has the skills, mindset, and athleticism to be an elite CB, it’s just a matter of learning how to jam, hold, and re-route receivers without drawing flags.