Which Patriots young players flourished amid a losing season?

The Patriots were never going to compete for the Super Bowl in their first season under Jerod Mayo, but improvement was expected from a young and raw roster.

Any upside on Sunday’s rally appears to have stalled 34-15 defeat To the dolphins. Still, head coach Jerod Mayo believes the team has improved this season.

“I definitely think the team is getting better. Mayo said when you take away the Miami game and look at the last four, we did a lot of good things. “We know now that the NFL can come down to one game. What I always tell the kids is, a lot of times, that’s how people get better and that’s how success is. It’s what they think it is (upward tilt sign with hands), but actually it’s an up and down, up and down kind of thing. You’ve just got to keep chipping away at the rock and hopefully we’ll be good going forward.”

Quarterback Drake Maye has definitely improved. Cornerback Christian Gonzalez, last year’s first-round draft pick, continues to improve. But beyond Maye and Gonzalez, it’s hard to find a long list of players who are consistently improving.

Wide receiver Kayshon Boutte and linebacker Keion White made second-year breakthroughs, and left tackle Vederian Lowe played better this season than he did in 2023 despite Sunday’s struggles. But beyond that, it’s hard to find measurable improvement among young players. list. The Patriots’ 2024 rookie class, other than Maye, has particularly struggled to produce.

Second-round pick Ja’Lynn Polk has just 12 catches for 87 yards and two touchdowns. Offensive tackle Caedan Wallace, a third-round pick, is on injured reserve with an ankle injury. Guard Layden Robinson was benched after being selected in the fourth round. Javon Baker, another fourth-round pick, has yet to record his first NFL catch. Cornerback Marcellas Dial, quarterback Joe Milton III and tight end Jaheim Bell are on the depth chart as late-round players.

The Patriots’ second-best rookie was actually safety Dell Pettus, an undrafted free agent.

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