New England Patriots training camp: 4 standouts after 4 days of practice

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The first four days of New England Patriots training camp are in the books. The Pats have today off, so we’re taking a look at the four players that impressed the most during that time (who aren’t named Tom Brady).

The festivities kicked-off on Thursday. My co-editor, Cyrus Geller was present and reported on the happenings. Here’s what Cyrus had to say about Brady’s performance:

“Brady was absolutely on fire. He was sharp from the beginning of practice, as he tore apart every defense he faced. Granted, this was a no-contact practice, so the defense was at a disadvantage, but it was still an impressive performance from 12.

In case you didn’t know, today is Tommy boy’s 38th birthday. Now that we’ve talked about how great Brady has been playing in practice so far and wished him a happy birthday, let’s get on to the other players that have stood out in training camp thus far.

Honorable mention

Jordan Richards has been catching eyes. He picked-off a pass in the first practice, and his football intelligence drew praise from Devin McCourty.

Of course, Rob Gronkowski and Scott Chandler have been a nightmare for the defense to cover. The twin tower tight ends ought to play off each other all season.

Bradley Fletcher was all over the place on Friday, batting away several passes.

Tre’ Jackson and Shaq Mason have been seeing a bunch of action with Ryan Wendell on the sideline. At least one of the rookies will start in Week 1.

James White appears to be winning the competition for the pass-catching running back.

Alright, now let’s get on to the four standouts from the first four days of Patriots training camp.

Next: 4. Julian Edelman

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4. Julian Edelman

Edelman came up gimping a bit at the end of yesterday’s session, prompting an injury scare. However, no bad reports have come out of Foxboro concerning Edelman’s health, so we can all breathe a sigh of relief.

Edelman’s battles with Malcolm Butler have been widely reported, and it’s great to hear. Yesterday, Edelman made an incredible diving catch with Butler in coverage; afterward, he spun the ball at Butler’s feet. Good competition, no hard feelings. That’s what training camp is all about.

In the four one-on-one matchups between Edelman and Butler yesterday, Edelman won three.

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Perhaps the highest praise Edelman has received thus far has been from Butler himself, who essentially said that the star receiver talks the talk and walks the walk. No one talks trash quite like Edelman, and it’s because he backs it up.

Edelman has been the favorite target of both Brady and Garoppolo in Patriots training camp. It appears that his outstanding efforts in the Pats’ playoff run are not getting to his head, but rather giving Edelman confidence that he is a top-10 receiver in the league.

If you told a Patriots fan in April of 2009 that their seventh round pick, quarterback Julian Edelman out of Kent State, would be the team’s best wide receiver six years later, you would have gotten a puzzling look in return. But after four impressive practices to start the 2015 season, Edelman surely looks the part.

Next: 3. Aaron Dobson

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3. Aaron Dobson

Here we have a veteran wide receiver that has endured a rocky start to his career. Dobson appeared in just four games last season, catching three passes for 38 yards and no touchdowns. But it looks like the Marshall product is well on his way to a rebound season.

Doug Kyed of NESN.com had this to say after Dobson finished another solid day of training camp:

"There’s a front-runner for the New England Patriots’ No. 4 receiver role. Aaron Dobson has made a positive impression through four days of training camp after a lost sophomore season. Dobson made the best play of the day Sunday, when he leaped in the air and caught a pass over Malcolm Butler during 11-on-11 drills from Tom Brady. Butler had great coverage, but Dobson made the better play. Dobson has been a dependable receiver throughout camp for Brady and backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. He appears to have taken a giant leap since his rookie season and is making the most of his opportunities with Brandon LaFell out injured."

Dobson did fumble during Saturday’s practice, but the quickness with which he responded to that mistake was impressive. Patriots fans remember how many mistakes Dobson made as a rookie; if he is making fewer, and recovering from them well, then he deserves another chance at the 53-man roster.

Don’t expect Dobson to take LaFell’s job as the No. 2 receiver, but the chance is there for the third-year man to make regular contributions as the No. 4 guy.

Next: 2. Malcolm Butler

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2. Malcolm Butler

Butler’s heated competition with Edelman will only pay off in the long run. If he’s going against a receiver like Edelman for the duration of Patriots training camp, then he should be prepared to start in Week 1.

Worth noting from the Edelman-Butler rivalry is the fact that Butler is winning his fair share of the battles. And when he does allow a reception to Edelman, Dobson or whoever, it’s very close. Like Rich Hill of PatsPulpit says, don’t sweat too much when you hear about Edelman or Dobson making a play over Butler:

"Don’t worry about the plays by Edelman and Dobson, Butler is definitely the top cornerback on the Patriots depth chart and he continued his strong camp with some more strong play. He’s hypercompetitive."

At this point, it looks like Butler will be matched-up against Antonio Brown in the season opener. At 5-foot-11, Butler actually stands above the 5-foot-10 Brown, and after having the dog days of summer filled with fights against Edelman, he will be good to go against one of the top wideouts in the league on September 10^th.

Butler has also been talking trash with Brady, urging the quarterback to throw his way more often. If that’s not a sign of Butler’s growing confidence, I don’t know what is.

It should also be noted how much of a good sport Butler was this spring after Bill Belichick suspended him for three weeks after he was late to the plane. Butler kept himself clear of the NFLPA complaint against Belichick for the suspension, a clear indication that Butler is team-oriented and understood the sentiment behind his coach’s action.

Next: 1. Jabaal Sheard

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1. Jabaal Sheard

It looks like the Patriots have a threatening pass rusher with whom they can spell Rob Ninkovich and Chandler Jones.

Sheard stood out big-time in the first day of padded practice, according to WEEI’s Christopher Price:

"In one-on-ones between the offensive linemen and defensive linemen, Jabaal Sheard provided a highlight with an impressive spin move on tackle Marcus Cannon. Sheard also tossed Cameron Fleming aside on another head-to-head drill."

Bleacher Report’s Erik Frenz also noticed Sheard’s big day:

He kept up the good work on Sunday.

While rookies Trey Flowers and Geneo Grissom have made some noise too, it looks like Sheard will either be a Week 1 starter or close to it. The Patriots may have made out with one of the steals of the 2015 free agency period.

Although he’s three inches shorter than Jones, Sheard weighs almost ten pounds more. He has the power and the pass rushing technique to help the Patriots’ defense compensate for the losses in the secondary.

You can bet that after cutting ties with Junior Galette, the New Orleans Saints wish they had signed Sheard in free agency. It was prudent for the Pats to sign a guy that Belichick was very keen on in the 2011 NFL Draft.

If you’re looking to purchase a new Patriots jersey for the upcoming season, put some serious thought into Sheard’s No. 93.

Next: Happy birthday, Tom