Surprise Patriots Who Make the Cut

Rather than doing a list of Patriots who might be surprise cuts, I thought it’d be interesting to look at players who might surprise us by sticking around.

Aaron Dobson

I have been ready to cast Dobson off for at least 2 years now. From his sophomore season onward I thought he was on the roster bubble, then the injuries and the inconsistencies kept piling on and I thought for sure he was gone. Somehow, some way, he was able to cling on while all of the other under performing players were let go (see Jake Bequette and Tavon Wilson). Apparently Dobson is healthy and having a really good summer. He’s impressing Belichick and might actually be worth keeping around. I’m not going to lie, I thought the Patriots receiving core was going to be Edelman, Hogan, Amendola, Mitchell, Washington and Lucien (I’m not counting Slater as a receiver). However, with Dobson apparently getting his head on straight, he might jump Lucien or Washington. I guess we’ll see.

Here’s another 53-man roster projection

DJ Foster

I’m so happy this kid is playing well. I really liked him in college and knowing that he has a really good chance of sticking around makes me happy. He might become a practice squad member, or he might be able to jump Brandon Bolden for the ST/RB position. Foster has had a really good camp and his running style really plays into what the Patriots like to do with their runningbacks, in my opinion.

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Clay Harbor 

Even though Harbor signed a multi-year deal he’s no roster lock. However, Harbor’s flexibility as a fullback will probably keep him around. I really like James Develin, and Develin is also a kind of TE/FB highbred, but Harbor and him are polar opposite. Where Develin is primarily a fullback who can line up as a tight end, Harbor is primarily a tight end who can flex in as a fullback. I think the Patriots like the tight end flex to fullback option more than the other way around. The addition of Clay Harbor might spell the end of Develin in New England.

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Cre’Von LeBlanc

For my last surprise player I give you the hardest hitting person in college football. LeBlanc is a bit undersized, and he didn’t play against top flight teams, but the dude has the tenacity and swagger to be a presence on the field. He’s a shorter version of Brandon Browner; LeBlanc will get you flags for his physicality, but he’ll also set the tone by destroying smaller receivers in front of him. Basically, don’t put a receiver like AJ Green on him and he’ll be fine. The only problem with LeBlanc is that you can’t teach speed and you can’t teach height, but I think he can still sneak onto the roster.

Next: An interesting fact about each offseason addition

What do you think about these surprise roster makes? Comment below.