The fourth-round draft pick continues to carry the Patriots

New England Patriots’ rising star RB Rhamondre Stevenson continues to impress while remaining in the shadow of veteran RB Damien Harris. Stevenson was drafted in 2021 in the fourth round, arguably the steal of the draft. The RB tandem the Patriots have gathered with Harris and Stevenson has led to domination on the ground.

In the last two seasons since Stevenson joined the Patriots, they have ranked top 10 in offensive rushing yards, according to NFL.com. There’s no secret that Harris suffers from hamstring issues and it’s forced him to miss time in all of his three seasons. This only allows more opportunity for Stevenson to prove why he should be considered a No.1 RB in the NFL.

Last week, Stevenson made Patriot history against the Detroit Lions. His rushing performance was the third highest total under Bill Belichick, reported Brian Hines for PatsPulpit. He rushed for 26 carries for 161 yards and had two receptions for 14 yards. While he didn’t find the endzone last week, he sure made it much more manageable for rookie QB Bailey Zappe.

Stevenson’s production has been phenomenal based on the opportunities he’s been given. Not to mention, his versatility makes opposing teams have nightmares. He stands tall at six feet and weighs about 230 pounds, however, he moves as if he’s capable of playing slot. Thai ability gives him a slight edge out of the backfield over Harris.

Harris has struggled with receiving out of the backfield, however, he’s proven to be one of the hardest downhill runners throughout the NFL. Once he sees a whole open up, his explosion and vision allow him to be effective in the run game. Upcoming week, the Patriots will look to take on the Cleveland Browns whose rush defense ranks 21st out of 32 teams, per NFL.com.

Potential future for Patriots RBs Rhamondre Stevenson and Damien Harris

A likely hypothetical may happen is that the Patriots will ultimately trade Harris for as much value as possible and stick with Stevenson as the premier back. Stevenson has proven to be much more durable and a more versatile back out of the backfield, however, we have not seen Stevenson lead as the premier back.

This upcoming week, without Harris in the lineup against the Browns, many will get the opportunity to see if Stevenson can hold down the running game without another workhorse by his side. The Patriots are calling up another fourth-round draft pick, Pierre Strong Jr. this week to help complement Stevenson.

There are some potential landing spots for Damien Harris going forward if the Patriots decide to trade him and they are: Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, and the Las Vegas Raiders.

Atlanta Falcons:

The Falcons are a good fit for Damien Harris simply because they have no clear lead back and they can use all the help they can possibly get. They’re clearly in a rebuilding period and having Harris can relieve the responsibility of Cordarrelle Patterson.

Las Vegas Raiders:

The Raiders are an ideal fit for Harris because of his relationship with former Patriots OC and now Raiders HC Josh McDaniels. McDaniels would know how to utilize him alongside star RB Josh Jacobs and make that dynamic offense that much more effective. In fact, in early November he spoke highly of Harris’s ability to make plays happen.

“Damien is the kind of guy, there may or may not be a hole, but he’s going to make one,” reported Mike Reiss of ESPN.