The New England Patriots' safety room looked pretty cut and dried during the preseason. While the team didn't have a true deep man, veterans Jabrill Peppers and Kyle Dugger seemed sure to man the two spots as they did with some success in 2024. Instead, Mike Vrabel and Terrell Williams' new defensive scheme required a different style of player.
Peppers was the surprise release before the season, while Kyle Dugger fell down the depth chart. The Lenoir-Rhyne product played only 75 snaps in the first six weeks, eventually getting more time in Weeks 6 and 7 while Jaylinn Hawkins was out with an injury. He allowed a deep ball to Chris Olave on the first drive of their Week 6 game, but had an okay day against the Titans, sporting a 63.5 PFF grade.
Dugger was eventually traded, but the team has relied heavily on Hawkins as a starting-caliber safety for a defense that features some big names. That reliance has paid off, as through the first half of the year, Hawkins was named PFF's biggest surprise for the Patriots.
Jaylinn Hawkins has been one of the biggest surprises for the Patriots
Hawkins has not only been starting caliber, he's been fantastic. He ranks second among all qualifying safeties. He's had a PFF grade of 85+ in two of his seven games this year, and even scored a 92.1 overall grade in their matchup against the Browns.
On the year, he grades out to an 83.1 in pass rush (6/90), a 76.8 in run defense (20/90), and a 76.7 in coverage (4/80). He's also had a 75+ tackling grade from Week 2 on. Hawkins has been a strong run defender, but his ability as a coverage safety is what the Patriots have lacked in recent years.
- Jaylinn Hawkins is PFF's second-highest graded safety (80.2)
— Graham Wilker (@GrahamWilker1) November 6, 2025
- Craig Woodson is the third-highest graded rookie safety (61.1)
- In Dell Pettus's very limited snaps, he is the second-highest graded safety (89.9) when removing snap count parameters
Such an underrated group!
Along with Marcus Jones and Robert Spillane, Hawkins leads the team in interceptions with two, including a ridiculous one-handed effort against the Browns. His 32 tackles are sixth on the team, while he also has 1.5 sacks and two tackles for loss.
Hawkins has come out of nowhere, never recording a higher PFF grade than 60.1 since he entered the league in 2020. It's great to see that even amongst all the stars added to the defense, players like Hawkins have still found a way to break out as really solid players.