FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- One point that Bill Belichick highlighted in his pre-draft news conference on Friday morning was the Patriots' history with players who had little playing time as rookies becoming key contributors in their second year.
The candidates in 2018 are plentiful.
"This year, we have quite a few players who for one reason or another, various circumstances, didn't have a lot of production last year," Belichick said. "That may change this year. I don't know, but it will be interesting and it's exciting to see how they're doing, as well."
Belichick cited examples such as defensive end Trey Flowers, who played four snaps as a rookie in 2015 before emerging in 2016.