Pro Football Focus and ESPN teamed up to release a ranking of all 32 rosters based on depth. According to the advanced analytics website, the reigning Super Bowl champion New England Patriots boast the deepest and most well-rounded roster in the entire NFL. New England’s Super Bowl LIII opponents, the Los Angeles Rams, came in second on this listing.
New England Patriots Have Deepest NFL Roster, per PFF
Pro Football Focus says that the biggest roster strength comes at the quarterback position with six-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady. PFF notes that “even at 41 years old, [Brady] showed off all the throws in 2018 and finished with an elite PFF grade (90.7) for the fourth straight season.” PFF clearly isn’t anticipating Brady to suddenly fall off the proverbial cliff, and the film backs up that assessment.
The Patriots have a deep roster, but it isn’t perfect. Pro Football Focus points to New England’s edge defense as a concern while citing the off-season losses of Trey Flowers and Adrian Clayborn. While they added Michael Bennett via trade, the rest of the depth chart only combined to post a collective nine sacks, 12 quarterback hits, and 42 hurries with New England in 2018.
That said, Pro Football Focus believes that third-year edge defender Deatrich Wise Jr. could be set for a breakout. While he’s been nothing but a role player through his first two years in the league, PFF cites his 16.7% collegiate pressure rate as a reason to believe he could have a career year in 2019.
Of New England’s projected starters, Tom Brady and Stephon Gilmore are tied for the highest PFF grade on the team (90.7). Everyone knows about Brady but Gilmore is coming off a career season in which he recorded two interceptions, 20 passes defended, two fumbles, and 45 tackles.
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