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The New England Patriots have begun their OTAs, and the team is looking forward to the season under their new head coach, Mike Vrabel. Along with Vrabel, the Patriots brought back Josh McDaniels to run the offense, while Terrell Williams is the new defensive coordinator.
With their new coaching staff, the Patriots are still excited about what the team had last season. Drake Maye will continue to lead the offense, and he had flashes of excellence in his rookie season. New England is hoping he can be a bit more consistent in year two, but there is a lot to like.
They also brought in Stefon Diggs to give Maye another weapon, and the team still has Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper at tight end.
On defense, New England was able to bring in cornerback Carlton Davis and defensive tackle Milton Williams. These two players are going to fit in well under Vrabel. Williams gives the Patriots a force in the trenches, while Davis joins Jabrill Peppers and Christian Gonzales in the secondary.
New England has some difference makers on both sides of the ball that fly under the radar, though. These are three hidden gems on the Patriots roster.
Wide receiver Kyle Williams
It is tough to label a rookie a hidden gem when they have never played a snap in the NFL. However, Kyle Williams is the type of player that might make a massive impact on offense for New England in his first year.
New England took Williams in the third round of this year's NFL draft out of Washington State. In his final collegiate season, the wideout recorded 70 receptions for 1,198 yards, and 14 touchdowns.
After his excellent final season in college, Williams made a big impression at the combine. He ran a 4.40 40-yard dash, which was the 11th-fastest among wide receivers.
With Diggs on the hot seat after a viral video, New England is going to need someone to step up as a pass catcher. Williams is already standing out after the first couple days of OTAs.
“He was on the field with Drake Maye, which, to me, as a rookie, that's a good sign. I think the highlight of the day for the offense was a deep ball down the right sideline from Josh Dobbs to Williams. He got both feet in bounds and beat Miles Battle,” Patriots insider Phil Perry said, per NBC Sports Boston.
Williams could easily be one of the steals of the draft this year.
Cornerback Marcus Jones
Marcus Jones was the Patriots third-round pick out of the University of Houston in 2022. He is mainly a slot cornerback for the team, but he plays his role exceptionally well.
Last season, Jones had his best year as a pro. The 5-foot-8 corner collected 58 total tackles, recovered a fumble, and he had one interception. He is not on the field for every snap, so his ability to make an impact is impressive.
In fact, the 26-year-old had a PFF coverage grade of 67.1, which ranked 44th of all cornerbacks in the NFL. Additionally, he had the sixth-best PFF rushing defense grade (88.2), and 32nd-best total PFF grade (70.2).
Jones will have another season of being the slot cornerback in New England, but make no mistake, he has the talent to be on the field at all times.
Inside linebacker Christian Elliss
Christian Elliss was not a full-time player last season. He bounced around a little bit and was released by the Eagles after 12 games in 2023. He was an undrafted free agent out of the University of Idaho, so he is used to being unnoticed. He spent a lot of time on practice squads before finding that full-time job with the Patriots in 2023.
Elliss played in 16 games last season but started just five of them. Still, Elliss finished with 80 total tackles, 1.5 sacks, an interception, and a forced fumble.
The 26-year-old had a 72.6 PFF defense grade, which was the 20th-best of all linebackers last year. Additionally, Elliss is good on both pass and rush defense. With that, the linebacker is set to start for the Patriots heading into the 2025-26 season.
He might not be a household name yet, but if he can keep up the production from last year, Elliss is going to be a well-known linebacker very soon.
