Patriots Exciting Rookie Raising Red Flags

This New England Patriots sleeper draft pick has shown some concerning signs in NFL training camp.

Jan 20, 2013; Foxboro, MA, USA; General view of a New England Patriots helmet during the AFC championship game against the Baltimore Ravens at Gillette Stadium. The Ravens defeated the Patriots 28-13. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The New England Patriots have been widely lauded for their NFL Draft class this past April, adding some very intriguing talents on both sides of the ball from Rounds 1 through 7.

While tackle Will Campbell, running back TreVeyon Henderson and wide receiver Kyle Williams have gotten the lion's share of the attention, the Patriots also picked up some potential gems in the later rounds, such as fourth-round selection Joshua Farmer.

Farmer, a defensive tackle out of Florida State, was immediately labeled a steal by the Patriots, especially considering how much help the team has needed in its front seven since last year.

There was definitely some hype surrounding the youngster heading into training camp, and he seemed to be guaranteed a roster spot all along. However, Farmer is actually showing some rather concerning signs in practice thus far, being outperformed by Jeremiah Pharms Jr., whom New England picked up as an undrafted free agent back in 2023.

"The 6-foot-3, 312-pound Farmer has had a quieter camp, in part because he missed three practices (undisclosed) and is also working behind starters [Milton] Williams, [Christian] Barmore and Khyiris Tonga," wrote ESPN's Mike Reiss. "In the one-on-one pass-rush drills in which he has taken part, he hasn't seemed as explosive as Jeremiah Pharms Jr., a player he'd likely be competing against for a spot on the game-day roster."

Is it then possible that Farmer could actually fail to make the 53-man roster heading into Week 1? Well, it stands to reason that both Farmer and Pharms could make the roster if the Pats carry five interior defensive linemen (Williams, Barmore and Tonga being the other three), and this will probably end up being the case.

However, Reiss' report indicates that Farmer is obviously at the back end of the depth chart right now, and with the regular season just around the corner, it is going to require plenty of improvement from him the next few weeks to change some minds.

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