The Patriots Players With the Most to Prove

The Patriots have offensive Players with pressure to perform this preseason. While being stacked at running back, tight end, and receiver, all three positions have players fighting for their jobs.

When the Patriots traded for Mohamad Sanu, Nobody expected the pick to be worth more than the number 60 pick in the 2020 NFL draft. It was thought that basically the Patriots traded an early third for Sanu, that was the consensus. The Patriots increased the value by losing in the wild card round.

Sanu suffered a high ankle sprain that should've seen him placed on IR. Instead the Patriots 30 year old wideout waited until after the season to have his surgery to repair the damage. Sanu still remains a possible trade candidate going into the 2020 season. Sanu was considered one of the best number two guys in the league.

Marquise Lee is a former second round pick from 2014. Lee has been dealing with injuries since his best season in 2016. Lee is in his prime and The Patriots are counting on Lee to perform like a second round pick. Anything less will see Lee back on the market come week one.

Matt Lacosse went into 2019 as tight end one. He performed worse than Ryan Izzo and was the reason the Patriots brought back Ben Watson after they previously cut the aged veteran.

Lacosse now has to deal with Asiasi and Keene and is the fourth tight end on the roster. Lacosse is going to have to show he developed chemistry with Stidham in 2019 or it's safe to say, this will be his last preseason in the NFL.

The Patriots signed former Bengals sixth round Pick Rex Burkhead to a contract in 2017. While Burkhead has shown potential, he has not been able to stay healthy. It's safe to say that Burkhead has not lived up to expectations.

With Daimen Harris, Brandon Boldon, and JJ Taylor on the Roster and James White looking like he'll be around another three or four years, Burkhead is going to have to show why he is worth a roster spot this preseason. Burkhead could be a trade candidate, especially to teams like Tampa who need a third down back.

My surprise player on this list is Will Hastings. Belichick is friends with Hastings high school coach and has been looking at his game film since then. Hastings has been in the Patriots locker room once every December since then, when coach Kelly asked Belichick to look at his film. Former Patriots coaches Matt Patricia and Joe Judge went to Auburn to personally scout Hastings at their pro day.

Hastings had his best season in 2017, where the slot receiver and onside kick specialist caught 525 yards and 4 touchdowns. Stidham quickly built chemistry with and became Stidham's go to man. In 2018 Hastings suffered an ACL injury which screwed up both his and Stidham's draft stock and is why both fell to the Patriots.

The Patriots are counting on the connection to still be there and Hastings to make an immediate push into the roster, challenging Sanu, Harry, and Meyers. If Hastings does not pick up where he left off in 2017 with Stidham he may find himself on another team in 2020.

It's going to be a preseason full of roster battles and the offense has to improve if the team is going to keep the division. The Patriots schedule could see them win anywhere from seven to eleven games this season but it all falls on the offense.