3 Patriots poised for breakout season in Year 2

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - With the exception of Sony Michel, it is difficult to judge any of the New England Patriots' selections in the 2018 NFL Draft. Injuries caused five of New England's first six selections to miss the majority of the 2018 season. 

It will be interesting to see how these rookies look in year number two. Some say that the jump from year one to year two can be the most telling as to how a player's career projects. Outstanding rookies may come down to earth after opposing teams have enough film on them and understand how to attack their weaknesses. On the other hand, rookies who didn't live up to expectations may experience a breakout year after becoming better acclimated to the NFL.

It would be unfair to claim that any of the Patriots' 2018 selections were busts or didn't live up to expectations since the group was marred by injuries. It is only right to wait until we see how these players perform in their second season before we jump to any of these conclusions. With that being said, who are the top three second-year Patriots poised for a breakout season?

3.) Duke Dawson, CB

Duke Dawson suffered a hamstring injury early in training camp this past season causing the team to place him on injured reserve.  It wasn't until November 13th that he was officially activated and cleared to play for New England. Once Dawson was officially healthy it was expected that he would start to see a significant role in the secondary, but that expectation never came to fruition as Dawson was a healthy scratch for the rest of the 2018 season.

There could be a number of reasons as to why that was. For starters, Dawson was unable to participate in the majority of training camp, so the team may have felt uncomfortable with his knowledge and experience playing in the team's defensive system. New England would never throw a player in the line of fire if they weren't absolutely positive that he had the playbook down pat. The second reason could have been that his hamstring was not fully healed. The team may have thought it would be better to rest Dawson than risk further aggravating his hamstring injury. It's not like the team was in dire need of his services as the crew of Stephon Gilmore, JC Jackson, and Jason McCourty was holding their own in the secondary.

So what should we expect out of a healthy Dawson heading into the 2019 season? The former Florida Gator projects as a slot corner who has the ability to match up on quick receivers and bigger tight ends. He was viewed as an above average jammer in press coverage when he was coming out for the 2018 NFL Draft. Expect to see those skills on full display this upcoming season. 

While there is a bit of a logjam at the position after drafting Joejuan Williams, there should still be plenty of reps for Dawson. He will be competing directly with Keion Crossen and Jonathan Jones for playing time.

2.) Ja'Whaun Bentley, LB

Ja'Whaun Bentley was having an excellent rookie campaign until his season was cut short after suffering a torn bicep against the Detroit Lions in Week 4. Bentley performed so well in preseason camp that he was named the team's starting middle linebacker in Week 1. In his first career start, he logged seven tackles, a TFL, and even registered a hit on quarterback Deshaun Watson. Not too shabby for a fifth-round pick.

While Bentley was a sound tackler in his shortened rookie season, he may have been even better in pass coverage. In Bentley's first three games of action, he was targeted just five times in coverage allowing only three catches for 19 yards. The former Purdue standout also recorded an interception against the Lions before suffering that bicep injury. According to Pro Football Focus, Bentley graded out as the sixth best coverage linebacker in the NFL and his passer rating allowed ranked first among all linebackers.

Expect Bentley to build upon his early success heading into the 2019 season. Although he excels in pass coverage, Bentley might be best known for his ability as a run stopper. He is a player that lineman and runningbacks fear as he shoots gaps downhill with insane power and speed. There were many cases last season where Bentley knocked 315-pound offensive lineman right on their backside. 

Don't be surprised to see Bentley as the team's leading tackler in the 2019 season.

3.) Isaiah Wynn, OL

Isaiah Wynn is likely up there for most heartbreaking rookie injuries in Patriots history. In just his second preseason game of his career, Wynn suffered a torn Achilles bringing his rookie season to an end. Before his injury, Wynn was projected to be the team's backup left tackle behind Trent Brown with the ability to rotate in at either tackle position. 

Any time a player suffers an achilles injury there is always a worry that they will never be the same going forward. Let's just pray that isn't the case for the Patriots 23rd overall selection in the 2018 NFL draft.

Wynn was a solid pass protector at the University of Georgia and even a better run blocker. Just ask his teammate Sony Michel. He brings heavy hands at the point of attack and it's easy to see on film that he blocks with a bit of a mean streak in the run game. Wynn is also athletic enough to handle an outside rush as his quick feet and strong base rarely put him out of position.

While Wynn is not guaranteed to be ready to go at the start of the NFL season, offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia seems optimistic. The team was extremely high on Wynn as a prospect and assumed he would take the starting left tackle position from Brown at some point during the 2018 season. Brown was just made the richest tackle in the entire NFL, so that speaks volumes on the potential they see in Wynn. 

If healthy, look for Wynn to have an immediate impact anchoring New England's offensive line.