Here's why Rhamondre Stevenson could be the Patriots' next great receiving back

When Rhamondre Stevenson is watching film on an opposing defense, he’s studying the secondary as much as the defensive line. For a typical running back, you need to know what gap to run through in order to gain positive yards. If you want to be a successful third down back in New England, you have to take your film study to a different level.

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This is about recognizing a safety or cornerback blitz before it happens. If you’re going to be the Patriots' passing back, you need to understand blitz pickup as good if not better than your ability to run routes and catch passes on third down.

It’s an aspect of Stevenson’s game that’s grown by leaps and bounds from his 2021 rookie season. It’s a big reason why he could be in line to replace the retired James White, whose hands were as steady as his ability to protect his quarterback in the most vital situations.

“Really with that, there’s technique with how to block, but it was really understanding the defense and understand who could actually blitz and who I had to pickup,” Stevenson told The Providence Journal. “Fundamentally, I had to get sound at that — getting my hands inside — but really it was learning the defense and seeing who was going to blitz…

“(It was) film study and knowing defenses period. Taking that step. It was learning the game of football.”

Stevenson has shown the ability to help the Patriots offense. Last year, as a rookie, he finished with 606 rushing yards and five touchdowns. This year, he’s aiming to become the next great Patriots third down back.

With his ability to run efficiently, Stevenson would bring an element of unpredictability to the Patriots offense if he develops into a constant receiving threat.

How Rhamondre Stevenson has impressed Bill Belichick

Stevenson knows if a player is going to have success as the Patriots passing back, their most important job is to protect the quarterback. This job has been made famous by players like Kevin Faulk, Shane Vereen and most recently, White. These players rack up receptions and receiving yards but none of them would’ve been on that field if they couldn’t handle their job in pass protection.

There are moments when a running back has seconds (or less) where he has to shift over, get in front of the quarterback and stop a defensive player from blowing up their offensive play. If Stevenson correctly picks up that blitz, it’ll give Mac Jones enough time to throw the ball. If all goes right, the Patriots pick up that first down. If it falls apart, the series is over.

Stevenson's development in this area has impressed Bill Belichick.

“Mondre’s done a really good job improving his pass game skills, starting with blitz pickup and protection,” Belichick said. “Route running — he’s got good hands, catching the ball’s never really been an issue. It’s setting up defenders, recognizing coverages, when to sit down, when to break, depending on what the rest of the pattern is, how to maximize the distribution on the pattern. The back’s always kind of the last person in the pattern for flare control. So, whatever the rest of the players are running, the back is generally responsible for filling in — being in the right spot so the quarterback has an outlet.”

Belichick explained that even when a running back gets to run a route out of the backfield, many times pass projection responsibility comes first. For example, they stay in the backfield for a split second and if a defensive player isn’t rushing in, they flare out of the backfield to give the quarterback another passing option.

It’s about knowing when to run a route and knowing when to protect your quarterback.

“That comes a lot with experience. There’s so many different variables there. Each play’s a little bit different,” Belichick said. “… But (Stevenson’s) done a good job of, again, gaining experience and all that. He’s way better than he was last year and he understands that’s an important part of his game. It’s not just carrying the ball, it’s all things that go with the passing game.”

How James White helped Rhamondre Stevenson

Blitz pickup is one reason why running backs have a hard time getting on the field early in their careers in New England. White played in three games as a rookie in 2014. Before him, Vereen played in five games as a rookie in 2011.

Stevenson was rarely used as a receiver in college at Oklahoma. In two seasons, he caught 28 passes and said that blitz pickup in the NFL has been one of the hardest adjustments from college.

“Everything is much faster. If a DB is blitzing in college, you could almost tell before the play is called,” Stevenson said. “In the NFL, when they come, you have no idea. You have to look at safety rotations and things like that. You have to dig deeper into football and the complexity of it.”

Last season was hard for Stevenson. The Patriots' fourth-round pick came to New England wide-eyed with a lot to learn. As 2021 went on, we all saw his talent as a runner. This offseason, however, his goal was to become a complete running back. In order to do that, he focused on route running, receiving and blitz pickup. He also leaned on the older running backs in New England for help.

For him, the best advice came from White before the veteran retired this month.

“He helped me tremendously,” Stevenson said. “I could speak for all the backs saying that. He’s just a big brother figure. Just a good person to be around. My pass protection got better because of James White. He taught me a lot — just knowing the defense and see who could come and who can’t actually blitz.”

“…Being in my second year, I’m more comfortable with everything. Like last year, it was just very stressful to say the least. Now, I’m comfortable. I know all my teammates. I know all my coaches. I know what they expect of me. So, I have to come out and do it every single day.”

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson impresses Bill Belichick