Patriots select Oklahoma RB Rhamondre Stevenson in fourth round of NFL draft
After loading up on defense in Day 2 of the 2021 NFL draft, the Patriots supplemented their offense to start Day 3.
With their first pick on Saturday(120th in the fourth round) the Patriots drafted running back Rhamondre Stevenson from Oklahoma.
This marks the second consecutive Sooner the Patriots drafted after selecting edge rusher Ronnie Perkins from Oklahoma in the third round. In the Patriots' first four picks, they’ve pick two players from Alabama (Mac Jones and Christian Barmore) and now two from Oklahoma.
Like Perkins, Stevenson failed a drug test before Oklahoma’s bowl game in 2019. That caused him to miss half the 2020 college season. Still, the running back ran for 665 yards and seven touchdowns in six games. He also caught 18 passes for 211 yards, earning honorable mention All-Big 12 honors. Stevenson averaged 6.6 yards per carry last season.
The NFL Network described him as “a wrecking ball of a runner.” At 6-foot, 231 pounds, he is currently the heaviest running back on the Patriots roster and the heaviest back Bill Belichick has ever drafted (Steven Ridley weighed 225 pounds back in 2011). He also fits a long-term need as the Patriots enter 2021 with three running backs in contract years — Sony Michel, James White and Brandon Bolden.
Considering Stevenson is a bigger back, he could be a potential replacement for Michel and add depth behind Damien Harris, who led the Patriots in rushing last season.
Stevenson started his collegiate career at Cerritos College in Norwalk, Calif. In 2018, he rushed for over 2,000 yards with 16 touchdowns in junior college and was regarded as the No. 1 JUCO running back in the nation. In his first season at Oklahoma, he came off the bench, rushing for 515 yards with six touchdowns in 13 games. He averaged 8.0 yards per carry that season. Last year, after returning from his suspension, Stevenson averaged 110.8 rushing yards per game.
He was named the Outstanding Offensive Player of the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic after rushing for a career-high 186 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries to help Oklahoma beat No. 10 Florida, 55-20. He averaged 10.3 yards per carry in that game.
The Patriots have done a great job of drafting running backs. The last five backs Belichick has drafted all contributed in some form or fashion — Harris (third round in 2019), Michel (first round in 2018), White (fourth round in 2014), Ridley (third round in 2011) and Shane Vereen (second round in 2011).
Of course, in New England, it takes time for most of these backs to take flight.
For Harris, White and Vereen, they were essentially redshirted as rookies before taking over in their second NFL seasons. Ridley was a backup (rushing for 441 yards) as a rookie before running for 1,263 yards in Year 2. Michel, the only first-round pick in that group, led the Patriots in rushing as a rookie.
It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Stevenson follow a similar path to other rookie running backs in Foxboro. He enters an experienced depth chart with Harris, Michel, White, Bolden and J.J. Taylor on the roster. Harris led the Patriots in rushing last year with 691 yards in 10 games. Michel also ran for 449 yards in nine games.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: NFL Draft 2021: Patriots draft RB Rhamondre Stevenson from Oklahoma
