Bill Belichick heaps praise on New England Patriots rookie Christian Barmore
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is feeling pretty good about his choice to draft Christian Barmore right now. The rookie defensive tackle has 12 tackles and a half-sack through nine games but it’s his work ethic that’s really impressed Belichick.
“I gotta give that kid a lot of credit,” Belichick said after the Patriots win over Carolina on Sunday. “He comes in early. Stays late. Works on his flexibility, his strength, his technique. He’s really applied himself. He’s done better and better every week.”
According to Reese’s Senior Bowl director Jim Nagy, there were concerns about Barmore’s maturity as he left Alabama for the draft. If not for those concerns, he would have been a first-rounder, according to Nagy. Instead, the Patriots nabbed him at pick No. 38 in the second round.
“Many NFL teams had top-15 grades on Patriots’ rookie DT Christian Barmore heading into last year’s draft but he slid to the 38th pick due to maturity concerns,” Nagy said. “Always great seeing players dispel perceptions. Rare praise here for a rookie from Bill Belichick.”
Barmore’s most productive game of the season so far came in Week 8. He posted four assisted tackles, a half-sack and half of a tackle for loss versus the L.A. Chargers.
The Patriots are back over .500 with win No. 5 versus the Panthers in Week 9.
Barmore dominated for Bama
Coming out of high school in Philadelphia, Christian Barmore chose the University of Alabama over a dozen other DI programs. After redshirting the 2018 season, he played two productive seasons for the Crimson Tide.
Barmore’s breakout year came in the coronavirus-shortened 2020 season. He posted 37 tackles with eight sacks and three forced fumble on the way to the national title.
After the 2020 season, the Pennsylvania native still had plenty of doubters.
“Somebody will probably reach on him because there aren’t any of these guys,” one scout told the Athletic’s Bob McGinn before the draft. “I think you’re going to take some lumps with him. He doesn’t have a ton of experience. He’s not a finished product. Best thing he does is rush inside.”
Barmore signed a four-year, $8.5 million rookie deal with the Patriots, with a $3.5 million signing bonus.