Projecting young New England Patriots who will step up as starters in 2020

The New England Patriots lost several key starters before the season started.

The New England Patriots had to expect that they would lose some key contributors as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, but losing six players before the season kicked off had to be a jarring way for the organization to start the day.

Several starters, including fullback Danny Vitale, right tackle and lymphoma survivor Marcus Cannon, safety Patrick Chung, and linebacker Dont’a Hightower have all decided to skip 2020 due to their concerns about the virus affecting their personal health or the well-being of their families.

If there is any team that is equipped to handle such a sudden drop-off in talent, it’s the Patriots, as their insistence on accumulating Day 2 draft picks has helped them land backups at several key positions. Look for these recent draftees to finally make their Patriots debuts in place of veteran starters.

These four players will assume increased roles with the New England Patriots in 2020.

Keene was one of two tight ends New England drafted in the third round, as UCLA’s Devin Asiasi went off the board a few picks beforehand. While Keene might be listed as a tight end, the former Virginia Tech stud was used as an H-back under Justin Fuente, meaning he lined up in the backfield on a good chunk of a run-heavy Hokie offense’s snaps in the 2019 season.

While the Patriots envisioned using him in two tight end sets, putting an excellent blocker with solid speed in the open field at fullback could help Cam Newton and the Erhardt-Perkins running game to perfection. His versatility in both the running and passing attack might actually exceed what Vitale can provide, which can help Josh McDaniels further accentuate the unique skillset of Newton.