New England Patriots Who've Turned Heads in Offseason Workouts

Nothing will be proven during organized team activities. No player will prove their worth as a starter at their position, and the New England Patriots certainly won't prove whether or not they're capable of repeating as Super Bowl champions in 2015.

There really isn't much you can take away from this portion of the workout program, and that's even if you ask Mr. Meticulous himself, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. 

"I think evaluations really come in training camp when we get the pads on, be able to work at a higher, competitive pace," he said after Thursday's session. "Right now, it's more of a teaching camp."

With that said, this is still a portion of the offseason that players can use to get off on the right foot and draw attention to themselves as we head into the more competitive portion of the offseason program.

Here are some of the players who are taking advantage of that opportunity. 

CB Daxton Swanson

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This isn't the first time Daxton Swanson has made an impact in OTAs. Swanson was making plays left and right last May and June, as well. But buried beneath Darrelle Revis, Brandon Browner and several other veterans on the depth chart, Swanson never had the opportunity to break through like he does this year. 

This year, Swanson is on a more even playing field in terms of the competition at cornerback. Rather than competing with the likes of Revis and Browner, he's competing with Bradley Fletcher, Logan Ryan, Darryl Roberts and others who are still new to the NFL, the Patriots or both.

Swanson has earned opportunities to play on defense while Tom Brady is across the field, meaning the Patriots clearly want to see what he can do against top competition. Again, this part of the offseason isn't as much about evaluating as it is about teaching, but the Patriots coaching staff probably wouldn't put Swanson in such a position if they felt he'd be in over his head.

Swanson has made plays in each of the first two sessions of OTAs, breaking up a few passes. If he continues to make plays in practice, he could get more opportunities to make plays on Sundays in the regular season. 

CB Bradley Fletcher

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Bradley Fletcher had hardly put pen to paper on his contract with the Patriots before he was under fire from fans. He may wear jersey No. 24, but no one will confuse his statistics with those of former Patriots cornerback Darrelle Revis.

According to Pro Football Focus, Fletcher yielded 61 completions on 115 throws into his coverage for 1,072 yards, nine touchdowns, one pick and 18 pass breakups for a 107.6 passer rating. Revis allowed only 41 completions on 79 targets for 557 yards, two touchdowns, two picks, 11 pass breakups and a 72.6 rating.

Maybe the doubters put a chip on his shoulder, because he's already popped off the field with a few big plays at OTAs. He's broken up some passes and had a nice leaping interception off of Jimmy Garoppolo on an end-zone fade intended for Aaron Dobson during Thursday's session. Garoppolo put some nice touch on the pass, but Fletcher was still able to reach over a man three inches taller than him to make the pick. 

Fletcher has had a few opportunities to run with the first-team defense at practice, and with a wide-open competition, his opportunities may not come to an end until his playmaking ability diminishes. 

WR Brian Tyms

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With Brandon LaFell absent from practice for unknown reasons, the Patriots have had an opportunity to get a closer look at some of the other wide receivers on their depth chart. That's given Brian Tyms and Aaron Dobson a chance to show off their stuff, and while both men have risen to the occasion, Tyms is the one who has been taking the ball and running with it.

Tyms has shown off his speed and size in practices already, making some nice adjustments on poorly thrown passes to come down with receptions. This may or may not mean anything, but he was also working with Tom Brady in the final two-minute drill of Thursday's practice while Dobson was working with Jimmy Garoppolo.

The Patriots would greatly benefit from Tyms continuing his ascent, as their biggest need on offense right now (aside from stability at guard) is more big-bodied wide receivers to play on the perimeter. If the 6'3", 204-pound Tyms can step into a meaningful role, the Patriots offense could be even more difficult to defend than it already is. 

RB LeGarrette Blount

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I won't go so far as to say LeGarrette Blount looks like a whole new person. You'd probably still recognize him if you saw him out in public. But at Patriots OTAs, without players wearing numerical identification and with no way to recognize players other than to look through their facemasks, it's become increasingly difficult to find Blount. And even when I do, I'm forced to do a double take.

Blount showed up to Patriots OTAs looking noticeably more svelte than usual—he was never particularly overweight, but he's definitely trimmed down a bit. 

"I've just been working," he said. "Doing everything I can to improve my skill set, just try to get better, do the things that they want me to do, and hopefully do a little more."

Blount ran a couple of laps during Thursday's workout—one of them was for a fumble, the other was for an unknown reason—but he's still been working with Tom Brady on offense despite several additions at the running back position this offseason.

TE Scott Chandler

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The Patriots clearly didn't bring in tight end Scott Chandler to compete with Rob Gronkowski, but he appears well on his way to settling into his role as a backup. 

At 6'7" and 260 pounds, it's hard to miss the former Buffalo Bills tight end on the field. He caught five passes from Tom Brady during a two-minute drill at the end of Thursday's practice. This week's practice made up for last week, when Chandler dropped a few easy catches, and the former division rival made a remarkable contested catch down the sideline in the two-minute drill at the end of practice. 

Chandler and Gronkowski have spent a considerable amount of time working together and were off to the side with Brady during Thursday's practice. Can you imagine the two of them on the field together at the same time?

Hulk Hogan and "Macho Man" Randy Savage ran wild on WWF in the '80s as the Mega Powers. The only reasonable conclusion is that Chandler and Gronkowski will do the same in the NFL as the Mega Towers.

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes and practice observations obtained firsthand.