What Are Reasonable Expectations for New England Patriots DE Geneo Grissom?

Trying to predict anything involving the New England Patriots is always a slippery slope. Everything Patriots head coach Bill Belichick does is, inherently, unpredictable. At the forefront of Belichick's inconstancy is his defense. His strategies fluctuate each week, each quarter and each series in an attempt to attack his team's opponent's biggest weaknesses and defend against its best attacks.

Rookie defensive lineman Geneo Grissom is about to find out firsthand exactly how volatile the Patriots defensive scheme can be. His distinction as a defensive lineman is noted on the Patriots' official roster, but while they might ask him to be a designated pass-rusher in his rookie year, he could be asked to play other positions as well.

Grissom played multiple spots in the defensive front during his college career at Oklahoma, and he could be asked to use his entire bag of tricks once again as a rookie in New England. The Patriots are known to switch between a 3-4 and a 4-3 defense; Grissom could be lined up with his hand in the dirt on one play and standing up wide of the offensive tackle on the next play.

The possibilities aren't endless, but there are enough of them to cast some doubt on exactly what Grissom's rookie career will look like. 

Player	G	GS	Tkl	Ast	Sk	PD	FF	FR
Scott Crichton	8	0	2	0	0	0	0	0
Kareem Martin	11	2	8	0	1	1	1	0
Will Clarke	7	0	2	1	0	0	0	1
Damontre Moore	15	0	9	2	0	1	1	0
Corey Lemonier	16	0	12	3	1	3	1	0
Sam Montgomery	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Olivier Vernon	16	0	28	5	3.5	0	1	0
Jake Bequette	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Justin Houston	16	10	46	10	5.5	4	1	1

Listed above are each of the rookie defensive ends (4-3) and outside linebackers (3-4) who have been drafted in the third round since 2011. 

As you can see, their production has not been stellar in their first year. In some cases, these players have quickly found their footing. In others, they have spent their career searching for the magic that made them a coveted top-100 draft pick. 

It's hit-and-miss, to say the least.

The biggest "hit" in this group has been Justin Houston (Kansas City Chiefs), who recently signed a six-year, $101 million contract extension to remain with the team that drafted him until his age-31 season in 2020. Houston was widely regarded as a prospect whose talent was worthy of a first-round pick, but a failed drug test at the 2011 scouting combine caused his stock to plummet hard on draft day. 

There's also the "upper-middle class" with Olivier Vernon (Miami Dolphins), who has tallied 18 sacks in the past two seasons. 

Then you have your middle-of-the-pack pass-rushers who serve well in their roles off the bench. That group includes Damontre Moore (New York Giants), who notched 5.5 sacks last year. 

Then there are those who are still struggling to reach their full potential. The Patriots themselves may be the host team for the biggest flop of this group in Jake Bequette, who has played in only eight games and participated on 43 career defensive snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. Bequette was seen lining up at tight end in spring practices, so the Patriots may be about ready to cut their losses on their former third-round pick. 

Grissom, like Bequette, has played multiple spots in the front seven. In Grissom's case, this is seen as a weakness because he was never able to hone his skills at one particular position. Belichick probably sees things a little differently—what's new there?—and thinks of Grissom's experience as a positive.

"I'd say he's very instinctive as a pass-rusher," Belichick said after drafting Grissom in May. "And he's in coverage a decent amount of the time as a walk-off linebacker, so you see a guy play out in space out over the slot, he does a lot of that. I'd say a guy to play from 3-technique to end of the line, to a walk-down linebacker—at the Senior Bowl they actually played him off the line, like in a tackle bubble—so he's a pretty athletic, versatile guy."

He has a ton of athletic upside; he's 6'3" and 262 pounds with 33 ¾-inch arms, and he put up 20 reps on the 225-pound bench press at the 2015 scouting combine while posting a 37-inch vertical jump. The physical tools, for the most part, are present.

Getting the most out of Grissom shouldn't be too difficult unless the Patriots can't decide what to do with him. 

Unless otherwise noted, all salary-cap and contract information provided by Over The Cap. All practice observations and notes obtained firsthand.