Stock Up, Stock Down After New England Patriots' 3rd Preseason Game

The New England Patriots played their third preseason game Friday night against the Detroit Lions. This was the all-important "dress rehearsal" game, and it gave us our best glimpse to date of what the team will actually look like.

As of now, the Patriots look pretty scary.

New England rolled to a 24-7 halftime lead on the back of a strong showing from the first-teamers. Tom Brady and the offense sliced apart the Detroit defense, while the Patriots defense forced both mistakes and turnovers with seeming ease.

It wasn't all good news for the Patriots, though. Star wideout Julian Edelman suffered a torn ACL and will miss the entire season. That's a huge blow for a team that really only needed to evaluate a few guys and get out of the preseason healthy.

Let's do our own evaluation and examine some of players whose stock rose and fell in preseason Week 4.

Up: Tom Brady

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

Did Brady have a perfect night against Detroit? No. A miscommunication with receiver Chris Hogan led to an interception in the second quarter. Aside from that, though, the quarterback was pretty close to perfect.

The 40-year-old signal-caller played a half and finished 12-of-15 for 174 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He showcased his trademark accuracy and pocket awareness throughout the half and made some impressive throws.

It's safe to say Brady is already in midseason form.

New England shouldn't need to see anything from Brady in Week 4 of the preseason. In the wake of the Edelman injury, they probably won't want to see much of anything from any starter in the final, meaningless exhibition against the New York Giants on Thursday.

Down: Julian Edelman

Duane Burleson/Associated Press

It's always awful when a player gets injured. Edelman's injury, a non-contact ACL tear, is particularly bad. He'll miss the season and the Patriots will miss one of their most reliable pass-catchers.

"Jules is a great player. He was the leader of our room. I mean we have a bunch of leaders in that room, but he's a guy that people look to," Hogan said, per Ryan Hannable of WEEI.com.

It stinks that Edelman won't be able to play in 2017. Looking at the long-term picture, though, his future stock may have taken a hit as well.

Edelman is under contract through 2019 but has just $2 million in guaranteed money remaining after this season. By the time next season rolls around, he will be 32 years old and will be trying to return from a significant knee injury.

Should the Patriots offense thrive this season with Edelman on the sideline, his future with the team could be uncertain.

Up: Chris Hogan

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

For this season at least, the Patriots will need to find a replacement for Edelman in the offense. If Friday's game was any indication, Chris Hogan could be a top candidate.

"Next-man-up mentality, and whatever coach asks you to do you're gonna go out and do your job and do it to the best of your ability," Hogan said, per Stephen Hewitt of the Boston Herald.

Hogan was more of a role player last season, his first with the Patriots. He caught 38 passes for 680 yards and four touchdowns. He could now be a major piece and one of Brady's top targets. He was against Detroit, catching four passes for 70 yards and two touchdowns.

Hogan is known as a downfield target, but his 6'1", 210-pound frame is built to handle the physicality of going over the middle. This is what Edelman was often asked to do, especially out of the slot.

Don't be surprised if Hogan becomes one of the top two receivers alongside Brandin Cooks.

Down: Jordan Richards

Steven Senne/Associated Press

Former second-round pick Jordan Richards hasn't been able to find the field with consistency in his first two seasons, and his situation may not be changing anytime soon.

New England already has a solid trio of safeties at the top of the depth chart in Devin McCourty, Patrick Chung and Duron Harmon.

Against the Lions, New England played Richards at linebacker often. This may have been because injuries have thinned out the linebacker position. This may be because the Patriots are trying to find a new role for the 24-year-old in order to get him on the field.

The results were not encouraging. He didn't look like a natural at the position and struggled to play close to the line. A missed tackle by Richards allowed Detroit running back Dwayne Allen to run 18 yards for a touchdown.

Given the overall talent on New England's roster, time could be running out for Richards. The good news is he's played infrequently enough that he's still eligible for the practice squad.

Up: Adam Butler

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The Patriots recently released defensive end Kony Ealy, who was acquired this offseason from the Carolina Panthers. They may have felt comfortable doing so because of the presence of undrafted rookie Adam Butler.

The 6'5", 300-pound Butler has shown the ability to play both end and tackle on the Patriots line. This is the kind of versatility New England head coach Bill Belichick loves. He's also shown surprising athleticism for a man of his size.

The 23-year-old consistently found his way into the backfield against Detroit, stopping the run and pressuring the quarterback.

We'll probably see Butler in the final preseason game of the year as he is battling for a roster spot. If he can produce another solid performance, though, he should be able to earn it.

Down: Malcolm Butler

Michael Dwyer/Associated Press

The Patriots chose not to give cornerback Malcolm Butler a long-term extension this offseason, choosing instead to ink free agent Stephon Gilmore to a five-year, $65 million deal. Perhaps they were on to something.

Butler has become a star in the NFL, but at 5'11" and 190 pounds, he isn't the biggest corner. Because of this, he often struggles against bigger receivers. According to one scout, this is why the 27-year-old can't be considered an elite defender.

"If you're an elite corner in this league, you have to be able to cover all kinds of receivers. He can't," the scout said, per Mike Giardi of CSNNE.com. "You don't put him on Julio Jones in the Super Bowl. He doesn't draw AJ Green. Sure, he has the quicks to step inside and deal with Antonio Brown, but there's no size disadvantage."

Unfortunately, Butler hasn't been able to raise his stock in the preseason and had another up-and-down game on Friday. Yes, he did some good things—including forcing a fumble—but he also allowed Marvin Jones to score a touchdown.

If Butler doesn't start playing with more consistency, the Patriots will probably be willing to let him walk next offseason.

Up: Mike Gillislee

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

New England acquired running back Mike Gillislee as a restricted free agent this offseason.

After missing time with a hamstring issue, he finally made his Patriots debut on Friday. He finished with 38 yards and a touchdown on just eight carries. He also rushed for a two-point conversion.

Many, including myself, believed Gillislee would have the inside track at the starting running back job heading into the season. He has the size (5'11", 219 lbs) and the explosiveness to earn it. However, the injury has caused him to fall behind as guys like Dion Lewis and Rex Burkhead have shined in the preseason.

Getting on the field was a positive step.

"He works hard to stay on top of things and to stay caught up and we've worked hard to catch him up, but he still has some ground to make up," Belichick explained, per Henry McKenna of Patriots Wire. "We gained some on it."