The New England Patriots held their second open practice of 2023 for reporters on Tuesday in Foxboro. Here are six players who stood out during the two-hour practice, for one reason or another…

• CB Christian Gonzalez

  

  Matt Dolloff/98.5 The Sports Hub

• It was certainly a lighter day, but the Patriots did have some competitive team drills, and Gonzalez got his share of reps with the starters during those periods. Whenever Gonzalez had a chance to run a drill, what stood out the most was the general fluidity in his movement.

  Gonzalez is certainly athletic and explosive, but he makes it look effortless. His size and physical abilities give him the skill set to be a factor against higher-end receivers. It’ll be exciting to see how he performs in real game situations.

• RB Rhamondre Stevenson

  

  Mike Stobe/Getty Images

  Stevenson was back practicing in full for the Patriots, and unsurprisingly looks like the lead dog among running backs, especially in the passing game. Kevin Harris continues to get a good share of reps and looks like the favorite to replace Damien Harris’ snaps, but the Patriots’ offensive backfield still belongs to Stevenson.

• DT Christian Barmore

  

  Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

• Barmore made headlines on Tuesday for appearing to throw a punch toward teammate Cole Strange during a mid-practice scuffle. He and Strange had to watch the rest of practice from the sidelines. But prior to that, Barmore batted down a Bailey Zappe pass attempt at the line during 11-on-11.

  As long as he keeps his composure and stays on the field, Barmore should be a legitimate playmaker on the Patriots’ defensive interior in year 3.

• OG Atonio Mafi

  

  Don Liebig/ASUCLA

  Strange is entrenched as the starting left guard entering his second season, but his practice-long timeout opened an opportunity for Mafi, a rookie fifth-round pick out of UCLA. He repped with the starting offensive line after Strange left for the sidelines.

  As long as Strange and right guard Mike Onwenu are healthy and staying out of trouble, it’s unlikely Mafi gets a lot of playing time as a rookie. But it’s notable that if something happens to Strange, Mafi might be the next man up.

• LB/S Marte Mapu

  

  Matt Dolloff/98.5 The Sports Hub

• We might need to create a generic new position for Mafi: FP, or “Football Player.” But for now, we’re describing Mapu as a linebacker/safety hybrid. That’s not surprising, considering Mapu’s size (6-foot-3, 217 pounds) is more like a safety, but his playing experience is more as a linebacker.

  But Mapu has been all over the field for the Pats defense, mixing in with the starters at times, and looks like he will (eventually) be used in a wide variety of ways. That’s a wide variety even by Bill Belichick standards.

• P Corliss Waitman

  

  Matt Dolloff/98.5 The Sports Hub

  With rookie Bryce Baringer absent, Waitman was the only punter at practice for the Patriots. He performed well. How do we know? Hangtimes!

  As measured by our own Alex Barth, Waitman got the ball in the air for more than five seconds (which is good) on seven out of 12 reps in a punting drill on Tuesday. So, Waitman certainly isn’t going to go quietly in the battle to be the Pats’ new punter in 2023.

• Click here for complete New England Patriots coverage at 985TheSportsHub.com.

  Matt Dolloff is a writer and podcaster for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Yell at him on Twitter @mattdolloff and follow him on Instagram @realmattdolloff. Check out all of Matt’s content here.

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