Former Oklahoma RB rattles off 91-yard TD in Patriots debut

Former Oklahoma standout Rhamondre Stevenson shined in his NFL debut with the New England Patriots.

The rookie finished the night with 10 carries for 127 yards and two touchdowns, including a 91-yard dash to seal the game for New England.

THERE HE GOES!

91-YARD TD FOR @dreeday32

📺: @wbzsports / @nflnetwork / Patriots app pic.twitter.com/4zqXMcK3D0

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) August 13, 2021

Stevenson was the Patriots 4th-round selection and is typically known as a bruiser who is best- utilized in goal-line and short distance situations.

“Wrecking ball of a runner who tends to be all fight and no flight between the hash marks,” NFL Draft analyst Lance Zierlein said. “Stevenson’s burly, thick frame and punishing demeanor clearly takes a toll on defenses as the game rolls on. He’s at his best as a downhill runner, gathering momentum to attack the second level, but sees his effectiveness plummet when defenses can spill him wide or when he’s bouncing runs outside unnecessarily. He doesn’t have much finesse in his game and will leave some yardage on the field due to inconsistent vision and feel for run lane development.

“Stevenson can act as a change-of-pace bully or a quality three-down backup for a team that values downhill, power football.”

Clearly the the Patriots rookie had something to prove in his NFL preseason debut vs. Washington.

“Big back. Certainly good vision. Displayed quick feet,” New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said about Stevenson earlier this year. “Ability to break tackles, make yards with the ball in his hands. Demonstrated an ability to catch the football and do something with it when he was used in the passing game. He’s tough enough to stand in there and block blitzers and do things in protection that can help you when he’s in there and that happens to be the case.”

Rhamondre Stevenson at Oklahoma

Though his time in Norman was limited, Stevenson shined in the opportunities he was given.

He started in Oklahoma’s final five contests after being sidelined the first half of the 2020 season. Stevenson closed out the year with a team-high 665 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 101 carries. He averaged 6.6 yards per carry and 110.8 rushing yards per game.

Stevenson’s first performance will only help him in a crowded Patriots’ running back room that includes veteran names like James White, Sony Michel, Damien Harris and Branden Bolden.