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A Closer Look at Barkevious Mingo’s Patriots Debut

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Barkevious Mingo Patriots

Barkevious Mingo’s Patriots debut in the final preseason game of 2016 was an exciting one. Mingo has always had potential, that’s why he was the sixth-overall pick in 2013’s draft, but could never find a role on Cleveland’s defense and was playing more special teams than defense by 2015.

But now Mingo is in New England, where he’s surrounded by a loaded defense and under perhaps the best defensive coach of all time. While there were certainly a fair share of bright spots against the Giants, what is Mingo’s ceiling in New England and how might they employ his superlative quickness within their defense?

Let’s take a closer look with some GIFs courtesy of PatsProp contributor Pete Smith.

First, I touched a bit on Mingo’s usage in my Posits after the game. The Pats got a look at him doing a little of everything. He played outside linebacker in regular packages, nickel linebacker and some edge pass rusher in obvious passing situations. It was clear Mingo needs to be used in space, where his speed helps him cover a ton of ground in a hurry.

Belichick said that Mingo had lived at the facility for the last week and it seems clear that he was studying Jamie Collins closely. Mingo’s work as a nickel linebacker looked a lot like Collins’, where he alternated between showing blitz and bailing, and actually blitzing. He also appeared to be mostly focused on covering running backs, which is usually more Dont’a Hightower‘s forte and something to note.

This is classic Collins. But Mingo is not Collins. No, he looks and plays like he’s about 30 pounds less than Collins and that will limit how Mingo can be used. What makes Collins so good is that he’s so big and fast, he’s a stone cold run stopper in the sub defense, just like Hightower is. This is of monumental importance to the Patriots defense. Before Collins came along, the Pats sub run defense was atrocious and one of their weakest points.

Now the Pats can roll out six guys in the box and still not worry about getting gashed.

But Mingo is not that guy. If he plays extended sub linebacker snaps offenses are going to run right at him. This is also why Mingo likely struggled in Cleveland. Without much talent around him to keep him clean, Mingo was stuck having to get off offensive linemen’s blocks. That is not his specialty. He needs to find the crease and fly though it. Not fight through it.

Now as we can see from these GIFs, Mingo’s specialty is speed, and he’s certainly an aggressive player who doesn’t shy away from contact. It’s just because of his size, once he’s engaged with a blocker who outweighs him by at least 60 pounds, he’s toast. Collins and Hightower can defeat those kind of blockers and still make plays.

Despite those limitations there’s a spot for Mingo in this defense and it will be a fun one. First, and this is important, is his ability to play special teams. Because he’s not going to be a base package linebacker he needs to bring value on fourth down and he certainly will. Second, third down is where things will get fun with Mingo as a designated pass rusher. It’s a similar role to what we’ve seen from Mark Anderson, Dominique Easley and Jabaal Sheard early on last season.

The advantage Mingo brings is that his speed is frightening and must be accounted for by the defense. In third-and-long situations Mingo is an excellent chess piece because he brings similar skills to Collins and Hightower. So now you have three linebackers with an elite skill — Collins is pure athleticism, Hightower is pure power and Mingo is pure speed.

Find an offensive linemen’s weakness and then it attack it with the most appropriate weapon. And Mingo’s presence will only allow Hightower and Collins to be moved around more freely. They’ve both been somewhat handcuffed without any other reliable passing down linebackers behind them the last two years.

Now, between McClellin and Mingo, we could finally see Collins and Hightower fully unleashed on third down this year. Third down is vital in the NFL, and that is where Mingo will make his living with the Patriots.

The big question, which we didn’t get much insight into against the Giants, is just how good Mingo is in coverage. We’ve seen plenty of guys who are fast but don’t have any feel for coverage (cough Jerod Mayo). If Mingo can cover, there are even more options at Belichick’s disposal.

Mingo’s speed is undeniable, but he has some weaknesses that the Pats will have to manage within their defense. That’s why he flamed out in Cleveland, they couldn’t hide those weaknesses.

He’ll be extremely useful and a lot of fun to watch.

For opposing offenses, it’s just one more headache they have to prepare for on a defense already full of headaches.