NBC Sports Boston's 2023 20 Under 25 voting wrapped up last week, and some of the most interesting results involved the New England Patriots.
The local NFL team had five of the top 10 players under age 25, including four of the top six. However, one of its most popular players saw his stock fall pretty hard.
Here's our recap of the Patriots-related 20 Under 25 results.
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Mac Jones' steep decline
Jones had a tremendous rookie season in 2021. He led the Patriots to the playoffs with a 10-7 record and even earned a spot on the Pro Bowl roster. The Alabama product also ranked No. 1 among all rookie quarterbacks in completion percentage, passing yards and passing touchdowns.
Jones was the No. 1 ranked player on our 20 Under 25 ranking last year with a 93.3 score -- 0.2 ahead of Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum in second place.
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Based on this year's voting results, Jones' standing with fans in New England has dropped quite a bit. He fell all the way to No. 6 in the latest 20 Under 25 ranking with a 79.6 score. He was the third-highest Patriots player on the list behind running back Rhamondre Stevenson and defensive tackle Christian Barmore.
Jones' drop isn't a shock by any means, though. His 2022 performance has not impressed at all. He has thrown just nine touchdowns with eight interceptions in 12 games played through Week 16. Sure, the offense as a whole has suffered with penalties, injuries, poor play-calling and bad coaching. But there's no question that instead of taking a jump forward in Year 2, Jones has actually regressed.
There's now a real debate over whether Jones is the right quarterback for the franchise going forward. That kind of talk would've been viewed as crazy at this time in 2021.
Rhamondre Stevenson's stock is soaring
Stevenson has been one of the few Patriots players, at least on offense, who has played at a high level on a consistent basis. The Oklahoma product leads the team with 944 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns. He's also improved as a pass-catcher out of the backfield with 62 receptions for 384 yards and a touchdown in 14 games. He caught just 14 passes in 11 games as a rookie last season.
Stevenson ranked No. 2 in this year's 20 Under 25 voting with an 85.6 score. He was the highest-rated Patriots player in the ranking.
The Patriots have needed Stevenson to shoulder more of the offensive burden with running back Damien Harris missing six of the first 16 games due to injury. Stevenson has mostly passed this test with flying colors, although a few costly miscues over the last two games have taken some of the shine off his 2022 campaign.
Future stars on the horizon
Rookie cornerback Marcus Jones was the fourth-highest Patriots player in this year's 20 Under 25 ranking. He has shined in all three phases, highlighted by a game-winning punt return touchdown against the New York Jets in Week 11 and a 45-yard touchdown reception in Week 13 versus the Buffalo Bills. Jones has a bright future as an all-purpose player.
Christian Barmore was the No. 2 Patriots player in this year's ranking. He has missed most of the season due to a knee injury, but his future remains bright as an impactful defensive lineman.
Josh Uche was the No. 5 ranked Patriots player. He probably would've been higher if voting extended later into December. The Michigan product has 11.5 sacks in 13 games -- 8.5 more than his output in 12 games last season. The Patriots are desperate for a star at linebacker and Uche is the most likely internal candidate for that role.