Patriots stock up, stock down: Barmore showing promise entering Year 2

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The Patriots were back at it again in full pads on Tuesday, and they were able to continue to grind away on more early-down situations.

The offense hammered its new-look running game. The defense did its best to sniff out early-down play-action attempts. And in between, there were some highly entertaining one-on-one battles both in the trenches and out on the boundary.

Let's get into today's Stock Up and Stock Down notes...

Stock up: Christian Barmore

One of the most dominant players throughout the first two days of padded practices, Barmore looked unblockable at times Tuesday. He began the one-on-one period with a good scrap with David Andrews but then followed that up with an undressing of Mike Onwenu. He went 2-1 against Onwenu and then had a few overpowering reps in 11-on-11 periods. Headed into Year 2, he looks like the team's most disruptive defensive player...

Stock up: Trent Brown

...On the other side of the line of scrimmage, Brown has been equally dominant. Aside from one rep where Josh Uche appeared to almost use a Euro-step type of move to get around Brown, the Patriots left tackle has been an immovable force. On Tuesday he had decisive wins against Uche, Henry Anderson and Matt Judon. If he gets his mitts on you, the rep is over. That's how it's gone to this point, at least.

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Stock up: Cole Strange

The interior of the Patriots offensive line had issues in term periods -- more on that later -- but it's worth noting that Strange was better in one-on-one situations Tuesday compared to Monday. He was bull-rushed by Davon Godchaux and gave up ground in one matchup, but he later stonewalled Lawrence Guy and Daniel Ekuale. In an 11-on-11 period later in the afternoon, he was able to stop Godchaux in his tracks. Not a perfect day, but a pretty good bounce-back from the first-round pick from this vantage point.

Stock up: Josh Uche

Uche dropped one rep to Brown, but his speed is evident in one-on-ones. He was able to transfer some of that speed to power on a rep against Isaiah Wynn that ended with Wynn on the ground. Uche was able to get the better of Wynn again a little later in the practice. He also ended up in the backfield -- along with Barmore and Mack Wilson -- for a would-be "sack" of Mac Jones in an 11-on-11 period. Not sure Uche will be an early-down option for the Patriots, but he may have had his best practice of camp by stringing together multiple positive plays in passing situations on Tuesday. Uche did at one point have to run a lap for a miscue during a punt-team period.

Stock up: Patriots linebackers

Sound familiar? That's because these guys made it into the Stock Up category on Monday. They were at it again 24 hours later. Ja'Whaun Bentley has a "sack" of Mac Jones and a run-stuff off the edge. Raekwon McMillan recorded a run-stuff as did Harvey Langi, who hit the Patriots backfield unblocked on one rep to meet Damien Harris. Outside linebacker Ronnie Perkins notched a "sack" on Bailey Zappe, and Mack Wilson was the first through the line for a split sack with Barmore and Uche. Wilson also thudded JJ Taylor for one of the louder collisions of the day. Anfernee Jennings went 2-1 in his one-on-one opportunities (though he did have to run a lap at one point) and came away with a pressure and a run-stuff in team periods. He's had some positive moments through six days of camp as well.

Stock up: Acrobatic wideouts

Nelson Agholor and Tyquan Thornton both came away with eyebrow-raising grabs in one-on-one periods. Thornton seems to track the football through the air well -- something that's showed up multiple times in camp already.

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His twisting grab with Jalen Mills on him tightly was one of the plays of the day. Agholor, meanwhile, made an impressive one-handed grab with Joejuan Williams nearby. Agholor also grabbed a touchdown pass through traffic at the end of the workout. Instead of spiking it himself, he handed it to an excited Cole Strange, who seemed to lose his grip on the football before firing it down. Never a bad idea to try to keep the big guys in the locker room happy. Even the rookies.

Stock up: LaBryan Ray

On that Agholor touchdown, had it been a live situation, it likely never would've happened. Ray, an undrafted rookie from Alabama, knifed through the line and could have sacked Mac Jones. But, as Bill Belichick would want, he let up at the very end to let the throw get off -- and to keep the quarterback safe. Ray had wins over Yodny Cajuste, Bill Murray and Carl Davis in one-on-ones and has flashed relatively consistently over the course of the last two days in pads. Someone to keep an eye on as a pass-rusher from the interior.

Stock up: Arlington Hambright

Who? I get it. Not many know about the 6-foot-5, 315-pounder out of Colorado taken in the seventh round in 2020 by the Bears. But he was out there with the top offense at right guard and playing in front of Mac Jones. To get some early run in place of Onwenu at times is a positive reflection of where the coaching staff views him. He appeared to get the best of Sam Roberts twice and Carl Davis once in one-on-ones.

Stock down: Isaiah Wynn

Wynn had a nice victory over Matt Judon in one-on-ones, but he lost his footing on another rep against Josh Uche and later gave up ground to Uche again. One day after getting nailed for a false start on the first play of fully-padded 11-on-11 work this summer, we're still waiting on a dominant day from the team's apparent starting right tackle.

Stock down: Malcolm Butler

Butler hasn't been at his best when given a lot of room to work. Onlookers from the media hill saw him get beat on a double-move by DeVante Parker after losing ground to Parker on go balls Monday. Later in the practice he appeared to be in coverage on Tre Nixon when Jones found the second-year wideout for a short touchdown pitch-and-catch near the goal line.

Stock down: Damien Harris

Harris was not the offense's issue on Tuesday. There were plays when he simply did not have any room to get started. But he did drop a pass to the sideline sent his way by Mac Jones, and it appears as though Rhamondre Stevenson and Ty Montgomery are the more natural pass-catching options at the moment. There are opportunities there, with James White out, for other backs to do more through the air. And maybe that will include Harris, who had 18 receptions on 21 targets last season. Stevenson does look like the "big back" with the softer hands, though.

Stock down: Interior offensive line

This is really where the issues seemed to reside on Tuesday. Lawrence Guy and Davon Godchaux showed up with a decisive run-stuff early. Pressure flushed Jones from the pocket when it broke through up the middle. There were unblocked linebackers in the middle of the field on multiple occasions, which led to stuffed runs. Hard to sort out whose responsibilities were whose in those moments, but I thought it was notable that Bill Belichick -- in his opening remarks Tuesday -- seemed to preach patience for those on the "interior lines" who find themselves in a whole new world practice-wise now that the pads are on. The interior of the defensive line seems fine. But offensively there's plenty to clean up. 

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