Which of these ‘forgotten Patriots' could make an impact in 2022?

There's been plenty of discussion about who may leave the New England Patriots in 2022.

Veteran safety Devin McCourty and linebackers Dont'a Hightower, Jamie Collins and Ja'Whaun Bentley are all set to hit free agency, while Pro Bowl cornerback J.C. Jackson doesn't seem to be on the same page with the team about his contract situation.

Perry: Jackson gets candid about his contract desires

But there are five young Patriots -- three of them taken by New England in the 2021 NFL Draft -- who could be ready to fill the void after essentially redshirting last season. While these players missed most or all of 2021, the Patriots invested significant draft capital and/or money in all of them, suggesting the team believes they can make an impact in 2022.

Here are five Patriots you may have forgotten about but are worth keeping an eye on next season.

Raekwon McMillan, LB

McMillan was placed on season-ending injured reserve in early August after tearing his ACL, but New England gave him a one-year extension anyway in late September. That financial commitment suggests the Patriots want to see what this kid can do after he signed with the team last March.

A second-round pick of the Miami Dolphins out of Ohio State in 2017, McMillan racked up 105 tackles and a pair of forced fumbles in 2018 after missing his rookie season with a torn ACL. If the 6-foot-2, 248-pound inside linebacker can stay healthy, he could work his way into the defensive rotation and help offset the potential departures of Hightower and Bentley.Here's what our Phil Perry wrote about the 26-year-old McMillan in his preview of free-agent linebackers last offseason:

"We talk all the time about reclamation-project quarterbacks. What about reclamation-project linebackers? McMillan, one of the youngest free agents available, was a second-round pick in 2017, and we pegged him before the draft as a Prototypical Patriot. His size (6-2, 248) and athleticism combination -- plus good production at Ohio State -- seemed to make him one of the surest things at his position in that year's draft class."

Cameron McGrone, LB

The Patriots took McGrone in the fifth round last year knowing he'd likely miss his entire rookie campaign. But the wait might be worth it.

The Michigan product recorded 2.5 sacks and nine tackles for loss as a sophomore in 2019 and could add some much-needed speed New England's defense while also playing a physical brand of football.

"He's 238, 237 pounds, but I know we had him running a high-4.4 40 (yard dash)," McGrone's former Michigan offensive coordinator, Don Brown, told Perry on the Next Pats Podcast last year. "The guy can flat-out run, the guy is a smart football player and I think he'll be a tremendous fit in Coach Belichick's system.

" ... When you talk about Cam McGrone, you're thinking about a bonafide inside linebacker type that has sideline-to-sideline ability and some blitz ability."

Ronnie Perkins, OLB

The Patriots hit home runs with three of their first four draft picks in Mac Jones, Christian Barmore and Rhamondre Stevenson. But the jury is still out on Perkins, the team's third-round selection out of Oklahoma.

Perkins was a healthy scratch for New England's first 13 games as pass rusher Matthew Judon enjoyed a breakout season, and the 22-year-old eventually landed on injured reserve.

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If Collins walks in free agency or outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy finds a new home, though, the Patriots may turn to Perkins, who could be a disruptive pass-rusher with a little more polish.

"He has a high motor and he just kept going, and going, and going," Perkins' Oklahoma position coach, Jamar Cain, told Perry last year. "So I think those are two things that will help him out early in his career, and once he learns how to pass rush a little bit better, learn how to get off blocks, you'll see his game turn to the next level."

Joshuah Bledsoe, S

Like McGrone, Bledsoe was injured when the Patriots drafted him at No. 188 overall, and he didn't start practicing with the team until late November. But the Missouri product left a positive impression on his teammates once he took the practice field.

"For me, it’s been impressive seeing him get on the field and how fast he’s played -- executing and understanding techniques," McCourty said of Bledsoe in December, via The Boston Globe. "That comes from you obviously (being) locked in. Paying attention in meetings, going home, re-watching film."

Bledsoe handled multiple responsibilities at Missouri, and the Patriots covet versatility in the secondary. So, perhaps Bledsoe could follow in the footsteps of Adrian Phillips and Kyle Dugger as a "Swiss Army knife" on New England's back line.

Shaun Wade, CB

Wade did see game action for the Patriots after they acquired him via trade with the Baltimore Ravens last August. But the fifth-round pick out of Ohio State only played 11 snaps over three games as he got acclimated to New England's system.

With Jackson's Patriots future uncertain, though, Wade will be a good depth piece for the team to have thanks to his ability to play in the slot and outside.

"Wade may see time inside, where he was at his best as a collegian and where folks in Baltimore believe he has real promise. But at 6-foot-1, 196 pounds and with 33.5-inch arms, he has some physical tools that are hard to come by that could help him turn into a capable boundary patrolman," Perry wrote of Wade at the time of last year's trade.