Why New England Patriots' UDFA Deshaun Fenwick could be a breakout candidate in 2024 NFL season

Former Oregon State running back Deshaun Fenwick went undrafted but has since signed with the New England Patriots. Fenwick was one of the first players I wrote about during the pre-draft process as one of the biggest standouts from the 2024 college all-star events. He consistently showed up in positive ways during East-West Shrine Bowl practices.

Fenwick impressed during one-on-ones as a receiver in practice, which is interesting, as he only hauled in 30 passes across 50 career games between South Carolina and Oregon State.

You saw him detach from guys down the field on corner and streak routes, but really what stood out was his attention to detail in that regard, altering tempo, throwing in rocker-steps and freezing the feet of guys covering him.

Along with that, he has clearly worked on his technique as a pass-protector, erasing the space to blitzers and striking them with a tight punch. As a runner, he plays up to his size at 6’1”, 220 pounds as a battering ram RB2 for the Beavers, paired up with what could be a top-ten back in next year’s class in Damien Martinez.

However, while he ran a lot inside and outside zone there, I also really like Fenwick’s projection into more of a gap-scheme-oriented approach. He can really press creases vertically, make subtle adjustments to get to the opposite edge after blockers after forcing guys on the second level to commit and get skinny through tight creases despite his size.

How Deshaun Fenwick will fit with the Patriots

Deshaun Fenwick - NCAA Football: Stanford at Oregon State

As I consider what this Patriots offense could look like under their new leadership, I think Deshaun Fenwick could fit very well. Coming over from Cleveland, I expect offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt to re-commit to a more downhill-oriented approach.

While they did bring in Antonio Gibson as more of a receiving option and someone who can provide some big-play potential, I think he’s someone you want to take mental processing off the table as more of a one-cut-and-go zone runner.

Rhamondre Stevenson, as a slightly bigger back than Fenwick, has the feet to navigate around points of pressure and pace himself as he sets up pulling linemen. As a fifth-year player, I think Deshaun Fenwick can operate in a similar mold, though I don’t like him as much when he gets out to the perimeter and utilizes blockers in space, as he lacks that extra gear to pull away from the pursuit.

However, Deshaun Fenwick can take some of the load off the starter with his willingness to drop his pads and have a cumulative effect on the defense taking those kinds of blows. Paired with that, for a rookie he can also be useful taking on pass-pro reps and only dropped two of 32 catchable targets in his career with consistent overhand technique.

Neither JaMycal Hasty nor Ke’Shawn Vaughn have really established themselves as committee options and Kevin Harris, who the Pats drafted two years ago with a similar profile, has only been active in nine games and touched the ball 37 times.