Patriots training camp: Deatrich Wise shines as the pads come on

FOXBORO – The pads were on and the sun came out during the Patriots third day of training camp. Saturday marked the first look of the 2018 Patriots in full pads, which meant the first time we’ve seen this team hit one another.

It didn’t take long for some of the Patriots linemen to stick out.

Deatrich Wise started the practice out with a loud thud, courtesy of his big hit on running back Jeremy Hill. The second-year defensive end was one of [...]

FOXBORO – The pads were on and the sun came out during the Patriots third day of training camp. Saturday marked the first look of the 2018 Patriots in full pads, which meant the first time we’ve seen this team hit one another.

It didn’t take long for some of the Patriots linemen to stick out.

Deatrich Wise started the practice out with a loud thud, courtesy of his big hit on running back Jeremy Hill. The second-year defensive end was one of Saturday’s standouts. After completely leveling Hill, Wise batted down a Danny Etling pass at the line of scrimmage. He followed that up with a dominant showing in 1-on-1 battles against Patriots offensive linemen beating Trent Brown in a great battle and dominating Nate Theaker.

Brown also had an outstanding day. The massive offensive linemen showed off a blend of power and speed to go with his 6-foot-8, 380-pound frame. Brown dominated Adrian Clayborn in 1-on-1s and then was a force during 11-on-11s, paving the way for various running backs.

Saturday marked the first time we’ve seen running backs actually run the ball with blockers and contact. The Patriots rotated in Rex Burkhead, James White, Sony Michel, Mike Gillislee and Hill all with the starting offense. There were some positive moments. Hill ran in for two goal-line touchdowns. Michel also had a nice goal-line score. The rookie, however, fumbled earlier in practice and was forced to run a lap after Damarius Travis caught the young back being careless with the ball.

The quarterbacks had limited reps when it came to passing as the focus was on the run game. Tom Brady went 6/10 with an interception in 11-on-11s. Brian Hoyer when 9/12 with an interception. Both interceptions came from Duron Harmon in the end zone. The one on Brady came while Harmon was covering Rob Gronkowski.

Danny Etling saw more of a workload, but struggled. The rookie went 1/7 in 7-on-7s and then 2/6 in 11-on-11s.

Jordan Matthews had a nice day with two solid catches. One was a diving catch near the sideline and the other was a touchdown grab – both were from Brady.

During the 1-on-1 drills, Harvey Langi had a strong moment when he beat Marcus Cannon. Danny Shelton also had some good moments including a play where he stuffed Gillislee on the goal line.

Rookie punter Corey Bojorquez continues to show off an impressive leg. He had some massive punts on Saturday. He also received some 1-on-1 times with Stephen Gostkowski where the Patriots kicker was teaching him how the likes the ball to be held on field goals.

On the injury front, Marcus Cannon returned to practice after leaving early on Friday. Trey Flowers left Saturday’s practice after an on-field collusion. He walked off the field with a bloody towel covering part of his face.

Kenny Britt was the only player not present. Malcolm Mitchell, Matthews Slater, Nate Ebner, Cyrus Jones and Jonathan Jones were present, but didn’t participate.