20 Under 25 Rankings: #19 – Jacoby Brissett

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TURNS 25: DECEMBER 11, 2017
FINAL RATING: 5.7

After one Patriots practice late in the season, Jacoby Brissett walked by the locker of defensive captain Devin McCourty with one purpose: To boast about the fact that he threw for two touchdowns on the Pro Bowler.

After a good-natured back-and-forth where McCourty doubted the validity of Brissett's claims, the veteran shouted as the rookie walked away, "But I like you, Brissett!"

The North Carolina State product with the big arm has impressed many within the organization during his first year as a pro. But has he been impressive enough? His development could be the deciding factor in how the Patriots handle Jimmy Garoppolo moving forward.

Is Brissett ready to be the backup? Could he be Tom Brady's successor? Those answers may be unclear to those of us who aren't able to watch him run the "look squad" in practice on a daily basis or see him in meeting rooms.

But people like Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels probably have an idea. They brought him on trips with the team while he was on injured reserve so that he might get a better understanding of the game-day operation on the road. They designated him as the player to return off of injured reserve, allowing him to get more practice reps late in the year. It seems like they're grooming the 6-foot-4, 235-pounder for something.

If they are, and if he becomes the No. 2 man on the depth chart in 2017, he'll be the only player on this list capable of seeing a monster bump in his ranking next year without any additional playing time. The promotion alone would drastically alter how he's perceived.

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