20 Under 25 Rankings: #9 – Joe Thuney

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TURNS 25: NOVEMBER 16, 2017
FINAL RATING: 6.6

The Patriots spent a third-rounder on Joe Thuney last May and the irrepressibly upbeat kid has been one of the best rookie linemen in the NFL this season. The North Carolina State product, plugged in at left guard between Nate Solder and David Andrews, has simply played like a guy who’s been in the league five years, not one who’s just completing his rookie season.

In early September, Bill Belichick said of Thuney, “He’s a good athlete, he’s a good football player, and he’s got good awareness, good instincts, works well with the other offensive linemen, knowing what guys need help based on what the call is, what the protection is, who the players are and so forth. Again, there’s room for improvement. There are a lot of things he can learn, but for where he is in his career, he has got a pretty good understanding of it. (He’s) a pretty smart player.”

Entering the final week of the season, Thuney had played 99.62 percent of the Patriots offensive snaps (1,047 of them, tied with Andrews for the team lead). Get used to the name.

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