Patriots Question of the Day: Who will be the best player on offense and on defense?

FOXBORO — With the 2022 Patriots season inching closer and closer, the WBZ-TV/CBS Boston sports team will tackle a new question surrounding the team each day leading up to Sunday’s opener in Miami. 

On Tuesday, we give our picks of who will be the best players on both sides of the ball in 2022. Mac Jones has a solid crop of pass-catchers, but will a running back steal the spotlight on offense? And there are a number of big hitters on defense, but it’s a big guy in the middle that has the attention of our sports team.

Steve Burton, WBZ-TV Sports

I’m picking newcomer DeVante Parker on offense for his ability to take the cover off the secondary. 

On defense, the most dangerous player will be Matthew Judon, simply because he is hungrier this year than he was last year. 

Dan Roche, WBZ-TV Sports

I like three candidates on offense: Hunter Henry, Jakobi Meyers, or DaVante Parker. Parker may emerge but he simply needs to stay healthy. He can run deep routes and catch anything thrown his way in the red zone.

On defense, it’s Christian Barmore. The numbers may not stand out, but he has the ability to lead this defense up front like the newest Hall of Famer, Richard Seymour, once did around these parts.

Michael Hurley, CBS Boston

It would be fun to go off the board with a new guy like DeVante Parker or Damien Harris in his contract year, but I think it’ll be Jakobi Meyers on offense. He’s just too reliable.

On defense, the best player will be Christian Barmore, though it will be Kyle Dugger who ends up making the “wow” plays most often.

Matthew Geagan, CBS Boston

On offense, I like Rhamondre Stevenson, who should make an impact as both a runner and as a receiver out of the backfield. He possesses a great mix of size and quickness, and looks ready for a potential three-down role this season.

On defense, give me the big guy in the middle of the line, Christian Barmore. He’s a stud and will hopefully anchor a line that can stop — or at least slow down — the run for the first time in what feels like a decade.

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