Mike Reiss, ESPN Staff Writer 8y

Which players might catch the Patriots' eye in 2016 joint practices?

Every Saturday throughout the offseason, one question from Twitter will be selected to further explore a relevant topic around the New England Patriots.

Given the history of the Patriots bringing aboard players from opponents with whom they've held joint practices in the past, this is a fun question to consider as it relates to 2016 and the New Orleans Saints and Chicago Bears coming to town in August to practice before preseason games.

Similar to when the Patriots traded for Akiem Hicks last year, let's start with the big-bodied defensive tackles, so monitoring John Jenkins and Tyeler Davison in practice might be a worthy time investment. But both should be on the Saints' final roster entering the season barring an unexpected turn.

The same is likely true for big receiver Brandon Coleman, who is a Rutgers alum and thus naturally warrants a mention here.

Running back Daniel Lasco, a 2016 seventh-round draft choice out of Cal, had solid special-teams production in college, runs well and tested well in combine-type drills leading into the draft. He will be competing for a roster spot and, depending on how things shake out, might fall into this category.

And Davis Tull, the 2015 fifth-round pick out of Chattanooga, is a hybrid player with notable athletic traits and pass-rush potential who missed his rookie season with a shoulder injury.

On the Bears, I'm excited to see if wide receiver Daniel Braverman -- the seventh-round pick from Western Michigan -- flashes in practice. Entering the draft, I thought he fit the Patriots' style of play well, and he's competing for a spot on what looks like a pretty strong Bears depth chart.

Linebacker Sam Acho could be affected by the Bears drafting linebacker Leonard Floyd in the first round. Acho is a hybrid-type defender (outside linebacker/defensive end) who could be used in multiple ways from a sub-defense perspective.

Likewise, linebacker Christian Jones might have a tough time sticking in Chicago, with the Bears selecting linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski in the fourth round and signing Jerrell Freeman and Danny Trevathan in free agency. So Jones might be a player to keep an eye on from this perspective as well.

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