FOXBOROUGH, Mass -- One of the knocks on the New England Patriots during Bill Belichick's tenure has been inconsistency in developing young wide receivers. That's what makes rookie Malcolm Mitchell's 2016 season stand out, as his 48.1 percent playing-time clip shows how he's quickly become a big factor.

The fourth-round draft choice from Georgia has won over quarterback Tom Brady, which isn't easy to do.

"What he's done has been so impressive," Brady said recently on sports radio WEEI. "He's a rookie receiver that no one was expecting him to contribute like he did. And he's still, in December, playing his best football."

That late-season rise stands out when analyzing the Patriots' offensive snap counts from the 2016 regular season.

Through the first eight games of the year, Mitchell averaged 21.5 snaps per game. That number increased to an average of 45.75 per game over the last eight contests.

Overall, he played in 14 games and finished with 32 receptions for 401 yards and four touchdowns.

"It's a credit to him and his maturity," Brady said on WEEI. "Malcolm had a great attitude from the day he walked through the door."

Mitchell was sidelined with a knee injury in the season finale, and his status bears watching next week when the Patriots intensify preparations for the AFC divisional round of the playoffs.

Using Mitchell as a springboard, and complementing Tuesday's defensive-snap-count analysis, here is a look at the 2016 offensive snap counts:

Total offensive snaps: 1,118 (69.875 avg. per game)

WIDE RECEIVER

Julian Edelman -- 874 (78.2 percent)

Chris Hogan -- 829 (74.2 percent)

Malcolm Mitchell -- 538 (48.1 percent)

Danny Amendola -- 266 (23.8 percent)

Michael Floyd -- 66 (5.9 percent)

Matthew Slater -- 53 (4.7 percent)

The Patriots were thin at the position from Day 1, carrying just four pure receivers on the initial 53-man roster (Edelman, Hogan, Mitchell, Amendola) so they could carry an extra tight end. That led to them keeping three receivers on the practice squad at times as insurance, but depth wasn't needed until early December when Amendola injured his ankle. The club, which had initially signed Griff Whalen as a replacement, had to feel fortunate Floyd became available the next week. For Edelman, playing all 16 games was a "big goal" to accomplish as he was coming off a season shortened by a broken foot, while Hogan added a deep-ball presence that surprised many because that wasn't necessarily his forte in Buffalo.

OFFENSIVE LINE

C David Andrews -- 1,114 (99.6 percent)

LG Joe Thuney -- 1,114 (99.6 percent)

RT Marcus Cannon -- 1,031 (92.2 percent)

LT Nate Solder -- 1,029 (92.0 percent)

RG Shaq Mason -- 1,017 (91.0 percent)

OT/TE Cameron Fleming -- 284 (25.4 percent)

G/C Ted Karras -- 108 (9.7 percent)

OT LaAdrian Waddle -- 1 (0.1 percent)

G Shea McClellin -- 1 (0.1 percent)

As training camp began, returning offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia talked about the hope of limiting rotation and sticking with five blockers as much as possible. Mission accomplished. Starting tackles Solder (Week 1 at Arizona) and Cannon (Week 5 at Cleveland) missed one game, while Karras filled in for Mason at right guard at the start of the season until he got up to speed from a hand injury. Andrews beat out Bryan Stork in training camp for the starting center job, adding more clarity to a bit of a lingering mystery from 2015: Why was Andrews replaced after starting the first 10 games when the team was 10-0? In retrospect, it now seems fair to say he never should have been. Thuney, the third-round pick from NC State, was the top left guard from Day 1 of spring practices and never moved off the spot. Fleming's contributions were underrated, first filling in for Solder at left tackle in the season opener, which allowed Cannon to stay locked in at right tackle, where he's most comfortable. Fleming's work as an extra blocker when he reports eligible was also mostly solid. Waddle's one snap came on Blount's 1-yard touchdown run against the Browns on Oct. 9 when he reported eligible in the role normally held by Fleming (who was starting that day). Meanwhile, McClellin (a linebacker) was part of a trick play against the Broncos.

TIGHT END

Martellus Bennett -- 867 (77.5 percent)

Rob Gronkowski -- 352 (31.5 percent)

Matt Lengel -- 82 (7.3 percent)

A.J. Derby -- 35 (3.1 percent)

Clay Harbor -- 25 (2.2 percent)

The Patriots opened the season carrying four tight ends (one more than the norm) with Bennett, Gronkowski, Derby and Harbor. But that group was thinned when Harbor was waived, Derby was traded and Gronkowski underwent season-ending back surgery. That led to signing Lengel off the Bengals practice squad, and Lengel's unique football journey garnered headlines when he caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from Brady on Dec. 24 against the Jets. Bennett has played through an ankle injury since Week 5. His toughness has been most notable, as have his weekly Thursday interviews at his locker (bacon, anyone?).

FULLBACK

James Develin -- 350 (31.3 percent)

After missing 2015 with a broken leg, Develin returned to add a level of toughness that helped spark the improved running game this season. The first word that usually is mentioned by Bill Belichick when Develin's name is mentioned is "dependability."

RUNNING BACK

LeGarrette Blount -- 528 (47.2 percent)

James White -- 425 (38.0 percent)

Dion Lewis -- 163 (14.6 percent)

D.J. Foster -- 16 (1.4 percent)

Brandon Bolden -- 13 (1.2 percent)

Blount's ball security, dependability and knack for picking up tough yards produced arguably the best season of his career (franchise record 18 rushing touchdowns). For a comparison, Blount played 27.5 percent of the snaps in 2015 (season cut short Dec. 13 by a hip injury). White had a similar increase as the "passing back," going from 25.9 percent last year to 38.0 percent this year. As Belichick said in November, it would take someone playing really well to replace White. By the end of spring practices, the Patriots had expected Lewis to be ready for training camp before his setback that led to him opening the year on the physically unable to perform list. He returned Nov. 20 at San Francisco and the Patriots have nicely eased him back into the mix.

QUARTERBACK

Tom Brady -- 817 (73.1 percent)

Jacoby Brissett -- 156 (14.0 percent)

Jimmy Garoppolo -- 144 (12.9 percent)

One of the most impressive statistics this season was that the Patriots threw just two interceptions as a team, shattering the NFL record of 5. Garoppolo had the look of a capable starter before his shoulder injury in Week 2, and Brissett quickly earned the respect of teammates with how he handled being thrust into a tough spot early in the season. This is one of the most promising depth charts in the NFL.