In an ongoing series, ESPN's Matt Williamson has projected his top 15 pass rushers of the 2015 NFL season.
The list was led off by Jason Pierre-Paul and Aldon Smith respectively - hard to disagree with either of those. While the Patriots did not land any players on Williamson's list, they did have one honorable mention: rookie defense end and Syracuse product Chandler Jones.
Jones was one of four rookies who received honorable mentions on the list (no rookies were in the top 15), along with Melvin Ingram, Bruce Irvin, and Nick Perry.
As for division rivals, only Mario Williams of the Buffalo Bills found a place on the list, at twelve. Count me as a little surprised that Miami Dolphins defense end Cameron Wake wasn't ranked on the list. Although he is 30, I think he has several good years left in him... at least.
Overall, this list goes to show how the expectations are certainly going to be high for Jones. The Patriots are certainly hoping that he will be a top ten or five pass rusher in the league in 2015, although it was clear that Williamson was being conservative in his list by including no rookies.