James Develin quietly fueled the New England Patriots’ offense since his second year in the league.
Develin appeared in all 16 games for five consecutive seasons and spent seven years in the NFL before retiring this spring. Bill Belichick gave a glowing retirement statement about the fullback, exclaiming his importance to the team. New England’s rushing attack suffered tremendously last season after Develin hit the injured reserve list with a nick injury.
The Patriots signed four-year veteran Dan Vitale this offseason to replace Develin and he had nothing but praise for the three-time Super Bowl champion.