​ESPN’s NFL safety rankings came out on Thursday, and another New England Patriots player was snubbed from the list. This time, it was First-Team All-Pro safety Kevin Byard.The veteran defensive back not cracking the top 10 was a surprise, considering how well he played last season. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler compiled the list that came from the votes of NFL executives, coaches and scouts. Byard did receive some votes, but it wasn’t enough to land him on the list.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe former Chicago Bears safety was one of the key free agent acquisitions for the Patriots in the offseason. He had a productive season last year, tallying 61 combined tackles and seven interceptions. He led the entire league in interceptions last season and earned his third All-Pro nod of his NFL career.The hope is that he can serve as another difference-maker on defense while playing alongside promising second-year safety Craig Woodson. At 32 years old, he is still delivering peak snaps, and he clearly has a lot of gas left in the tank.Follow Patriots Wire on Twitter and Facebook.This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Key Patriots defender snubbed on ESPN’s top 10 list