Patriots Draft Grades

Patriots Draft Grades

Written by: Wayne G

Patriots Endzone

The NFL Draft has come and gone. The picks have been made, and are now going to suit up for rookie mini camp and negotiate their first NFL contracts. In the aftermath, the only thing left to do is to grade the head coach and GM on the choices they made. Good or bad, boos or standing ovation. Here are the grades for each pick the New England Patriots made.

For a coach that hates when players fumble the ball, Bill Belichick sure has a history of doing just that in the draft year after year. This year looked as though it was going to be no different, but thanks to a stroke of luck, it was. When the Packers chose to take Lukas Van Ness, they left the best cornerback in the draft available to the Patriots at 14, who announced they wanted to pass on him and trade back to 17 with the Steelers.

Even though the Washington Commanders wanted a cornerback too, they valued Mississippi State corner Emmanuel Forbes more than Christian Gonzalez, so they took him, and finally, the Patriots took the Oregon All-American. Belichicks string of not great first round picks has ended.

Gonzalez stands 6'1 and runs a 4.38 forty. He has very loose hips, great change of direction, and fantastic ball skills. He was a projected top 8 pick, and he was stolen at 17. His NextGen rating from NFL.com is 92. By comparison, Sauce Gardner last year was a 93.

Not only is this the best cornerback Bill has ever drafted, but may be his best first round pick ever. By the end of next season, he will be one of the top 3 corners in the league, and will be a perennial first team all-pro.

The ideal plan going into the draft was to take tackle in round one and corner in round two, or vice versa. After landing corner in round one, the sights would logically be set on tackle, maybe even a wide receiver like Jonathan Mingo. Mingo went early however, and when the Patriots came up at 46, they chose Keion White, the edge rusher out of Georgia Tech.

He has great size (6'5, 285 lbs), strength (30 reps), and speed (4.76). He is a force at the line of scrimmage, and his best Patriot trait is his versatility, giving Belichick the ability to line him up as a DE, LB, or DT.

Edge was a need for the Patriots, and they did get a guy projected to be take between 25-31 all the way down at 46. The reason this gets an A- rather than an A+, is it was not their biggest area of need at the time.

Like starting a diet and exercise plan on January 2, all good things must come to an end, and so too did Belichicks string of great picks. Like all us slobs that give up after two weeks of going to Planet Fitness, Bill also reverted to his old disgusting ways, and started to light his draft capital on fire.

I have no doubt that in the coming week, we will get multiple reports from Patriots writers (who are on the Patriots payroll) that Marte Mapu was shooting up draft boards, and there were two or three teams ready to grab him before the Patriots could at 107. Don't get hypnotized by the spin machine.

Marte Mapu has no position. He is listed as a Safety/Linebacker, which is that was an actual position, is one already filled by 3 players currently on the roster (Kyle Dugger, Adrian Phillips, Jabril Peppers). It is the exact opposite of "position of need". He isn't a versatile player from a juggernaut like Alabama or LSU. He played at Sacramento State. He was projected to be taken between 120 and 150, but the Patriots felt the need to pounce (passing up actual needs, with solid prospects on the board) because according to his most glowing scouting report, he works hard, and plays disciplined. He may turn out to be a great player, but there is no denying that this was a classic Belichick reach.

In for a penny, in for a Pound. Belichick continues to reach for players as he selects Troy interior lineman Jake Andrews. He was projected as an undrafted free agent, with the highest any mock draft had him going was 250. The Patriots have four 6th round picks and a 7th round pick. There were plenty of opportunities to get him later, but it's obvious that Bill believes, "if you aren't burning your money, what's the point in having money?"

The only reason this pick is not an F for me, is it actually is an area of need. They need interior line depth, and could have potentially found David Andrews successor. They just took him way too high.

At this point, Bill is just drafting to mess with Patriots fans, right? Trying to tick off the entire fan base? Chad Ryland has a big leg, and was the consensus second best kicker in the draft. And the Patriots do need a kicker, so why am I grading this pick so low? Because once again its an overreach. Projected to go round 6 or 7, the Patriots not only take him in round 4, but actually trade up to get him. Just because Moody went on day 2 doesn't mean you should follow their lead. What a mess. What a giant cluster fu**.

The crap show continues. Listen. Sidy Sow could turn out to be a hall of fame guard. That would be amazing. But it doesn't change the fact that he was projected as a 6th round pick, and the highest any mock had him going was 181st. Apparently the Patriots felt they did not address their IOL depth with their projected undrafted center from Troy. With gaping hole still at WR, the Patriots continue to put hundred dollar bills into a paper shredder. SMH!

I do honestly believe that you can never have too many offensive lineman. But that's really more of an "in general" statement. For example, if you had 53 offensive linemen on the roster, that would actually be too many. The Patriots went into the draft with 10 offensive linemen on the payroll, and 3 of them are guaranteed starting offensive linemen. With the pick of Mafi, they will now have 13 total, and just 5 WR (one of which is Matthew Slater, who doesn't even actually play WR). Which one of these new guards will lineup outside and catch passes this year?

It seems like Bill needs to take a break from reaching. Finally, getting back to a pick that not only fits a need, but is actually a great value. Kayshon was projected as an early round pick not too long ago. Many have forgotten that he finished the 2020 season with a 14 catch, 308 yard, 3 TD performance against Mississippi. 2 surgeries later, a WR projected to be a top 15 pick years ago, fell to the New England Patriots at pick 187 (but still projected in the 120 range). He primarily lined up in the slot at LSU and will do so again in Foxborough. He is exceptionally talented with the ball in his hands, so expect a lot of slants and YAC. He may not be the player he was in 2020, but if he is the player he was in 2022, the Patriots will be very happy with this pick.

Only Bill could get away with drafting a kicker and punter in the same draft. Barringer is the best punter in the draft, averaging almost 50 yards per punt. He can boom it, and will be a great fit in New England. The score here isn't lower because the 6th round is where you are supposed to take kicker and punter. It's not higher, because they have a punter on the roster, and had other holes to fill (like another receiver perhaps?). Overall, its an OK pick at an expected spot.

Another slot receiver adds depth to a receiver room that sorely lacked it. Not as talented as Boutte, and comes from a smaller college, but he is very shifty. He is very good at fooling cornerbacks, and creating space without top end speed. His routes are a little sloppy, and in NE that will need to be cleaned up. Hands are a little questionable, as he did muff a few punts in college. But overall, he fills the depth need at the position, so they can focus on other positions.

Great size and speed combination. Ameer Speed started his career at Georgia and transferred to Michigan State. He stands 6'3 and runs a 4.35. He also benches 14 reps, which is on the strong side for a player at his position. In New England he could be coached up to a beast mode, and at the very least, a guy that can effective by the end of his rookie contract. He was projected as undrafted, but at the end of the 6th round, a lot of guys will fit that description.

With their last pick in the 2023 draft, the Patriots take another big and fast corner. Standing 6'2 and running a 4.31with a 38" vertical, he excels at press man coverage, but can be juked or duped out of routes. That can be coached, and the Patriots coach it as well as anyone. 7th round picks are nothing more than throwing darts, and Bolden has as much a chance to be a bullseye as off the board.

Without the Gonzalez steal of the century, this draft is probably a C- or D+. Strong start, followed by a WTF middle, and a decent finish. 3 interior linemen, 1 Edge, 2 WR's, 3 CB's, a LB, a K, and a P. Some needs were addressed and some over addressed, and the usual overreach spice that only Bill can splash on a draft recipe. I hope they all become Hall of Famers, but I won't hold my breath.

Wayne G is the host of Patriots Endzone on Youtube. Their channel can be found here. You canb also follow Patriots Endzone on Twitter @PatriotsEZ.