The NFL had one of the more unpredictable draft weekends in recent memory with a plethora of trades and players falling or going earlier than expected.
The New England Patriots had their own unique draft when they took 12 players. They usually only select around nine on average. So this came as a shock when many around the league expected them to trade up and get aggressive.
Now that we have had some time to reflect and are in UDFA mode, let’s review each pick and hand out some grades.
Round 1, Pick No. 17: Christian Gonzalez, CB, Oregon
This is the pick that should be easing everyone’s minds for the entire haul, as Gonzalez wasn’t supposed to make it past pick No. 8. He went all the way to No. 17, and the Patriots were able to trade back in the process.
That type of value alone makes this a slam dunk, but when it comes at a premier position and one of need, it’s a windmill.
Gonzalez is the best cornerback in the entire class for me, and the Patriots now have a true boundary corner. Patriots corners Marcus Jones and Jack Jones are not bad at all, but the team needed size, speed and elite fluidity.
And Gonzalez has it all.
I also like this pick as it forms a nice young corner room with Gonzalez and Jack Jones on the outside, and Marcus Jones in the slot. Jon Jones is also freed up to play more safety, which is something he has done in the past to help potentially limit the loss of Patriots legend Devin McCourty.
Grade: A+
Round 2, Pick No. 46: Keion White, EDGE, Georgia Tech
At first, I wasn’t too fond of the pick, although I liked the player. I had Keion White rated lower than most, but I was higher on a lot of other EDGE prospects and loved the class as a whole. I actually think EDGE was the strongest position group in the 2023 class.
After taking a step back to view the 2024 and 2025 rosters, I realize that after 2024 EDGE rusher Josh Uche, versatile leader Deatrich Wise Jr., star Matthew Judon, defensive tackle Davon Godchaux and veteran Lawrence Guy are all off the books.
The Patriots seriously needed to address EDGE at some point, and they chose to do it in this year’s draft with White. White fits everything that the Patriots like to do on the defensive line.
He has inside and outside versatility, and overall, good run stop and pass rush duality. White possesses a lot of what Wise Jr. does now and can actually replace Anfernee Jennings’ role if the Patriots want to move on from him.
The Patriots could have went in other directions, but they thought EDGE was a major need. They were even rumored to be calling teams, hoping to move up and take White in Round 1. The Patriots were patient, filled a need and got their guy.
Grade: B-
Round 3, Pick No. 76: Marte Mapu, LB, Sacramento State
Mapu is a move I really like. He plays well in between what the Patriots typically look for from linebackers, which is downhill, old school style. That’s the style Patriots fans have been hoping the team would target with a sideline-to-sideline backer.
Mapu can defend the run, cover a lot of ground and gives the Patriots someone they feel can run with the elite quarterbacks in the game. Although the Patriots went defense on the first two days, I felt Mapu was a piece that tied it all together. They added White, Mapu and Gonzalez to a defense that is elite but sneakily getting up in age and at the end of contracts.
Grade: B+
Round 4, Pick No. 107: Jake Andrews, C, Troy
Jake Andrews fills a need for the Patriots that I had them addressing at some point.
Andrews, no relation to David Andrews (although his uncle’s name is David Andrews), has three-position versatility and can play anywhere along the interior of the offensive line. His upside is at center, which should make for a fun battle in camp with Kody Russey. It’s nice to know the Patriots value the swing interior offensive lineman as much as I did and aren’t relying on that to be filled by 33-year-old James Ferentz.
The only thing that ruins this pick for me is the Patriots failed to trade up and get aggressive to fill other needs like receiver. But I think Andrews is a good center to replace captain David Andrews in the future.
Grade: B-
Round 4, Pick No. 112: Chad Ryland, K, Maryland
I wanted the Patriots to address kicker in this draft and loved the fit with Jake Moody, But I was also glad the Patriots didn’t pick him at No. 76, because he went 23 picks later to the San Francisco 49ers. Anything sooner than No. 125 would have been a hard sell for me.
I know what I just said, but I am ok with moving up for Ryland for a few reasons.
The first reason is the fact that they needed a new kicker regardless of where he was taken. Nick Folk is 38 years old and has lost the ability to kick 50-plus yards or on kick-offs.
The second reason is because other specialists were going all over the board, which likely signaled how the league viewed this draft class at other positions (not good). The third and final reason is the Patriots saw Moody go at No. 99. So Ryland has the benefit of not being too early.
Regardless of the draft position, they added a very good kicker that has experience kicking off and will be a franchise kicker for quite some time, if he can put it all together.
Grade: B
Round 4, Pick No. 117: Sidy Sow, OL Eastern Michigan
Sow is an excellent power blocker with rare speed combination. I think a lot of people had him in the middle rounds, and the Patriots jumped on the opportunity to add a fun, moldable project for Adrian Klemm.
Klemm and the Patriots do lack depth, which was a massive hole for the Patriots in 2022. But they also lack beef up the middle with both David Andrews and Strange being on the smaller side. Mac Jones had a ton of pressure up the middle last season, and the Patriots needed improved line play.
Sow can play left tackle and both guard slots, and he will likely begin the Patriots’ pipeline on the offensive line again. Not that I agree with it, but the Patriots often draft, develop and utilize offensive lineman better than most, and there’s a real chance they just let Mike Onwenu walk when his contract is up.
I didn’t love this pick at the time, as there were plenty of need positions that were more of a priority. I would rather retain homegrown talent than try and build the pipeline again. The Patriots are not in the position to draft this way, and they need impact to make noise in the crowded AFC.
If the goal is to let Onwenu walk and hope they’ll always have the next man up, it is totally understandable, even if it’s hard to swallow.
Guards and centers shouldn’t take up that much of the salary cap, and if it is more cost-effective to take these guys late, eat up their rookie deal and let them walk, I can see why they went with a center and guard up to this point in Jake Andrews and Sidy Sow.
I like the player and the fit. I just really think Onwenu should stay in New England. However, this signals the Patriots backfilling rather than adding to holes.
Grade: C
Round 5, Pick No. 144: Atonio Mafi, G,UCLA
Mafi gave me the same feeling as Sow, but it was even worse. I’m not going to lie, but I started to spiral. This pick made me feel that each pick in Mapu, White, and Sow were to replace Kyle Dugger, Josh Uche and Mike Onwenu, who are all on the last year of their rookie contracts.
However, Matt Groh later went on to say that the Patriots can never have enough good lineman. Frankly he is right, and I really liked Mafi for the Patriots.
Matt Groh on Mike Onwenu: "He's settled in at guard."
On the interior O-linemen they drafted: "You can never have enough good offensive linemen."
— Andrew Callahan (@_AndrewCallahan) April 29, 2023
If the goal is to build an offensive line pipeline for Klemm, maybe starting fresh with Calvin Anderson, Atonio Mafi, Sidy Sow, Jake Andrews and Andrew Stueber is a nice developmental unit.
If the offense wishes to thrive, it will need it’s most important player, quarterback Mac Jones, to have time to use his best asset, which is his processing and accuracy.
Grade: C+
Round 6, Pick No. 187: Kayshon Boutte, WR, LSU
There was a time in recent memory when Boutte was considered the next great LSU tiger to enter the draft after Chase and Jefferson. But off-field issues and injuries effected his production and ultimately his draft stock to dip into the sixth round.
Boutte didn’t test well, but the tape is elite to the point that he could be one of the steals of the draft.
The Patriots are buying low on Boutte, and this was the most surprising pick for me, as I didn’t think the Patriots would take a receiver with this many questions. Nevertheless, Boutte should immediately pop in camp and has a chance to not only make the roster, but also compete Year 1. He is only 20 years old and has raw skill to translate into an elite No. 1 receiver.
Grade: A
Round 6, Pick No. 192: Bryce Baringer, P, Michigan State
With the Patriots getting aggressive with selecting Ryland, they went with a full reset at the specialists and selected a punter that can grow with their new kicker. Baringer was one of the best punters in the nation and is the best one in this class. The Patriots were able to fill both punter and kicker in the same draft, which hasn’t been done by another team since the 2000 Raiders.
Baringer has experience holding for kicks and also can kick off if necessary. He is also a willing tackler on punts, which I’m sure got coach Bill Belichick interested even more.
Grade: A-
Round 6, Pick No. 210: Demario Douglas, WR, Liberty
Douglas is an explosive, shifty slot receiver that will be so much fun to watch in training camp. Adding Douglas just adds to the notion the Patriots are trying to build around Mac Jones and his strength as a distributor.
Douglas surprised me because the Patriots hardly double dip at receiver. However, I’m happy with the selection because it shows a need to support Jones and also add competition all across the field.
The Patriots stuck by their word mentioning the value of receivers being more in Day 2 and 3 than at the top by double dipping here.
Grade: B-
Round 6, Pick No. 214: Ameer Speed, CB, Michigan State
Speed is certainly fast, and the Patriots have stuck to their philosophy of getting faster everywhere. Speed is a developmental corner and special teams ace and will likely have to battle to earn a spot. But he adds size and speed, even if it’s on the practice squad.
This was an okay pick, as the Patriots could have added a TE, RB or OT here to balance out the beginning of the draft. But if Speed makes the roster, what a fun time it will be for us all.
Grade: C
Round 7, Pick No. 245: Isaiah Bolden. CB/KR, Jackson State
Size, speed and explosiveness, the Patriots added all of this when selecting Bolden, whom they brought in for a visit this offseason. Bolden will likely help the Patriots free up Marcus Jones to be a primary slot corner by taking away some of the returner responsibilities. The Douglas pick also helps take Jones off the offense, too. But both of these picks, Bolden and Douglas, only matter if they actually make the roster.
It feels like this pick was to add depth to the corner room. Bolden is a developmental cover guy who was coached by Deion Sanders as a returner and corner.
Grade: C+
