There’s still meat left on the bone of the 2023 regular season for the New England Patriots’ draft class, but it’s never too early to step back and review what the group has done so far.
It’s always tricky handing out grades to rookies considering they’re still works in progress. These grades are for pure entertainment and evaluation purposes. They in no way, shape or form limit the future success for these players.
We’re basing it strictly off the games that have been played up to this point in the season. Here are the grades so far for the Patriots’ 2023 NFL rookie draft class:
CB Christian Gonzalez: A
Christian Gonzalez likely would have been an A-plus if he managed to stay healthy, but an unfortunate early injury knocked him out for the season. He forced opposing quarterbacks to a 67.5 passer rating when they targeted him this year and shut down elite receivers, like A.J. Brown, Devonta Smith, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Garrett Wilson and CeeDee Lamb.
Gonzalez was widely considered the best corner in the entire draft class, which means the Patriots got a steal at No. 17 overall. If Gonzalez’s first year tells us anything, it’s that he will be one of the game’s elite corners and a true rebuilding block for the Patriots.
EDGE Keion White: C+
Keion White looked promising in preseason and early in the season. However, the promise has slowed for the second-round pick as of late. He has yet to register a sack but has pressured the quarterback 12 times in limited snaps.
I was hoping for more in the absence of Matthew Judon, and one could expect that Josh Uche would have been traded if White popped earlier. But at this point, the Patriots have a raw, athletic freak they’ll need to mold into a productive three-down edge player.
Hopefully, he can take a leap in the offseason, but for now, he is slightly above average for the Patriots.
LB/S Marte Mapu: C-
Mapu was all over the field in the spring, and there was hope he already carved out a Swiss-army knife role for Belichick’s defense. But Jabrill Peppers’ continued resurgence has led to a minimal role for Mapu, who the team had pegged for a LB/S hybrid in the defense.
If there is a new regime, it may give the next defensive coordinator flexibility to use him as a safety or linebacker, but for now, Mapu is slightly below average due to the limited playing time for a third-round pick.
G/C Jake Andrews: D
Although Andrews hasn’t played, the grade is simply for the fact that he was picked at No. 107 to essentially redshirt, which is a Bill Belichick staple. Andrews looked decent in limited snaps this summer, but the verdict is still out on him. It’s telling that someone with center and guard flexibility was not able to crack a lineup dealing with so many injuries.
It hasn’t looked great, but there’s hope he is the next in line to take over at the center position.
K Chad Ryland: C
Ryland might feel like he was selected too high, but it’s likely the Patriots knew they needed a long-term answer at kicker. As soon as Jake Moody was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the top 100, the Patriots felt they needed to get the next guy immediately.
Ryland has been slightly above average, 12-of-17 on field goal attempts with 100 percent of extra points made. Ryland might not be an elite kicker just yet, but he certainly has the leg to develop into one.
G Sidy Sow: B-
Sidy Sow has quietly earned the trust of the team after a shaky start for everyone along the line. After a failed experiment at tackle, the Patriots wanted to work him back in at right guard, and Sow quickly earned the role. He has been fun to watch on the right side with right tackle Mike Onwenu, but he needs to improve his pass protection
This pick has looked good for the fact that Sow has started to grab a future starting guard spot for the team.
G Atonio Mafi: C
Atonio Mafi looked like a solid guard early in the season, but he has struggled mightily to the point where Sidy Sow has taken his spot as the team’s starting guard opposite of Cole Strange.
It is possible both Mafi and Sow could start in 2024, if the team looks to move on from Strange, who has not been good. But until then, Mafi is a rotational guard, which is a dime a dozen in the NFL.
WR Kayshon Boutte: D
The Patriots tried to find lightning in a bottle with 21-year-old Kayshon Boutte, who looked like a lock to be a first-round draft pick a few years ago. However, Boutte has struggled to see the field and be productive.
He is the type of player that needed to be given reps in games over veterans like DeVante Parker and JuJu Smith-Schuster at times, and yet, the team failed to do so.
Until Boutte earns his way into the lineup, the team whiffed on the pick.
He is still young enough with the talent to end up being a steal under a new regime that knows how to get the best out of offensive players, but until then, he’ll rot on the bench for a Patriots team that has struggled developing receivers.
P Bryce Baringer: A
Bryce Baringer is a weapon. With a league-leading punt of 79 yards and a net average of 41.9 yards, Baringer is one of the game’s best punters already. He has 24 punts inside the 20, which is tied for the best in the league.
Part of his success is thanks to a terrible Patriots offense giving him plenty of chances to punt the ball. He has been a real asset in flipping the field often and helping a solid Patriots defense fight back this season.
WR Demario Douglas: A
As a sixth-round draft pick, Demario Douglas was a steal. He has blossomed into the Patriots’ best offensive weapon (if that says much) and is in the top-half of the league in wide receiver advanced metrics. He separates at a high clip and is a threat with the ball in his hands.
Douglas has been the lone bright spot for a team needing juice, much like Marcus Jones was last season. He has a chance to really turn into a high-volume threat moving forward.
ST Ameer Speed: F
Ameer Speed was a solid special teams contributor, and he also showed promise as a developmental safety and boundary corner. However, the Patriots felt they could cut him and add him to their practice squad, only for the Indianapolis Colts to snag him on waivers.
That alone hurts his grade as a Patriot, but late Day 3 picks are always dart throws.
CB Isaiah Bolden: N/A
After seeing some action early in training camp, the Patriots had plenty of cornerback depth on the outside to start the season and opted to use Bolden’s concussion against him, placing him on season-ending injured reserve.
His injury is the typical Foxborough flu, where the team IRs a player not quite ready for the team, but someone who could land elsewhere.
Bolden doesn’t get a grade due to this, but there is hope for him as a boundary corner in 2024, especially without Jack Jones on the roster.
