The draft board is wide open for the New England Patriots heading into Day 1 of the 2023 NFL draft on Thursday. Such is the case when a team puts themselves in a spot to take the best available player, regardless of position.
Sure, the Patriots could use upgrades at a multitude of different positions on their roster, including wide receiver, cornerback, offensive tackle, safety and inside linebacker. There are plenty of areas that need improving, but the Patriots aren’t desperate anywhere.
That makes predicting what they’ll do with the No. 14 overall pick nearly impossible, especially given the long line of players that could potentially help them on the football field. Today, we’re ranking the top-20 likeliest players to be selected by the Patriots in the first round.
Keep in mind, these rankings have nothing to do with skill or talent. This is strictly the likelihood of the prospects falling far enough on the draft board, along with the Patriots’ positional needs, making it more or less likely for them to be drafted by New England.
Here’s how the list turned out:
20
Devon Witherspoon, CB, Illinois
19
Peter Skoronski, OT, Northwestern
18
Will Levis, QB, Kentucky
17
Christian Gonzalez, CB, Oregon
16
Paris Johnson Jr., OT, Ohio State
15
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Ohio State
14
Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas
13
Dalton Kincaid, TE, Utah
12
Deonte Banks, CB, Maryland
11
Emmanuel Forbes, CB. Mississippi State
10
Quentin Johnston, WR, TCU
9
Lukas Van Ness, EDGE, Iowa
8
Anton Harrison, OT, Oklahoma
7
Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Alabama
6
Michael Mayer, TE, Notre Dame
5
Darnell Wright, OT, Tennessee
4
Joey Porter Jr., CB, Penn State
3
Jordan Addison, WR, USC
2
Zay Flowers, WR, Boston College
1
Broderick Jones, OT, Georgia
