1 – The Patriots selected a dozen players in last April’s NFL Draft, nearly a quarter of a roster’s worth. Four months later, all 12 of those players remain with the New England organization, including 11 currently on the active roster.
Clearly, rookies are going to have a big impact on the 2023 season for Bill Belichick’s team and face high expectations as individuals.
Atop that list of high expectations is obviously first-round rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez, who’ll be counted on to not only hold down a starting job but maybe serve as the team’s No. 1 cornerback option. Given the slate of opposing high-end quarterbacks and receivers New England will face this fall – beginning with Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith with the Eagles – Gonzalez faces a significant challenge.
Also being counted on for immediate key roles will be kicker Chad Ryland and punter Bryce Baringer, each winning his respective job with impressive if at times inconsistent work this summer. Belichick is no stranger to drafting and playing rookie specialists, but there is certainly an inherent layer of uncertainty when you take such an approach. Doing so with both spots is pretty unique, although it worked out when the Raiders drafted Sebastian Janikowski and punter Shane Lechler in 2000.
While Gonzalez, Ryland and Baringer will have the most locked in and significant roles to open the year, there are plenty of other rookies facing high if less certain expectations. Atop that list would be sixth-round slot receiver Demario Douglas, who had one of the most consistent and productive training camps of any New England player and could very well find himself in a key, regular role in the passing game. Fellow sixth rounder Kayshon Boutte came on strong later in the summer, though his contributions could be more tied to the health and effectiveness of the veterans ahead of him on the depth chart.
Defensively both second-round edge option Keion White and third-round linebacker/safety hybrid Marte Mapu opened eyes with their pure athleticism this summer and should at the very least be in line for rotational, depth reps if not more. Meanwhile Sidy Sow and Atonio Mafi are in the mixed up mix on the offensive line that is the most unsettled area of the team.
Rookies in the NFL are kinda like Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates, you never really know what you’re going to get once the rigors of extended regular season game action hit. But if the Patriots are going to be as competitive and successful a football team as they want to be this fall, it’s pretty clear they are going to need to get pretty consistent, impactful contributions from a rather large and varied rookie class.
2 – A look at Belichick’s track record drafting specialists shows a mixed bag of early results. Jake Bailey arrived as a fifth-round pick punter out of Stanford in 2019 and was inconsistent in the role, finishing 15th in net punting and 24th in gross average, though he finished second in the league in punts downed inside the 20. Kicker Stephen Gostkowski was a fourth-round pick out of Memphis in 2006 and had a very mediocre rookie season in which he finished 26th in the NFL in field goal percentage. Punter Zoltan Mesko was a fifth-round pick out of Michigan in 2010 when he tied for 11th in the league in net average and 19th in gross punting. So, history shows us that even guys Gostkowski who’d go on to become a franchise great or Bailey who earned All-Pro status can have their ups and downs in the kicking game as rookies. That will be the challenge facing Ryland, Baringer and the Patriots in all aspects of the kicking game this fall.
3 – While the 2023 draft class brings nothing but hope these optimistic days in Foxborough, the bloom is off a 2022 group that at one point looked like it might be a foundational collection of talent. At various points last season it appeared the 10-man draft class led by top pick Cole Strange might bring contributors throughout at a variety of positions. Now, though, the group has almost as many questions as answers with the trade of Pierre Strong, cutting of Bailey Zappe and Kevin Harris as well as Tyquan Thornton opening his second straight season on injured reserve. Marcus Jones and Jack Jones could still be very key cogs and there is time for things to turn around, but the 2022 group may not be quite as fruitful as it appeared to be early last season when Zappe Fever was taking over New England.
4 – Likewise the 2022 draft class is at a bit of a crossroads in its own right, as the pressure mounts for top pick Mac Jones and second-rounder Christian Barmore to reach their high-end potential. Certainly fourth-round pick Rhamondre Stevenson has already paid massive dividends, but Ronnie Perkins, Cameron McGrone, Joshuah Bledsoe, Will Sherman and Tre Nixon clearly have not. Still, the 2022 class will be judged primarily by what Jones and Barmore do in the next year or so.
5 – Upon joining the Patriots via waivers from the Panthers, quarterback Matt Corral immediately becomes one of the more intriguing guys on the New England roster. Some believe the former Ole Miss star had first-round talent a year ago when he landed in Carolina in the third round. After missing his rookie season to injury suffered in the preseason at Gillette Stadium, Corral gets a fresh start behind Mac Jones. Corral certainly has more “arm talent” than Zappe and probably a much higher NFL ceiling. Heck, he may have more pure physical ability than Jones. Now he must get up to speed in a new offense in a new place before he can show his ability, even if just on the practice fields of Foxborough. Jones, Corral, Zappe and Cunningham (the latter two on the practice squad for now) form one of the youngest and most interesting QB depth charts in the NFL right now. One that has as many questions as arguably any QB depth chart in the league.
6 – The New England offensive line is universally considered the biggest question on the team heading into the opener against Philly, a squad that led the NFL in sacks with 15 more than Kansas City a year ago. Keeping 11 offensive linemen on the 53-man roster with another three on the practice squad is a massive investment in the position. It’s also due to all the uncertainty in the group based on health and unknown roles. Even if Strange and Mike Onwenu are ready to go on opening day, the fifth starter in a group that will also include Trent Brown and David Andrews is tough to project.
First-year offensive line coach Adrian Klemm has his work cut out for him, and it wouldn’t be suspiring if that includes having to use more than five guys on the line in Week 1. It’s something that New England has done early in the season in the past. Rotating linemen at a few spots after this very unsettled summer in the trenches would seem like a possibility if not even a full-fledged expectation at this point. It would also seem less than ideal for Jones, Stevenson, Bill O’Brien and the rest of the Patriots offense that has much to prove.
7 – The Patriots finalized their jersey numbers this week heading into the regular season and there was a bit of a surprise that would-be No. 1 rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez landed on No. 6. There had been speculation that the first rounder would don the No. 0 that he wore for Oregon in college. But that will apparently not be the case. In fact, despite the new NFL rules allowing for the No. 0, New England does not have a player assigned to the jersey this fall. Total speculation here, but wondering if that’s a new-age practice that the aging Belichick just isn’t on board with similar to the way the Patriots have chosen in the past not to have their captains wear the special patches on their uniforms the way the rest of the NFL does.
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