Less than a week after the 2021 NFL Draft, no team’s class of prospects has done a single thing to validate their professional existence.
Yet, there are endless opinions across the media landscape grading and ranking just how well the 32 NFL squads did on draft weekend.
Bill Belichick’s Patriots have drawn mixed reviews, as might be expected.
One analyst of note – The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, who has become one of the more respected sources of draft prospect info in recent years – seems to think New England had a very much average weekend trying to inject youthful talent into its roster.
In ranking the NFL Draft classes from 1-32 for The Athletic, Brugler slotted the Patriots in at No. 17 overall.
That ranks New England a couple spots behind where it actually picked in the first round, settling on Alabama quarterback Mac Jones at No. 15 overall.
In explaining New England’s mediocre ranking, Brugler declares second-round defensive tackle Christian Barmore as his favorite pick saying he is “an ascending talent who simply hates to stay blocked.”
Brugler also tabs Patriots sixth-round offensive line pick Williams Sherman as a “day three pick who could surprise.”
For whatever it’s worth, Brugler ranked the Eagles as having the top draft and the Texans, who didn’t have a pick until the third round, as the worst.
Elsewhere, The Athletic graded the Patriots draft as a B.
Not surprisingly, much of the explanation for the grade revolves around the Jones pick.
“The Patriots staying at 15 and taking him was perfectly reasonable,” writes The Athletic. “Quarterbacks taken in the first round have about a 42-percent chance of earning a second contract with the team that drafts them. So it’s far from a guarantee that Jones will develop into even a quality starter. But in the post-Tom Brady era, the Patriots need to take swings at quarterback and see what connects. They now have a couple options in 2021 with Jones and Cam Newton.”