After all that talk and the mocks and hype and hot air, the 2023 NFL Draft has come and gone. The reviews were solid. The ratings were spectacular. And the league got stronger, with hundreds of talented new players joining the fraternity. “Great success!” as a famous fictional character from Kazakhstan would say.
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But was the Patriots draft a great success? Time will tell…though early reviews from analysts and reporters were mixed to positive overall. The depth added was praised most of all. What kind of impact they'll have and how they’ll fit the evolving scheme and system is a story for another day. Or month, or seasons to come.
You already know the team drafted three players in the first three rounds over the first two days:
Round 1 - Christian Gonzalez, CB, Oregon
Round 2 - Keion White, DE, Georgia Tech
Round 3 - Marte Mapu, LB/S, Sacramento State
Those selections were met with high praise and solid marks. But who are the rest of the new Pats, the new Foxboro footballers the team selected with their horde of picks on Day 3? Ultimately they drafted 12 players overall, nine on the final day. Some a reach, some already certified hits, with a lot of interior linemen and plenty more smaller schools represented. Let’s introduce the cast!
ROUND 4
Jake Andrews, C, Troy - A three-year collegiate starter who moved to center his senior season, Andrews is a big boy who plays with strength at the point of attack and uses his hands well. He also brings name and positional depth for incumbent center David Andrews, who’s entering his ninth season in the league and has had injury issues aplenty the last couple of seasons. He was projected as a fifth-round pick, but you know the Pats and their interior lineman values (Cole Strange anyone?).
Chad Ryland, K, Maryland - The highest drafted specialist of the Belichick era, and most derided pick of the draft, if not at least for the Patriots, Ryland comes in to challenge incumbent Nick Folk. Placekicker was a sneaky need for the Pats after Nick Folk struggled on long kicks and kickoffs in 2022, which hurt the team down the stretch. But trading up for a kicker in the fourth? Ryland was accurate in college (he transferred from Eastern Michigan to Maryland) and made a 50+ yarder each collegiate season. He also said he likes kicking in the cold, which will definitely play into his favor in the AFC East. Plus his former teammate, Sidy Sow, now a Patriot, is a fan as well.
Sidy Sow, G, Eastern Michigan - Another interior lineman? Bien sur, monsieur! A native Canadian (Quebecois!) who was a four-year starter in college in the states, Sow was considered one of the better Day 3 picks by the Pats. Said to play with a strong base and power, he’s large like the contemporary guards of the NFL (6’5”, 325 lbs) and is very athletic, keeping with the Patriots’ draft trend under new director of player personnel Matt Groh of selecting players with high athletic scores at their position.
ROUND 5
Atonio Mafi, G, UCLA - Since many things in life come in threes, the Patriots completed their Day 3 interior lineman run by selecting another interior lineman, Atonio Mafi, an absolute hoss from UCLA who the Patriots had hosted previously on a Top 30 visit. Mafi at one point weighed over 400 lbs and is a mauler. He also began his football career on the defensive line before switching to the OL, something third-year player Bill Murray has been attempting on the Pats in recent years. With fourth-year veteran Mike Onwenu an unrestricted free agent in 2024 the Pats’ run on the interior could be depth adds for 2023 and beyond.
ROUND 6
Kayshon Boutte, WR, LSU - Some say this might be the best Day 3 pick by the Pats. This boom or bust receiver prospect has all the tools to succeed at the next level, but didn’t provide any of the stats in 2022. Whether he clashed with new coach Brian Kelly or had other issues at hand (he said he was recovering from a broken bone at the combine) remains to be seen. But his 2021 highlights showcase a player who, if he can return to form, might be a diamond in the rough in the pros on a team in need of a playmaker and passing game weapon.
Bryce Baringer, P, Michigan State - Helping the Patriots become the first team since the 2000 Raiders to draft both a punter and a kicker in the same class, Baringer comes in the favorite to replace Jake Bailey, who was released this spring and signed with the Dolphins just a few seasons after being an All-Pro and signing a massive deal with the Pats. Baringer, who has a great look, was a Ray Guy Award (top collegiate punter) finalist in 2022 and has a big leg, which will help the Patriots, whose special teams suffered after losing Bailey and turning to Michael Palardy in the second half of 2022.
DeMario Douglas, WR, Liberty - Molded in the undersized but quick slot receiver frame, Douglas is an elusive possession receiver with great competitive fire and run after catch (gotta love that YAC!) who works best over the middle of the field. He was projected to go exactly where he was taken after his best season, his senior year, where he had almost a thousand yards and six touchdowns in Conference USA.
ROUND 7
Ameer Speed, CB, Michigan State - A four-year player for the Georgia Bulldogs, and part of their 2021 National Championship squad, Speed transferred to Sparty in 2022 to see more opportunities at corner. He has good size (6’ 3”) and speed to burn (having run a 4.33 40-yard dash), plus loads of special teams experience (familiar with new Pats punter Bryce Baringer), which will perhaps factor into his favor as he tries to carve out a role there first as his corner skills are a bit more unrefined.
Isaiah Bolden, DB/KR, Jackson State - Perhaps the biggest developmental player of the class, experts say Bolden has the size and speed to earn a shot, just not the experience or stats to lock up a roster spot (only one true year of playing time). The Patriots’ secondary, after this weekend, is suddenly crowded so Bolden will have to try to carve out a special teams role to give himself a chance to make the roster or earn Sunday playing time soon.