On Tuesday, ESPN's Bill Barnwell ranked all NFL teams by "their skill-position talent without including the impact of the quarterback, offensive line or scheme."
The factors taken into consideration were being strictly about 2021 performance, wide receivers being weighed more than tight ends and running backs, and the top six players on each team were considered.
So, where did the Patriots fall?
Unsurprisingly, not great -- No. 27, which continues a downward trend. They ranked 21st last year and ninth in 2019.
Here's what Barnwell wrote: Rookie quarterback Mac Jones' weapons at Alabama would have come in ahead of the players he'll line up alongside with the Patriots in 2021. Coach Bill Belichick invested heavily in adding skill-position talent through free agency, but little has been settled. Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry are major upgrades at tight end, but neither has ever hit 700 receiving yards even once in their pro careers. Receiver Nelson Agholor's breakout season with the Raiders sticks out like a sore thumb given the rest of his career and still came with one of the highest drop rates in football. Kendrick Bourne is a solid pro, but he plays the same slot role as Jakobi Meyers, who was the one promising receiver the Patriots ran out last season.
The Patriots are unquestionably better than they were on the field a year ago at these positions, but the 21st-placed ranking from last year reflected cautious optimism about veteran Julian Edelman (now retired), 2019 first-round pick N'Keal Harry (requesting a trade) and 2018 first-rounder Sony Michel (forever battling injuries). New England won't run out as many replacement-level players on offense in 2021, but it's difficult to find a player in this offense who has a Pro Bowl ceiling outside of perhaps Henry.
The Patriots will open training camp July 28.