Last weekend’s three rounds of NFL Draft action in New England -- Bill Belichick’s team hauling in a dozen new players with too much focus on the defense, interior line and special teams for the liking of plenty of passionate Patriots peeps – created mixed if not negative reactions in Patriot Nation.
Despite the fact that the Patriots filled arguably their biggest need (cornerback) with arguably the best prospect at that position (Christian Gonzalez) at arguably the pick that all drafts are evaluated on (first round), New England’s overall gathering of talent didn’t exactly rev up its fan base.
Many wondered about the imbalance of the picks, swayed toward the defensive side over the first two days of Draft action, despite New England’s offense having been the far inferior side of the ball in 2022.
Critiques abound regarding the fact that no high-end tackle or pass-catching threat was added.
Mac Jones got little-to-no help while a defense that was theoretically “good enough” added coverage, pass-rush and versatile athletic ability to the mix.
A cacophony of critiques swirled through social media and talk radio airwaves.
A third-day pick on a kicker and a punter?
Three interior offensive linemen?
Waiting until the sixth round to take a wide receiver?
Skipping altogether the supposedly deepest-in-a-decade crop of tight ends?
But from this perspective there is one simple, critical word that might best describe the Patriots 2023 NFL Draft and what impact that additional talent could have on the roster heading toward a critical season for Belichick, Jones, Robert Kraft and pretty much everyone wearing a Flying Elvis logo.
It starts with a C.
No, not that C-word. Or the other. Get your mind out of the gutter.
Let’s spell it all together, Aaron Rodgers style!
C-O-M-P-E-T-I-T-I-V-E.
The Patriots had a very much competitive draft that will add to the competitive nature of pretty much the entirety of the roster in a way that should help lay the foundation for a very much competitive football team come September.
As newly-added offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien – without a doubt the biggest Patriots positive of the offseason, answering the calls of fans and media alike for competency to return to the New England offense! – said last week when talking about Jones, “everything that we do here is always based on competition.”
This draft epitomizes that, even if it didn’t completely fulfill the unrealistic expectations for hole-filling perfection had by way too many.
Gonzalez can legitimately come in and compete for the No. 1 cornerback position, rather than crossing our collective fingers to hope that Jack Jones will build on an admittedly impressive rookie season. Either way, New England has two young outside cornerbacks to build the back end around. That allows veteran Jonathan Jones to either bump back inside to his preferred slot spot or even maybe contribute at safety. It also allows veteran Jalen Mills to possibly bump back to the safety spot he’s more naturally suited for and fill the void left by Devin McCourty’s retirement.
Second-round stud athlete Keion White immediately adds depth and versatility to the defensive front and pass rush. Maybe he’s a sub defender or rotational guy early on, but that’s certainly a position where depth and competition is a benefit in the modern pass-happy NFL.
Oh, and those “wasted” picks on the second-best kicker (Chad Ryland) and top punter (Bryce Baringer) mean that New England doesn’t have to rely solely on an aging kicker in Nick Folk or a journeyman (aren’t they all to some degree?) punter signing in Corliss Waitman. There is a talented newcomer net of kicking game potential to fall back on.
Really, the entirety of the Patriots offseason – from free agency that focused on at-worst complementary offensive additions at right tackle, tight end, wide receiver and running back to the draft drawing mixed reviews – appears to have created a far more competitive roster for a would-be competitive team.
And for those that immediately push back with the (accurate) argument that competitive teams don’t win in the NFL, star-driven ones do – well, Gonzalez was drafted to be a star at one of the most important positions in modern football!
So while it’s true the Patriots didn’t magically cull together a draft that somehow included a No. 1 corner, elite tackle and stud playmaking pass-catcher, New England absolutely filled holes and created a more competitive environment at Gillette Stadium with the work done last weekend.
No, competitive doesn’t necessarily or even likely equate to that other important C-word in these parts: championship.
No, it doesn’t mean the Patriots will win the AFC East or even make the playoffs.
Heck, given all the talent in the division its possible New England might even be a last-place team this fall.
But they will be a more competitive team.
And as we’re learning these days with the dubious-but-entertaining Red Sox, sometimes a deeper, developing team with less star-power can be accepted as a step in the right direction.
Whether you can accept it or not, that’s exactly what Belichick’s competitive team took on draft weekend.