The New England Patriots selected a dozen players in the 2023 NFL Draft, an absolute haul by contemporary standards. That’s a lot of people to bring to camp to compete for a job, not to mention the three undrafted free agents they’ve signed to deals as well. And to date, eight of the 12 have signed contracts, leaving just four players unsigned a week out from the start of their OTA workouts.
According to reports, the Patriots have inked fourth-round kicker Chad Ryland, fourth-round offensive lineman Sidy Sow, fifth-round guard Atonio Mafi, sixth-round wide receiver Kayshon Boutte, sixth-round wide receiver DeMario Douglas, sixth-round punter Bryce Baringer, sixth-round defensive back Ameer Speed and seventh-round defensive back Isaiah Bolden to rookie deals.
This leaves first-round cornerback Christian Gonzalez, second-round defensive lineman Keion White, third-round linebacker/safety Marte Mapu and fourth-round offensive lineman Jake Andrews as the only unsigned picks from the 2023 class. Those also happen to be the first four players the Patriots selected in April.
The eight signed draftees join the Pats’ three signed undrafted free agents – quarterback Maik Cunningham, linebacker Jourdan Heilig and tight end Johnny Lumpkin – as new players in the Foxboro fold.
Miguel Benzan, aka @patscap, estimates the signing of the remaining four players should cost the Patriots roughly $2,5 million in cap space, leaving the team with roughly $9 million in available cap space heading into OTAs and minicamp.
Once the remaining four players sign, that will bring a total of 15 players signed and competing for jobs on the 2023 Patriots, which should make for a robust combination of recently signed free agents, established veterans and rookies of various pedigrees competing for a spot on the Pats’ 53-man roster and 16-player practice squad.
OTAs (organized team activities) begin May 22, with mandatory minicamp June 12-14 in Foxboro.
