The Patriots are in a league of their own when it comes to drafting pass catchers over the last decade – and that’s a bad thing.
New England’s drafting woes have been well documented, and they’ve paid for their inability to find future talent, both figuratively and literally. But when comparing their hits and misses on offensive weapons against the rest of the AFC, it’s a wonder they haven’t gone out and bought their entire offense in free agency.
Oh wait, they did try that a few years ago.
The point is, nobody else in the conference has missed like New England has since 2015. It’s a worthwhile exercise for Patriots draft defenders who call any position a 30% success rate. New England’s failures are galling.
Begin with the Baltimore Ravens, who appear to have found something in 2023 draft pick, Zay Flowers. Before Flowers, they picked Marquise Brown in 2019, tight end Mark Andrews in 2018, and Darren Waller back in 2015.
The Buffalo Bills may have gotten a productive receiver in Keon Coleman in last year’s draft. They’ve already gotten bang for their buck in their 2023 pick, tight end Dalton Kincaid. Before him, they drafted receiver Gabe Davis in 2020.
The Cincinnati Bengals laid the blueprint for the tank-and-draft crowd when they hit on Ja’Marr Chase to pair with Joe Burrow in 2021. The year before, they snatched Tee Higgins, and had Tyler Boyd back in 2016.
The Cleveland Browns come closest to New England’s ineptitude in finding pass catchers. But, even they picked Donovan Peoples-Jones in 2020 and tight end David Njoku in 2017.
The Denver Broncos have quietly picked a handful of steady pass catchers over the last decade, including Jerry Jeudy in 2020, tight end Noah Fant in 2019, Courtland Sutton in 2018, and Isaiah McKenzie in 2017.
Like the Bengals, the Houston Texans have found recent talent in the draft. They picked Tank Dell in 2023 and Nico Collins in 2021. Back in 2018, they found a professional tight end in Jordan Atkins.
Indianapolis has a pair of high-end receivers drafted in just the last few years with Josh Downs, picked in 2023, and Michael Pittman Jr., who they recently re-signed from their 2020 draft. Although he never had the career those two receivers seemed poised for, Phillip Dorsett was also drafted by the Colts in 2015.
The Jacksonville Jaguars don’t have a ton to show for their weapons drafts over the last decade, but they can hang their hats on their 2018 pick, DJ Chark. They also should be hopeful about Brian Thomas, who they drafted in 2024.
Kansas City found Rashee Rice just two drafts back, in 2023, and Mecole Hardman in 2019. In 2016, they hit on a generational talent in Tyreek Hill and found Demarcus Robinson.
The Las Vegas Raiders should feel great about 2024 pick Brock Bowers. In 2019, they drafted slot receiver Hunter Renfrow, and they struck gold back in 2015 hitting on Amari Cooper.
The Los Angeles Chargers may have gotten one of the best receivers of the last draft class in Ladd McConkey. Before him, they found Josh Palmer in 2021, Mike Williams in 2017, and current Patriots captain and tight end Hunter Henry in 2016.
The Dolphins hit the lottery in 2021 when they picked Jaylen Waddle. Years prior they drafted two weapons who eventually spent time in Foxborough: 2018 tight end rookie Mike Gesicki, and DeVanter Parker, who was drafted in 2015.
The New York Jets have only recently found success with pass catchers in the draft. They selected receivers Garrett Wilson in 2022 and Elijah Moore in 2021. Unfortunately, that’s still more draft talent than the Patriots have found for their quarterbacks.
Pittsburgh may be the gold standard for drafting modern receivers. The Steelers hit on George Pickens in 2022, picked tight end Pat Freiermuth in 2021, and Chase Claypool in 2020. Before those two, they drafted Diontae Johnson in 2019 and Super Bowl champ Juju Smith-Schuster in 2017.
Finally, the Tennessee Titans selected Chigoziem Okonkwo at tight end in 2022, but found a star in AJ Brown in 2019. They also drafted Jonnu Smith in 2017, who has managed to have semi-productive seasons everywhere but New England.
Who can be counted as a successful draft pick among New England’s wide receivers and tight ends, since 2015? DeMario Douglas comes closest to being counted as a hit, found by the Patriots in the sixth round of 2023 – and he hasn’t yet compiled 1,000 receiving yards over 1.5 seasons. For all his talent, he’s also an undersized slot receiver. The only other pass catcher who the Patriots could brag about was Jakobi Meyers, and he was an undrafted free agent who they let walk at the end of his rookie contract.
It’s no wonder the Patriots had to pay to fill their receiver and tight end rooms in 2021. Still, it’s hard to understand how the organization who picked Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman outside of the first round could fall so far, so fast. We’re not talking about just a couple bad draft classes. This is a lost decade.
If the Patriots want their young star in Drake Maye to continue to rise, they’ll have to break the cold streak they’ve been on for the last ten years.