Patriots 2023 NFL Draft Grades: New England at least aced first pick
It’s tough to mess up too badly in the NFL Draft when you come away with 12 picks like the New England Patriots. It helps that New England aced their first-rounder by trading down and still coming away with a premier player. They had an odd stretch in the middle but rebounded well at the […]
It’s tough to mess up too badly in the NFL Draft when you come away with 12 picks like the New England Patriots.
It helps that New England aced their first-rounder by trading down and still coming away with a premier player. They had an odd stretch in the middle but rebounded well at the end.
Here's how the Patriots graded with each pick and an overall mark at the end.
Round 1, No. 17 overall: CB Christian Gonzalez, Oregon
The Patriots traded down three spots, picked up an extra fourth-round pick and still got a player in Gonzalez that most expected to be drafted in the top 10. It was risky to assume that another team wouldn’t pick or trade up for Gonzalez in that span from 14 to 17, but it paid off, and now New England has a potential lock-down cornerback with ideal size and elite athleticism.
Grade: A+
Round 2, No. 46 overall: DL Keion White, Georgia Tech
White was invited to the 2023 NFL Draft, meaning there was at least a possibility that he could be selected in the first round. He’s a versatile front-seven defender who can play anywhere from standup outside linebacker to defensive tackle. He’ll likely keep his hand in the ground with the Patriots.
Grade: A-
Round 3, No. 76 overall: LB Marte Mapu, Sacramento State
ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported that the Patriots were trying to trade down from the spot where they eventually selected Mapu. That says there wasn’t a ton of conviction in the pick. He’s a bit of a tweener between safety and linebacker, and New England already has similar body types on their roster in Kyle Dugger, Adrian Phillips and Jabrill Peppers. Still, Mapu has big fans around the league.
Grade: B-
Round 4, No. 107 overall: C Jake Andrews, Troy
This was a bit high to be taking a center with David Andrews under contract through 2024 and still only 31 years old. Jake Andrews does have experience at guard, however, so perhaps he could move around New England’s offensive line and provide depth behind starters Cole Strange and Michael Onwenu.
Grade: C+
Round 4, No. 112 overall: K Chad Ryland, Maryland
The Patriots not only drafted a kicker in the fourth round, they traded up for him! It only took a sixth-round pick, however, and New England had four fourth-round picks. He was also the second kicker off the board after the San Francisco 49ers grabbed Michigan kicker Jake Moody with the 99th overall pick.
Grade: C+
Round 4, No. 117 overall: G Sidy Sow, Eastern Michigan
The decision to take Andrews earlier in the fourth looks a little odder with this selection. The Patriots didn’t draft a tackle, but they did take three interior offensive linemen. Sow is massive at 6-foot-5, 323 pounds and ran a 5.07-second 40-yard dash. He played left tackle early in his college career, so perhaps the Patriots want to see what he looks like in multiple positions. This is the most intriguing of the three interior offensive line picks based on Sow’s size, athleticism and potential versatility.
Grade: B+
Round 5, No. 144 overall: G Atonio Mafi, UCLA
It was pretty funny at this point to see the Patriots take yet another offensive lineman that wasn’t a tackle. Mafi is a converted defensive lineman with just one year as a starting guard.
Grade: C-
Round 6, No. 187 overall: WR Kayshon Boutte, LSU
Boutte was being talked about as a top 10 pick just one year ago. Then he got injured and questions about his effort and off-field character surfaced. He had an unimpressive NFL Scouting Combine and fell to the sixth round. We love these fliers. If it works out, it’s huge and if it doesn’t, then who cares? The Patriots had four sixth-round picks anyway.
Grade: A+
Round 6, No. 192 overall: P Bryce Baringer, Michigan State
The Patriots pretty desperately needed a punter to compete with Corliss Waitman, and my friend Danny Kelly of The Ringer apparently spent a lot of time talking about him at the Senior Bowl.
He also kind of looks like Ron Swanson's son.
Grade: A+ for vibes alone
Round 6, No. 210 overall: WR Demario Douglas, Liberty
If the Patriots were going to wait until the sixth round to take two wide receivers, then at least they made it fun by drafting Boutte and Douglas, an undersized speedster with ball-after-catch and return skills.
Grade: B+
Round 7, No. 214 overall: CB Ameer Speed, Michigan State
I was really worried after the Patriots drafted Speed that I’d look up his 40 time and it would be like 4.68 seconds. Nope. He lives up to his name with a 4.34-second mark. This seems like more of a special teams pick. Speed was not a great defender in his time at Georgia and Michigan State.
Grade: B-
Round 7, No. 245 overall: CB Isaiah Bolden, Jackson State
Bolden is another tall, speedy cornerback. He was coached by Deion Sanders at Jackson State and transferred from Prime’s alma mater, Florida State. The Patriots liked Bolden enough to host him on a pre-draft visit. He was more than worthy of a late-round flier as the only player drafted out of a HBCU.
Grade: A
Averaging out the grades gives us a pretty solid B+. Given the fact that we were being a bit facetious with the Baringer grade but also weighting Gonzalez’ score, that sounds about right. The fourth round was disappointing, but New England made up for it with some fun high-upside late-round picks.
Featured image via University of Oregon Athletics
