Now that the 2023 NFL Draft has concluded, there’s a much better sense of how the New England Patriots actually viewed their roster in the post-free agency pre-draft period.

The preconceived notion was that the Patriots would need to address offensive tackle in the draft, and as of Sunday morning, not only did they not draft a tackle, they haven’t even signed one as an undrafted free agent. The Patriots instead focused most heavily on addressing needs at cornerback, interior offensive line and special teams in the draft.

Here’s what we learned from the Patriots since Thursday night:

SIZE WAS NEEDED AT CORNERBACK

The Patriots wound up selecting three cornerbacks in the draft, and first-rounder Christian Gonzalez was actually the shortest at 6-foot-1. Sixth-round pick Ameer Speed is 6-foot-3, and seventh-round pick Isaiah Bolden is 6-foot-2. All three players also had sub-4.4-second 40-yard dash times with Gonzalez clocking in at 4.38 seconds, Speed at 4.34 seconds and Bolden at 4.35 seconds.

Think the Patriots had a type at cornerback this season?

Of course, their skill levels are significantly different. Gonzalez should be a starter this season, while Speed and Bolden will be battling for roster spots and special teams roles.

It makes sense that the Patriots not only wanted taller cornerbacks but also heavier ones, as well. Gonzalez is the lightest at 197 pounds. New England’s top players at the position entering the draft — Jonathan Jones, Jack Jones, Marcus Jones and Myles Bryant — all are 5-foot-11 or shorter. Jonathan Jones is the heaviest in that group at 190 pounds. The Patriots needed size to match up with taller wide receivers, and that’s exactly what they got.

OFFENSIVE LINE — NOT TACKLE — WAS A PRIORITY

New England’s projected starting offensive tackles — Trent Brown and Riley Reiff — are not signed after the 2023 season, so it was assumed that the Patriots would try to draft a left or right tackle of the future. It appears they did not, though director of player personnel Matt Groh made sure to mention post-draft that all three offensive linemen they selected did move around to different positions in college.

Sidy Sow, primarily a left guard, also started at left tackle. Jake Andrews, a center in 2022, also started at guard. And Atonio Mafi, a one-year starter at left guard, began his college career as an offensive lineman.

It would make the most sense to start out by giving Sow and Mafi reps at guard and Andrews at center, but New England could test out their versatility. No one expected Michael Onwenu, a college guard, to play tackle in NFL, but he’s seen many starts at right tackle.

Groh also pointed out the Patriots signed three offensive tackles in free agency. They brought in Reiff and Calvin Anderson and re-signed Conor McDermott. So, it seems New England didn’t see an immediate need at the position. They had almost no depth behind starting center David Andrews, left guard Cole Strange and Onwenu at right guard. So, it did make sense to fortify the interior offensive line. No one expected three picks early on Day 3, however.

SPECIAL TEAMS NEEDED HELP

New England traded up to select Maryland kicker Chad Ryland, took punter Bryce Baringer in the sixth round and grabbed players with extensive experience on special teams coverage in Keion White, Marte Mapu, Speed and Bolden. Wide receivers Kayshon Boutte and Demario Douglas both have return experience, and one of the few undrafted free agents New England was able to sign — Appalachian State’s Jourdan Heilig — barely even played defense in college. He's a special-teamer.

New England also brought back special teams standouts Matthew Slater, Cody Davis, Raekwon McMillan, Mack Wilson and Jabrill Peppers this offseason and signed Chris Board as a free agent.

The Patriots were awful on special teams last season. We’ll see if Ryland, Baringer and the rest of this offseason’s additions can help.

ATHLETICISM IS COVETED

Relative Athletic Score is a metric developed by Kent Lee Platte that weights a player’s measurables on a scale of 1 to 10. You can read up on it more here.

Four of the Patriots’ draftees (Gonzalez, White, Sow and Bolden) had RAS scores of 9.44 or greater. Speed’s RAS was 8.86. The RAS scores of Andrews (7.51) and Douglas (7.34) were average, whereas Boutte’s (4.99) was poor. Mafi, Baringer, Ryland and Mapu didn’t test.

The Patriots got much, much faster in the draft. It's unlikely all 12 players they selected will be on the team in September, but as Groh once said, "if you want speed, draft fast guys."

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