3 players the Patriots could have drafted instead of Chad Ryland

Not every draft pick is Christian Gonzalez. He looked like he’d be a starting cornerback in the NFL for a large part of his college career. And he looked like Defensive Rookie of the Year for three games.

Then, the turf monster at AT&T intervened. 

And not all draft picks turn out like Kayshon Boutte. He never looked comfortable in the NFL and certainly couldn’t galvanize a lackluster offense. 

Then there are draft picks that involve taking a kicker in the 4th round. And that’s always odd, to say the least. Harrison Butker wasn’t drafted until the 7th round, and even Jake Elliott was a 5th-round pick. They both kicked over 93% of the field goals they attempted this season, while Ryland made just 64% of his.

Considering nobody needed to draft a kicker this season, with the likes of Mason Crosby, Matthew Wright, and Robbie Gould available in free agency, now might be a good time to see who the Patriots could have taken at 112. There were plenty of gaps that needed plugging, after all. 

Rushing the passer wasn’t technically an area of weakness for the Patriots in 2022 because Matt Judon combined for 27 sacks. But they both suffered injuries this season. Judon, obviously, in that brutal game in Dallas, and Uche was injured for a month in the middle of the season.

Ja’Whaun Bentley seemed to be playing injured for most of the second half of the season too. Those three were responsible for 30 of the Patriots' 54 sacks in 2022. 

Now while it’s impossible to predict injuries 5 months out from the season a reliance of 3 linebackers is a bit of a gamble. And the Patriots didn’t draft a specialist EDGE rusher. They did draft Marte Mapu, but he’s more of an off-ball linebacker or even a defensive back.  

Players the Patriots could have drafted instead of Chad Ryland #1: Tavius Robinson

They could have taken Tavius Robinson. Robinson went to Baltimore just 12 picks after Ryland was drafted. Robinson is very Judon-esque. He’s even bigger than Judon; Robinson is 6 feet 6 inches tall (Judon is 6 feet 4) but 12 lbs. lighter than Judon.

Robinson is playing at defensive end for the Ravens, just as Judon did in his rookie season. And Robinson’s first career sack was made on Joe Burrow. Judon sacked Burrow on Christmas Eve 2022. 

Players the Patriots could have drafted instead of Chad Ryland #2: Dontayvion Wicks

Wide receiver play has been a problem for the Patriots since they drafted N’Keal Harry in 2019. And the struggles have only intensified since they let Jakobi Meyers leave for Las Vegas.

The 2023 draft turned out to be full of talent in the wide receiver position (Puka Nacua was the 20th selected). And while the Patriots did draft two receivers, Kayshon Boutte was an injury concern so that they could have easily taken another one. Dontayvion Wicks was taken 47 picks after Ryland. 

Wicks caught 39 passes during the regular season; only Romeo Doubs and Jayden Reed caught more for the Packers. He also hauled in 4 touchdowns, and his 14.6 yards per touch average led the Packers. 

Players the Patriots could have drafted instead of Chad Ryland #3: Dee Winters

Despite drafting four players who can play as defensive backs, the one thing the Patriots defense lacked this season was speed. Christian Gonzalez, Marcus Jones, and Isaiah Bolden suffering injuries didn’t help.

Jonathan Jones missed game time and was injured, too, but he’s 30 now, so he’s probably not quite as quick as he was at his combine when he clocked a 4.33. But you get the picture: it was a gruesome season for injuries to defensive backs (yet the offense struggled).

One player who would have been fun to see in a Patriots uniform is Dee Winters. He fell all the way to the 6th round, where the 49ers gobbled him up. Winters is technically a linebacker, but he’s a little undersized. He did, however, run a 4.49-second 40-yard dash. That’s the same time Christian McCaffrey clocked at his combine. 

Winters only played 60 snaps for the 49ers' defense during the regular season (he was in on 605 of the special teams snaps, though), but their linebacking corps is absolutely loaded. And because Steve Wilks prefers to lineup with an extra defensive back rather than an extra linebacker.

Even in his limited game time, he still managed to make ten tackles without missing any and successfully defended 4 of the 12 passes. They even sent him on a blitz once. 

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