New England Patriots: Grading the 2023 draft class

Round 4 - pick #107: Jake Andrews

The Patriots had three fourth-round picks. The first was a center, Jake Andrews from Troy State. Andrews was another reach, and a non-factor all season long. He logged only 67 snaps and started just one game, the last against the Jets.

Fourth-round picks don't always contribute massively right away, but Andrews was a non-factor. The grade here is an easy one: D+.

Round 4 - pick #112: Chad Ryland

The team's second fourth-round pick was kicker Chad Ryland from Michigan State. He has also been a dud. Replacing the ever-reliable veteran, Nick Folk, Ryland hit on only 64% of his field goal attempts, that's 16 out of 25.

He's been a colossal disappointment. He certainly has justified the supposition that you never take a kicker or punter earlier than the 5th (maybe) or, better, the sixth round. Again, rather than addressing that offensive tackle position, the team went rogue and drafted a kicker far too high and faced the consequences. The grade for this pick: D-.

Round 4 -pick #117: Sidy Sow

The team's final fourth-round pick was used on a guard (tackle?), Sidy Sow from Eastern Michigan. Sow was primarily a guard in college, so the Patriots naturally decided to use him as a de facto offensive tackle. That didn't work out at all. He did play a lot at guard, though, due to Michael Onwenu moving to right tackle to shore up that mess. Sow played a lot at Onwenu's right guard spot.

He started 13 of the 15 games and logged 772, or 85% of the team's offensive plays. He's acquitted himself reasonably well, and simply playing all these snaps is a big plus. With Onwenu, a free agent, Sow may own the right guard position in 2024. He grades out at B-/C+. Depth at guard was necessary, and Sow's been a decent pick.