Passing on dynamic receiver in 2023 Draft may haunt Patriots forever

The 2023 Draft was highly anticipated for the New England Patriots for many reasons, but mostly because of their desirable positioning in the first round, which created the potential to snag one of the best receivers of the class.

Rumors had swirled about their fascination with Boston College's Zay Flowers, who reportedly had an extended visit with the team in pre-draft meetings. Based on the type of electric player he was, he was the definition of what the Patriots offense needed, especially for Mac Jones, who was coming off a disappointing 2022 season.

When New England was finally on the clock, it was announced they traded back three spots with the Steelers, and fortunately, Flowers was still available. As we know, Bill Belichick chose to go defensively with their first pick of the weekend, choosing standout cornerback Christian Gonzalez out of Oregon.

While the pick was met with high praise, even more so because it was shocking he fell to No. 17, it was hard to accept the decision to pass up on a game-changing offensive weapon the team desperately needed.

What made it even worse was seeing Flowers have a monstrous rookie season with the Ravens, with only sixth-round draft pick Puka Nacus putting together a better statistical year.

Given how poorly the Patriots' offense performed throughout the following season, it looks like they may have made a critical mistake by choosing to prioritize the defense once again.

Passing on dynamic receiver in 2023 Draft may haunt Patriots forever

By all accounts, the stars seemed aligned for Flowers to become the next New England Patriot. He was favored to land with the team for much of the offseason and his addition would've made him the instant WR1 they had been looking for.

Although Gonzalez looked impressive in the four games he played before suffering a season-ending injury, the offense was in worse shape and would have greatly benefitted from Flowers's presence.

Had he been on the team last season, it's unlikely he would have been capable of single-handedly making a significant difference since the quarterback play was putrid. However, he has the ability to put them in a better position throughout the season and would have been a leading force for the offense this year, as well.

Because the team still needs an imposing receiver to lead the offense, it would have been great to have Flowers on the roster right now. It might be a decision they'll regret for some time until the offense becomes more formidable, even if Gonzalez looks like he'll be a shutdown cornerback in the league for a long time.

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