With the 2024 NFL Draft later this week, it's time to look back at who the Patriots drafted just one year ago. It was a draft class met with mixed reactions, from excitement over guys like Christian Gonzalez and (at first) Kayshon Boutte, to confusion regarding Bill Belichick's decision to trade up for a kicker in the fourth round.
Now that we've seen them play for an entire season, we can appropriately re-grade the draft based on their rookie peformances. Luckily, many of them appear to be great additions to the team for the long term.
Re-grading the Patriots 2023 NFL Draft class after one season
Round 1, Pick No. 17 - CB Christian Gonzalez, Oregon
Immediately considered one of the biggest draft steals of the class, the Patriots landing Christian Gonzalez even after trading down was completely unexpected. The former Oregon cornerback was projected to go in the top 5, with some analysts believing it was closer to the top 3, making him out of range for New England.
But when they were on the clock with No. 14, Gonzalez was still available. And then he remained on the board at pick 17, luckily falling into the Patriots' lap.
It was the perfect situation for all involved. The secondary needed a boost from a lockdown corner, and that's exactly what Gonzalez brought to the team through almost four games. He was all in during the first game of the season, recording seven combined tackles, a tackle for a loss, a quarterback hit, a pass defended, and even a sack.
After suffering an injury against the Cowboys in Week 4 that prematurely ended his season, he totaled 17 combined tackles, three passes defended, one interception, and a sack. His performance was so impressive that he quickly became the frontrunner to win Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Although he was expected to be good no matter what team drafted him, he proved to be worth all the hype and is expected to continue what he started this upcoming season as one of the starting cornerbacks on the team.
Grade: A+
Round 2, Pick No. 46 - DE Keion White, Georgia Tech
Starting his tenure with New England by going viral for looking less than enthused to hear his name called on Draft night, Keion White was selected to play a significant role in the pass rush, a part of the defense that basically ran through Matthew Judon and Matthew Judon alone.
Unfortunately, that's not exactly what happened.
White had an underwhelming rookie season, recording just 26 combined tackles, three tackles for a loss, five quarterback hits, and one sack. He was outshone by others on the defense, particularly once Judon went down with an injury, as many tried to take advantage of the unexpected opportunity to make an impact in his absence.
He had some good moments as a part of a dominant defense, displaying the potential he has with more training and development. But his performance didn't bolster the pass rush in the way that the team was probably hoping.
Coming into the 2024 season, White will have a year of experience under his belt to build upon with a new head coach and returning pass-rushing guru (Judon) to motivate and learn from. Because he has a lot of the tools to be successful, there's no reason to write him off just yet.
Grade: C
Re-grading the Patriots 2023 NFL Draft class after one season
Round 3, Pick No. 76 - LB/S Marte Mapu, Sacramento State
Upon his initial selection, there was a lot of hype surrounding all that Marte Mapu could bring to the Patriots defense. He was known for being a a Swiss army knife with experience lining up in nearly every defensive position throughout his college career.
He fit the Belichick mold to a T and performed accordingly during OTAs and mini camp. He made such a strong impression among his teammates early on that they couldn't help but rave about his potential and his dedication to getting better in every practice.
It inevitably made him a roster lock mid-summer and expectations were high for him once the season started. But for some reason, he was used more on special teams than defense, spending just 18% of snaps with the unit through 17 games.
Because of that, we didn't get to see much of what Mapu can do when he's fully integrated into the team, making it a bit difficult to really grade him. Fortunately, we saw flashes of greatness on the practice field last year, enough to be optimistic about what he will do in his second season.
Grade: C
Round 4, Pick No. 107 - OL Jake Andrews, Troy
Presumably selected to be the heir to David Andrews' throne, Jake Andrews only took the field for one game during the 2023 season. Because of that, there's no reason to grade him.
Grade: N/A
Round 4, Pick No. 112 - K Chad Ryland, Maryland
Bill Belichick shocked the NFL world when he traded up in the fourth round to select a kicker, one of the highest spots a player at that position has ever been drafted. Since the Patriots needed a younger kicker to eventually take over for Nick Folk, the move was criticized but somewhat understandable at the time.
The main issue was that the trade-up was for Chad Ryland, a good kicker but not necessarily one you move up in the draft for. It was initially believed that Belichick saw something most others didn't, which he became known for throughout his career.
More often than not, the coach saw potential in a player and could cultivate that out of them, but that wasn't the case with Ryland during the 2023 season.
Unfortunately for the rookie kicker, he was thrust into the starter role after Folk was surprisingly released during roster cutdowns, which ultimately came back to bite them. The veteran went on to have one of the best seasons of his career with the Titans, while Ryland struggled and contributed to several losses on the Patriots' schedule.
At the end of the year, Ryland missed nine field goals and one extra point, all of which prompted fans to demand his benching. It certainly shook his confidence and the hope is he will be much improved this year, but we'll have to wait and see.
Grade: D
Re-grading the Patriots 2023 NFL Draft class after one season
Round 4, Pick No. 117 - G Sidy Sow, Eastern Michigan
The offensive line needed to be prioritized in the 2023 Draft, similar to this year as well. But an eventual starter in Sidy Sow wasn't selected until the fourth round, bringing a lot of question marks to Belichick's decision to focus on the defense early on.
Because the o-line continued to be a problem throughout the following season, outside of mostly Mike Onwenu and a stretch of good play from Trent Brown, Sow was thrown to the wolves fairly quickly and started in 13 games. He mostly played at right guard, lining up there for 764 snaps, but also had a detour at left tackle for just 8 snaps during the year.
His performance throughout the season wasn't anything to rave about, but it wasn't bad enough to believe he couldn't be a solid fixture on the offensive line in the future. He allowed five sacks,, four hits, and 18 hurries, which isn't too great, yet he was far from the worst player of the unit.
With the O-line expected to be a focus in the draft this year, it's difficult to say where Sow will fit in for the 2024 season. He proved he had the potential to be an eventual starter, so we'll have to wait and see what Jerod Mayo ultimately decides.
Grade: C+
Round 5, Pick No. G Atonio Mafi, UCLA
Similar to the player taken just before him in the draft, Atonio Mafi was drafted to help improve a mediocre offensive line as the Patriots hoped to revamp their roster to set up for a more successful season.
We know that's not what happened, and a lot it is due to the shortcomings of the offense in particular, and perhaps one of the problems was throwing rookies into the mix before the were ready.
Like Sow, Mafi was one of those players expected to be a magical fix to a struggling offense, only to struggle to gain any footing due to the incompetent performances around him.
He allowed five sacks, three quarterback hits, and 24 hurries through 458 offensive snaps, spending most of the season at left guard in place of an injured Cole Strange. It's unclear whether Strange will be ready for the start of the 2024 season, so Mafi could be his replacement until he returns. But it seems clear he would be better off in a solid role than a rotating one.
Grade: C
Re-grading the Patriots 2023 NFL Draft class after one season
Round 6, Pick No. 187 - WR Kayshon Boutte, LSU
When the Patriots finally selected a wide receiver, waiting until the sixth round to do so, who they picked brought a bit of excitement. Kayshon Boutte had previously been projected as a first round player, but a weak final season at LSU significantly dropped his value, hence falling to the sixth round.
It was immediately deemed a potential steal of the draft for New England, with Boutte having all the potential in the world to get back to the player he had once been. Considering the position the team was in with their offense, desperately needing a boost from a great receiver, this was great news for Belichick.
After taking a backseat to DeMario Douglas during the summer, Boutte eventually brought the focus back to him as he impressed leading up to the season opener. He was given time in that first game against the Eagles, but ill-timed drops made a bad first impression.
The rest of the season didn't get much better. At the end of the year, he recorded just two receptions for 19 yards, an incredibly underwhelming performance.
Some of it can be blamed for the overall mess that the offense was, starting from the struggles at quarterback. But Boutte also just never got into a groove to make a real impact.
Heading into the 2024 season, it's unclear if he will make the final 53-man roster due to legal troubles he got into earlier this year. Regardless of how the situation turns out, it could ultimately lead to his release, which would make him a potential draft-bust candidate for New England.
Grade: C-
Round 6, Pick No. 192 - P Bryce Baringer, Michigan State
After the downfall of Jake Bailey and a suspension that led to his release, the Patriots needed a competent punter who would be less of a liability and more of a reliable special teams weapon.
Fortunately, they found that in the sixth round when Bryce Baringer was selected.
Unlike the issues that Ryland brought to the team through his struggles, Baringer made a difference on game day in the opposite way. He proved to have one of the strongest legs in the league, consistently nearly punting footballs out of stadiums in pre-game warmups. His consistency often put the defense in a better position to have a successful drive against the opposing offense.
Through 17 games, he recorded 98 punts totaling 4,598 yards, averaging 46.9 yards per punt. He allowed just eight touchbacks while landing 38 punts inside the opponent's 20-yard line. None of his punts were blocked, a significant upgrade from the season before, and Baringer became one of the most reliable players on the entire team.
How crazy is that to say out loud?
Grade: A
Re-grading the Patriots 2023 NFL Draft class after one season
Round 6, Pick No. 210 - WR DeMario Douglas, Liberty
One of the most pleasant surprises during the 2023 season was the rise of DeMario Douglas, who kicked off his impressive rookie season as soon as he took the field in Week 1.
Although his stats don't jump off the paper every week, Douglas became one of the most reliable pieces on the offense for Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe, bringing the boost the team needed at the right time in every game.
Because he was quickly integrated into the game plan every week, Douglas recorded 49 receptions for a team-high of 561 yards, averaging 11.4 yards per catch. His production brought a silver lining to an otherwise dismal season offensively, proving he could become a highlight of the receiving corps for years to come.
Douglas is expected to be a big part of the team moving forward, especially this upcoming season, whether Jacoby Brissett or a rookie quarterback is under center. He has an excellent season to build upon, and it'll be fun to watch what he can do in just his second year.
Grade: A+
Round 6, Pick No. 214 - CB Ameer Speed, Georgia
Ameer Speed was released by the Patriots in October, recording just three combined tackles before signing with the Colts.
Grade: N/A
Round 7, Pick No. 245 - CB Isaiah Bolden, Jackson State
Isaiah Bolden was injured before the start of the 2023 season, missing the entire year because of it.
Grade: N/A