It's no secret that the last handful of Patriots drafts hasn't exactly pleased the fans, nor did a majority of those selected perform well once suiting up for New England.
A few players, in particular, stand out as the biggest mistakes, like N'Keal Harry, who Bill Belichick will likely never be able to defend choosing for the rest of time. But the receiver wasn't the only disappointing part about that draft class.
As of the 2023 offseason, none of the players taken in the 2019 draft remain with the Patriots. Damien Harris and Jake Bailey were the last of that class, but both signed elsewhere this offseason.
Other than that draft from four years ago, there are a couple of additional years where the Patriots made some head-scratching decisions, so let's review the players they could have drafted over the last five years.
Lamar Jackson in 2018
The 2018 draft, more specifically the first round of the 2018 draft, will likely be discussed for the next several years or until the Patriots finally find the definitive successor to Tom Brady.
It was a year they were projected to draft a quarterback, as they did basically every other year during Brady's tenure. Because of their meetings with Jackson and their reported heavy interest in the quarterback, it was assumed Bill Belichick would make the move and draft their next quarterback.
The Patriots were on the clock for the first time with the 23rd overall pick but chose to take Isaiah Wynn instead of Jackson. But since they had another first-round selection with pick 31, there was still hope they could land the quarterback then.
Then came pick 31.
The opportunity was in their grasp, waiting for the taking. But New England chose to go with Sony Michel, a running back out of Georgia. Because of this, the Ravens then traded up to the final spot of the first round to take Jackson, solidifying potentially one of the biggest draft mistakes of Belichick's career.
Although Michel went on to become a significant part of the Patriots' 2018 Super Bowl run and contributed heavily to the run game the following year, his time with the team only lasted through the 2020 season.
As for Wynn, he was a starter for the offensive line until he was not re-signed earlier this year. His performance had been scrutinized over the past few seasons, as he became more of a liability for the offensive line than helpful.
In regards to Jackson, he's become one of the more successful quarterbacks in the league since signing with the Ravens.
He has earned several awards, like MVP and All-Pro honors in 2019, and was selected for the Pro Bowl in 2019 and 2021. And he's also broken several records for his groundwork, totaling 4,437 rushing yards over the last five seasons.
The idea of the quarterback landing in New England kicked back up again earlier this year when the Ravens allowed Jackson to seek a trade, with even Robert Kraft making public statements suggesting he would like to see him sign with the Patriots.
Would he have been a good fit in the Patriots' system? Who knows. But what we do know is he would've been a solid contributor and a possible great successor to Brady when the quarterback left after the 2019 season.
Deebo Samuel in 2019
One of the most exclaimed comments during a Patriots game over the last four years has been something like, "The Patriots could have drafted (receiver name) instead of N'Keal Harry."
Now that Harry is no longer on the team, we may not hear this sentence as much. But since New England is still on the hunt for their tried and true WR1, it's possible we'll not hear the end of this argument until that happens.
One of the receivers that have been a constant in that conversation is Deebo Samuel.
At the time of New England's first-round selection at pick 32, they had some incredible wide receiver options, including Samuel, with whom they had a reportedly great pre-draft visit, so much so that Samuel posted on his social media accounts that he would see Belichick in a month.
Unfortunately, that didn't happen, as Belichick stunned the universe and chose Harry instead.
It will inevitably be one of the biggest flubs by Belichick in his entire coaching career, especially since Harry was quickly deemed a bust and Samuel has become one of the best dual-threat offensive weapons in the league.
In his first four seasons, Samuel has totaled 223 receptions for 3,230 yards and 12 touchdowns while averaging 14.5 yards per catch. Additionally, he's totaled 123 rush attempts for 782 yards and 14 touchdowns while averaging 6.4 yards per carry.
Because of his production on the field, Samuel is a one-time Pro Bowler named a First-Team All-Pro in 2021. Meanwhile, Harry contributed to the Patriots with 57 receptions for 598 yards and four touchdowns through 33 games.
Referring to passing on Samuel as a giant mistake is putting it lightly, especially when looking at where the Patriots find themselves right now.
A.J. Brown in 2019
To add more salt to the wound that was the 2019 draft mistakes, the Patriots not only passed up on Deebo Samuel but also looked the other way on A.J. Brown.
To make matters worse, Belichick passed on Brown twice, once when picking N'Keal Harry in the first round and again when drafting Joejuan Williams with pick 45, as Brown wasn't taken by the Titans until pick 51.
Like Samuel, the Patriots also had pre-draft meetings with Brown, as he was a projected first-round pick at the time. Although the receiver didn't take to social media to share how the meeting went, there was hope an impressive receiver like Brown could land in New England and help significantly boost a lackluster receiving corps.
But as fate would have it, Brown went to the Titans and exploded onto the scene immediately.
In three seasons, he totaled 185 receptions for 2,995 yards and 24 touchdowns, averaging an incredible 16.2 yards per reception. He became Tennessee's go-to guy on offense and was widely considered one of the best receivers in the league, and he still is to this day.
Brown was traded to the Eagles in 2022 and had the best season of his career, earning his second Pro Bowl selection and playing in a Super Bowl in the first year with his new team.
As we know, the Patriots traded Harry last year, and because of a season-ending injury before the 2022 season began, Williams was not re-signed and has since signed with the Vikings.
Tee Higgins in 2020
The Patriots' 2020 draft was an interesting one, despite some of the big misses with their later-round picks. To date, Kyle Dugger, Josh Uche, and Michael Onwenu are the most successful of the selections, but it's hard to ignore who they passed up on to attain some of these players.
New England initially had the 23rd overall pick, which they could have used to trade up to attain a star like Justin Jefferson before the Vikings could snatch him up just one pick before them. Instead, Belichick traded out of round one with the Chargers in exchange for Los Angeles' second and third-round picks.
But what if they had stayed at pick 23?
Although Dugger has the potential to be a pillar of the Patriots' defense for years to come, let's imagine the idea of the Patriots staying with the pick they had and going with an offensive weapon instead.
Had that happened, the wide receiver issue that has continued to drag them down could have been solved by taking Tee Higgins, who was still on the board until the Bengals took him with the first pick in round two.
Maybe he isn't the WR1 that everyone has been clamoring for over the years, but he would've certainly been an upgrade with who was on the roster then. And he would've elevated a stale 2020 offense that Cam Newton was forced to try and make something happen with.
Not to mention, we wouldn't be sitting here in 2023 hoping that DeAndre Hopkins will choose to sign with New England because Higgins would've already been on the roster. But here we are.
Higgins has thrived since signing with Cincinnati, even after they drafted Ja'Marr Chase the following year and immediately became the go-to receiver. In three seasons, Higgins has totaled 215 receptions for 3,028 yards and 19 touchdowns, averaging 14.1 yards per catch.
Imagine how much the Patriots' offense could have benefitted from a receiver like that.
John Metchie III in 2022
This choice may shock some people since he is yet to take the field in the NFL, but the idea of the Patriots signing one of Mac Jones' Alabama teammates is too good to pass up.
Who doesn't love a successful college quarterback and receiver reunion?
We've seen the success of that over the years, and unfortunately, Belichick passed on the opportunity in last year's draft. Besides Slade Bolden, who went undrafted, Metchie was one of Jones' best weapons throughout college, especially for the championship-winning 2020 season.
Because a lack of quality receivers has been an issue for New England over the years and is consistently mentioned when discussing Jones' performance as the quarterback, reuniting him and Metchie could have been a recipe for success from the start.
Although Metchie had to sit out of his rookie season due to cancer treatment, he is expected to make his NFL debut this fall with the Texans. Had he landed with the Patriots, his presence on the field could be something fans were looking forward to for more than just one reason.
Metchie could have been quickly integrated into a Patriots offense that needs more talent at receiver. Because he already has a rapport with the quarterback, it probably wouldn't take long for magic to happen offensively.