The Patriots infused their roster with much needed juice during the NFL Draft, adding mostly elite athletes with their 12 picks who more often than not addressed serious needs.
Come summer, the position competition in training camp should be the fiercest it’s been since 2019. Here’s how the Pats’ roster breaks down near the end of spring:
Mac Jones, Bailey Zappe, Trace McSorley, Malik Cunningham
Until further notice, Jones will start and Zappe should be his primary backup for a second straight season. McSorley offers a mobile option off the bench, and could be a practice-squad candidate come the regular season. Cunningham is reportedly open to a position change, and after running a 4.5 at the NFL Combine — among other elite testing numbers — he could be athletic enough to make the switch.
Rhamondre Stevenson, James Robinson, Ty Montgomery, Pierre Strong, Kevin Harris, J.J. Taylor
One of the most straightforward positions on the roster. Stevenson and Robinson should form a nice 1-2 punch, while all the others sit squarely on the roster bubble. Montgomery is entering a contract year after a season-ending injury in the 2022 opener. Strong and Harris are intriguing candidates to make a Year 2 leap, especially Strong given his 4.3 speed.
JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne, Tyquan Thornton, Kayshon Boutte, Tre Nixon, Demario Douglas, Lynn Bowden Jr.
Smith-Schuster and Parker project to be the Patriots’ No. 1 and No. 2 receivers, respectively, entering training camp. As for the rest? Bourne is coming off his worst season as a veteran, Thornton underwhelmed as a rookie, Boutte comes with a history of spotty effort and Douglas clears 5-foot-9 on a good day. However, the Patriots did upgrade their talent here over the offseason, specifically adding explosive players who are more capable of gaining yards after the catch.
Hunter Henry, Mike Gesicki, Matt Sokol, Scotty Washington, Johnny Lumpkin
Don’t be surprised to see the Patriots add to this group before their first preseason game, with all four veterans entering contract years. Henry is the clear-cut starter, while Gesicki should functionally serve as a big wide receiver and rarely play in-line. Sokol is a sleeper candidate to make the final 53, and the team just signed Lumpkin, an undrafted rookie.
Trent Brown, Riley Reiff, Calvin Anderson, Conor McDermott, Yodny Cajuste, Andrew Stueber
The only certainty here is Brown will start at left or right tackle. Aside from that, Reiff and Anderson received enough money in free agency to virtually guarantee them roster spots. McDermott and Cajuste are fighting uphill battles for the swing tackle job, and Stueber is an unknown after spending most of last year as a seventh-round rookie on the Non-Football Injury list.
David Andrews, Cole Strange, Mike Onwenu, Jake Andrews, Sidy Sow, Atonio Mafi, James Ferentz, Chasen Hines, Kody Russey, Bill Murray
If there ever was such a thing, it’s a new era for backup interior O-linemen in New England. With Strange, David Andrews and Onwenu entrenched as starters, Jake Andrews and Sow should make the team on draft status alone. Mafi could beat out one or both of them as the primary backup to both guard spots, a job Ferentz once held but shouldn’t much longer entering his age-34 season. Ferentz figures to land on the chopping block, where it’s likely he’ll have company in Hines and Russey, 2022 rookies who combined to play zero snaps last season.
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Davon Godchaux, Deatrich Wise, Christian Barmore, Lawrence Guy, Carl Davis, Daniel Ekuale, Sam Roberts, Jeremiah Pharms Jr.
Godchaux, Wise and Barmore are locks, with Guy close behind as a multi-year starter and leader on this defense. However, he averaged close to as many snaps per game as Barmore did last season. If the 2021 second-rounder can continue to grow as a run defender, Barmore could make Guy, 33, expendable as a surprise cut. That would likely require simultaneous strong camps from Davis, a veteran backup, and Roberts, a recent sixth-round pick, but the depth is here to force hard decisions.
Matt Judon, Josh Uche, Keion White, Anfernee Jennings, Ronnie Perkins, Jeremiah Pharms Jr.
Another easy projection, Judon, Uche, White and Jennings will make the team barring injury or a surprise trade. White's training camp should be one of the most fascinating to follow, considering his freak strength and mature game. As a prospect, he was billed as a strong edge-setter, which could earn him rotational snaps on early downs, while Uche again eats up reps in obvious pass-rushing situations.
Ja'Whaun Bentley, Jahlani Tavai, Raekwon McMillan, Chris Board, Mack Wilson, Calvin Munson, Terez Hall, Olakunle Fatukasi
Bentley emerged as a legitimate three-down player last year, and since then, the front office opted to run it back by re-signing McMillan and Wilson. The Pats also added Board, a former Detroit Lion whom Belichick called as good as any special team player he faced last year. His presence makes it difficult to see any linebacker outside the top four making the team, especially considering how often the Patriots play a box safety responsible for covering running backs and tight ends.
Jonathan Jones, Christian Gonzalez, Jack Jones, Marcus Jones, Myles Bryant, Shaun Wade, Isaiah Bolden, Amer Speed, Quandre Mosely, Randle Rodney
Christian Gonzalez is the perfect rookie to slide into this group, a 6-foot-2, 199-pounder who looks like and tested as if he was built in a lab for cornerbacks. He could start opposite Jonathan Jones or Jack Jones, who will occupy one starting spot. Jonathan Jones could also move to safety as Jalen Mills reportedly has, leaving little perimeter corner depth behind. Marcus Jones projects as the team's next starting nickelback, while rookies Bolden and Speed will have to carve out a role on special teams.
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Kyle Dugger, Adrian Phillips, Jabrill Peppers, Jalen Mills, Marte Mapu, Joshuah Bledsoe, Brad Hawkins
The Patriots will look to replace everything Devin McCourty brought as the glue of their secondary, quarterback of their defense and last line of defense by rotating players into his old free safety position. Dugger could be headed for a Pro Bowl campaign in a contract year, while Phillips remains as steady as ever and Peppers finally began to harness his physicality and talent a year ago as a box safety. Mapu's body type — 6-foot-3 and 221 pounds — for now makes him a box safety in Belichick's defense, but it's possible the team will try him at linebacker outright. Mills could play several positions this year, from outside corner to nickelback to safety.
K Nick Folk, K Chad Ryland, P Bryce Baringer, P Corliss Waitman, LS Joe Cardona, ST Matthew Slater, ST Brenden Schooler, ST Cody Davis, ST Raleigh Webb, ST Jourdan Heilig
If the Patriots don't field a top-10 special teams unit, it will be a colossal failure. They prioritized impact special-teamers during free agency (re-signing Slater and Davis and adding Board) — and the draft with Ameer Speed and Isaiah Bolden. They've powered up their kicker and punter positions, adding the two strongest legs in the draft with Ryland and Baringer. And between Bolden, Marcus Jones and sixth-round rookie receiver Demario Douglas, there are now returners galore on this roster.