The Patriots have the makings of a special rookie class based on early returns this summer.

Internally, the team is optimistic about their 2023 NFL Draft picks while acknowledging it’s still very early in the summer. But the qualities they liked on college tape have been showing up so far in training camp.

Here’s what we’ve seen this summer from each member of the Patriots’ 12-man draft class and the team’s three remaining undrafted rookies.

It would be a shock if the 2023 first-round pick wasn’t a Day 1 starter for the Patriots. Gonzalez has been running with the first team and tested by covering the team’s best wide receivers. Has it been perfect? No, but that’s not to be expected out of rookie. Gonzalez has been beaten. But he’s also made impressive pass breakups over the Patriots’ big, physical wide receivers. And the Patriots’ defensive sideline blew up Thursday when Gonzalez laid the lumber on wide receiver Raleigh Webb for a tackle for loss. In the same practice, Gonzalez was beaten on a long play to wide receiver Tre Nixon. Still, returns are positive for Gonzalez early as he runs with the first team. He has three pass breakups in training camp, which is tied for second-most on the team.

White came on strong late in the week with a decisive win in 1-on-1 drills against Patriots offensive lineman Conor McDermott. Then he stood out again in Thursday’s practice with two would-be sacks. White has been a regular on the second-team defense and should find a role as a situational pass rusher in 2023. He has five would-be sacks in practice, which is the most on the team.

Patriots safety Adrian Phillips has played with some impressive linebackers and safeties throughout his nine-year career, and even he can’t remember someone like Mapu, who’s 6-foot-3, 230 pounds and can play anywhere from linebacker to free safety. Mapu is still donning a red non-contact jersey but hopes to shed it soon. Mapu is seeing reps with the first-team, second-team and scout-team defenses and showed off his length with a leaping pass-breakup in practice last week. He also appears to have a future on special teams. Listed officially as a linebacker, Mapu warmed up with defensive backs before Friday night’s simulated scrimmage.

Andrews is the first of three offensive linemen the Patriots picked on Day 3 of the draft. He finished his career at Troy as a center but also spent time at left and right guard in college. The fourth-round pick has mostly played guard early in camp, but he moved back over to center Friday in the Patriots’ annual night practice. Even with starters Cole Strange and Mike Onwenu out, Andrews was repping behind guards Atonio Mafi, Kody Russey and Bill Murray during padded practices. The expectation is that he’ll be starter David Andrews’ backup at center.

Ryland is switching off days with veteran kicker Nick Folk. The main thing that stands out about Ryland is that he has a much more active leg than the 38-year-old Folk. If Ryland can keep his accuracy in check, it’s his job to lose. He was 3-of-4 in Friday night’s practice, hitting field goals from 48, 43 and 42 yards while missing a 45-yard attempt off the right upright.

The Eastern Michigan product spent the majority of his college career at guard, but the Patriots had a bigger need at tackle, and the 6-foot-5, 318-pounder fits the bill. When asked why the Patriots liked him at tackle over guard, head coach Bill Belichick said, “I just feel like that’s the right spot for us.” Sow has been playing right tackle on the second-team offense. He’d likely move down to the scout team if Trent Brown and Calvin Anderson were practicing.

Among the three rookie offensive linemen, Mafi, a converted defensive tackle at UCLA, has seen the most work with the first team offense. He’s played left and right guard with Strange and Onwenu out and has held his own. The 6-foot-3, 330-pound offensive lineman has a similar build to Onwenu. It appears that he’ll be the Patriots’ top reserve guard this season.

He said it himself, the former LSU wide receiver got off to a slow start in training camp. But he came on strong last week with his true breakout on Wednesday, catching three passes in competitive drills. He continued the hot streak on Thursday with a touchdown catch in the corner of the end zone on pass from Bailey Zappe. It’s tough to take away much from Friday’s half-speed simulated scrimmage, but he did bring some energy with a late touchdown catch. Don’t write Boutte off the roster just yet.

Baringer, like Ryland, has a big leg and a step on the veteran competition, veteran Corliss Waitman. Baringer has been clocked by punting enthusiasts with hang times in the five-second range. He booted a 65-yard punt Friday night in Gillette Stadium.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of camp, Douglas’ speed and quickness has really stood out. Ask any Patriots player about Douglas, and they’ll rave about his abilities on the field and his personality off of it. Douglas has received first-team work but caught just one pass from starting quarterback Mac Jones. He’s been a target vacuum for Zappe, however, on the second team. Douglas will likely start out as a backup but could make a push for the slot role.

The Patriots took two tall, speedy cornerbacks with their final two picks of the 2023 NFL Draft. Speed saw some time with the second-team defense at cornerback Thursday after Jack Jones departed practice early. Speed has also shown promise on special teams and moved around the defense for some scout-team reps at safety. Speed is a rare athlete at 6-foot-3, 209 pounds with a clocked 40-yard dash of 4.34 seconds. He could be a Day 1 special teamer who the Patriots could develop on defense thanks to his traits.

Bolden spent the early part of training camp playing on the second- and scout-teams. On Thursday he got first-team reps opposite Gonzalez and broke up a deep pass intended for starting wide receiver DeVante Parker. Bolden, like Speed, has an impressive size-speed combo at 6-foot-2, 201 pounds with a 4.35-second 40-yard dash. Cornerbacks with this type of height and speed are hard to find. He has an interception and two pass breakups in camp.

Cunningham is still listed as a quarterback, but most of his offensive snaps have come at wide receiver as he makes a position switch. He’s shown up in 1-on-1 drills since pads have come on. He’s also surprisingly taken reps as a gunner on the backup punt team. He’s not an experienced tackler, but he has the speed and size for a special-teams role.

Lumpkin had made some catches early in camp but was limited Thursday while wearing a red non-contact jersey. Lumpkin, at 6-foot-6, 268 pounds, is the team’s biggest tight end. He could serve as practice-squad depth early in his career.

Heilig is a dark-horse candidate for a roster spot. Matthew Slater and special teams coordinator Cam Achord spend a lot of time working with Heilig while the rest of the team focuses on competitive offensive and defensive drills. That’s the benefit of not having a role on offense or defense. Heilig barely played defense at Appalachian State. Patriots special teams coaches caught wind of him and convinced the team to sign him as an undrafted free agent. Heilig had been considering transferring and didn’t have an agent.