This month, Eliot Wolf said the Patriots will be a “draft and develop” team.
That’s clearly the case after this weekend. The Patriots drafted eight players and reportedly signed an additional 10 undrafted free agents. That puts their roster at 89, leaving room for one more player.
The emphasis in this draft was obvious – the Patriots loaded up on offense, selecting seven offensive players with one player on defense. Head coach Jerod Mayo said the Patriots are happy with their defensive depth chart, so the goal was to load up their offense.
“It’s been nothing but a learning experience for me. We’ll see how this crop kind of turns out,” Mayo said. “But I’m excited about the players that we have, the players that we chose, and we’ll see how we can develop those guys.”
The Patriots have a long way to go before they’ll play in an actual game. Here’s a look at the Patriots current roster:
(* - denotes rookie)
Quarterback
- Jacoby Brissett, *Drake Maye, Bailey Zappe, Nathan Rourke, *Joe Milton III
This depth chart has undergone drastic changes. Brissett is still the favorite to start. Maye will be the Patriots most anticipated rookie since Drew Bledsoe. After seeing the team draft Milton, it makes us wonder if Bailey Zappe’s days are numbered.
Running back
- Rhamondre Stevenson, Antonio Gibson, Kevin Harris, Ja’Mychal Hasty, Ke’Shawn Vaughn, *DeShaun Fenwick
It was a minor surprise to see the Patriots not draft a running back, but they have good top-heavy depth with Stevenson and Gibson. Hasty or Vaughn could carve out a role as a receiving back. Fenwick was brought in as an undrafted free agent.
Wide receiver
- K.J. Osborn, Kendrick Bourne, Demario Douglas, JuJu Smith-Schuster, *Ja’Lynn Polk, *Javon Baker, Jalen Reagor, Tyquan Thornton, Kayshon Boutte, T.J. Luther, Kawaan Baker
The Patriots need receiver depth, but 11 players are a lot. Expect to see changes here. After drafting Polk and Baker, we also think Osborn, Bourne, and Douglas are locks. That could leave one spot for Smith-Schuster, Thornton, and Reagor. Will the Patriots eat money and move on from Smith-Schuster?
Tight end
- Hunter Henry, Austin Hooper, Mitchell Wilcox, La’Michael Pettway, *Jaheim Bell, *Jacob Warren
This depth chart arguably underwent the most changes. Hooper and Wilcox were signed to replace Mike Gesicki and Pharoah Brown. Wilcox only has $20,000 in guarantees, so he’s a bubble player. Bell could play fullback. Warren was signed as an undrafted free agent.
Offensive tackle
- Michael Onwenu, Chukwuma Okorafor, *Caedan Wallace, Calvin Anderson. Vederian Lowe, Conor McDermott, Tyrone Wheatley Jr., Andrew Stueber, *Zuri Henry
This is the most scrutinized position on the team. Trent Brown is gone and the leaders to start at left tackle are Okorafor and Wallace, both of whom are experienced right tackles. The Patriots have nine players here and it’ll be fascinating to see how it turns out.
Interior offensive line
- David Andrews, Cole Strange, Sidy Sow, *Layden Anderson, Nick Leverett, Atonio Mafi, Michael Jordan, Jake Andrews, *Charles Turner
This could be interesting. Other than David Andrews, there could be some changes here. Strange is still recovering from a knee injury. Anderson, a right guard, was drafted high in the fourth round. That suggests the Patriots see him as a starter. Sow was solid as a right guard. Leverett and Jordan have also started at left guard in the NFL, so there’s a lot of competition here.
Edge rusher/Defensive end
- Matthew Judon, Josh Uche, Anfernee Jennings, Deatrich Wise, Keion White, Sam Roberts, William Bradley King, *John Morgan
The Patriots have great depth here. If Judon can stay healthy, it’ll open opportunities for players like Uche, Jennings, and Wise. White’s development is another big storyline here as he has big potential.
Defensive tackle
- Davon Godchaux, Christian Barmore, Armon Watts, Daniel Eukuale, Jeremiah Pharms, Trysten Hill
The Patriots signed Barmore to a massive extension on Monday. With him and Godchaux, the defensive line is in good hands. Watts comes in and has a chance to play a bigger role with Lawrence Guy no longer on the roster.
Linebacker
- Ja’Whaun Bentley, Jahlani Tavai, Sione Takitaki, Raekwon McMillan, Christian Elliss, Joe Giles Harris, *Jontry Hunter, *Jett Bush
Bentley and Tavai are coming off really solid seasons. The Patriots lost Mack Wilson in free agency but were quick to replace him with Takitaki. With Mayo leading the charge and coaches Dont’a Hightower and Drew Wilkins brought in, expect the linebackers to be in good hands.
Cornerback
- Christian Gonzalez, Jonathan Jones, Marcus Jones, Alex Austin, *Marcellas Dial, Shaun Wade, Azizi Hearn, Isaiah Bolden, Marco Wilson, *Mikey Victor, *Kaleb Ford-Dement
The Patriots have some questions here. Gonzalez and Marcus Jones missed most of last season due to injury. Jonathan Jones played hurt for most of 2023 and had offseason surgery. The Patriots will need someone to step up and provide depth. That could be Austin or their sixth-round pick, Dial.
Safety
- Kyle Dugger, Jabrill Peppers, Jaylinn Hawkins, Marte Mapu, Josh Bledsoe, *Dell Pettus
This group lost experience with the departures of Adrian Phillips and Jalen Mills. They brought in Hawkins, who has experience. One question is whether Mapu will stick at safety or move to linebacker. The team signed Pettus as an undrafted free agent and he’s a sleeper candidate to make the roster.
Special teams
- Chad Ryland, Joe Cardona, Bryce Baringer, Brenden Schooler
One of the biggest surprises this offseason is that the Patriots haven’t brought in competition for Ryland. He finished last in the NFL in field goal percentage last season. We’ll see if the Patriots sign anyone before training camp. They invited kicker Vince Blanchard to their rookie minicamp.