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New England Patriots: Post-draft analysis of 2020 offense

By Michael DeVito

NASHVILLE, TN - AUGUST 17: Jarrett Stidham #4 of the New England Patriots points to the defense at the line of scrimmage during a game against the Tennessee Titans during week two of the preseason at Nissan Stadium on August 17, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. The Patriots defeated the Titans 22-17. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN - AUGUST 17: Jarrett Stidham #4 of the New England Patriots points to the defense at the line of scrimmage during a game against the Tennessee Titans during week two of the preseason at Nissan Stadium on August 17, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. The Patriots defeated the Titans 22-17. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /
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An analysis of the New England Patriots 2020 offense following the 2020 NFL Draft.

The 2020 NFL draft is history. The picks are all in. And the New England Patriots are all-in, on their defense.  The draft was top-heavy on the defensive side of the football, exactly the opposite side of where it should have been focused.

Contrary to this observer’s opinion, the Patriots chose to use their top picks on defenders. An argument can certainly be made that losing significant contributors on that side of the ball necessitated that posture. I didn’t.

The Patriots 2019 defense was good. Maybe even the top-rated. But it folded when it mattered, against the top teams it played. And that’s all that counts.

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Filling in for lost components of that squad like Kyle Van Noy, Jamie Collins, Danny Shelton and Elandon Roberts makes sense. But not in your top three picks. The focus had to have been and should have been the offense. It wasn’t. It should have included drafting a new quarterback with a premium pick. It didn’t. That’s why the draft was a colossal failure.

Even the great Tom Brady couldn’t bring this deficient offense last season deep into the playoffs. Or even into a bye-week, a usual occurrence during his tenure in New England. They were that poor.

But, instead of moving aggressively to remedy that situation, especially with the departure of the greatest safety valve in the history of the National Football League, Tom Brady, the Patriots personnel team chose the opposite course. They chose to go defense first. A bad choice.

New England’s offense after the draft is not materially better than last season’s poor offense. What have they done to augment it? Not much, really. They at least did draft two tight ends. Finally. But they reached for both and neither are very inspiring. So in the skill positions, my verdict is that they really did almost nothing.

Whither the New England Patriots’ offense in 2020

So, here’s what the New England Patriots offense is left with after the draft in 2020.

Quarterback: Jarrett Stidham (essentially an untested rookie) and Brian Hoyer a journeyman. Grade: D.

Running backs: A great receiver in James White and mediocre runners in Sony Michel, Rex Burkhead, Damien Harris and Brandon Bolden. But a terrific set of fullbacks in James Develin (assuming he’s healthy) and their best free-agent pick-up, Danny Vitale. Vitale can do a lot more than block. Grade: C (due to the fullbacks).

Wide Receivers: The great Julian Edelman, Mohammed Sanu, N’Keal Harry, Jacobi Meyers, Damiere Byrd and Gunnar Olszewski. Grade: C+ (Julian Edelman).

Tight ends: Devin Asiasi, Dalton Keene, Matt LaCosse. Grade: C-.

Offensive line: David Andrews, Joe Thuney (maybe), Shaq Mason, Isaiah Wynn and Marcus Cannon as starters. Michael Onwunu as back up guard. Grade: B+.

So there it is. The 2020 New England Patriots’ offense which will spread fear into the hearts of, well, no one.

Overall Grade: C.

The 2020 Season’s prospectus for the New England Patriots offense and team

An article postulated that the 2020 NFL draft presented perhaps the most important decision in Bill Belichick’s coaching career. His post-Tom Brady draft and direction. It speculated that Bill Belichick could take a new and exciting direction by drafting an RPO quarterback with multi-role skills and move forward into the new direction of NFL offenses. He didn’t.

Belichick chose to stay the course with what had brought him success in the past, a draft strategy that almost defies understanding and which in 2020 focused on an area of strength rather an area of need on the team. In this case, it focused on defense in the first 3 picks rather than on offense the most glaring area of need. But he neglected to factor in one thing, the greatness of Tom Brady.

The resulting relatively similar offense to 2019 bodes ill for New England. Even Tom Brady had great difficulty bringing this offense into focus. But the Patriots evidently believe that a slightly altered offense led by Jarrett Stidham can do better. I beg to differ. It won’t.

The Patriots’ offense as currently constituted in my opinion is a bottom tier offense and will finish well beneath the Buffalo Bills in the AFC East. Buffalo is a franchise on the rise. New England is heading in the other direction.

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The post-Brady Patriots had an opportunity to move forward into the new NFL with a dynamic new offense predicated on speed, stealth, versatility, and deception. It won’t. Instead, they chose to stand pat in the old ways. It won’t work.

The Patriots are seeking to retain the status quo with an offense built around and predicated upon the brilliance of Tom Brady.

But unfortunately, that brilliance is no longer available to the New England Patriots. That Brady offense now relies on others to implement it. They will not be up to the task.

Patriots fans, brace yourselves. This won’t be pretty. It’s a long fall to the bottom. But now, it’s inevitable. I doubt we will enjoy the ride.

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