NFL Power Rankings: New England Patriots looking mediocre post-draft
The NFL has been a whirlwind of shocking trades and intriguing free agent signings this offseason, but for the New England Patriots it has been both underwhelming and head scratching as to what the team did not do to improve the team.
Then, there was the 2022 NFL Draft where Bill Belichick and the Patriots were expected to at least draft positions of need. While they kind of did that, who they selected and where they selected those players made the draft a head-scratcher as well.
It was those sections and the lack of moves that dropped them four spots to No. 17 in the post-draft NFL Power Rankings.
New England Patriots have fallen further behind in the AFC arms race
In his NFL Power Rankings column, Dan Hanzus dove into Belichick’s questionable draft that started with a strange selection at the end of the first round:
"“The Patriots’ first-round selection of Chattanooga guard Cole Strange was deemed a significant reach by the draft community, but let’s not act surprised when Strange is anchoring the interior of the New England line in 2030. Yes, we still respect the football acumen of The Hooded One. That said, the Pats feel shorthanded in the AFC’s arms race. Trade acquisition DeVante Parker was a nice weapon to add to an underwhelming wide receiver room, but we would’ve liked to see the Pats get aggressive and land one of the Big Six wideouts that came off the board in the first round in Vegas.”"
To add to Hanzus, the drafting of Strange and the acquisition of Parker may turn out to be hits for Bill Belichick, but with what almost every AFC East team has done this offseason through the draft, free agency and via draft has left the Patriots in the middle of the pack depending on a Year 2 leap from Mac Jones and younger players on the defensive side of the football who are mysteries at this point in the offseason.
Where the New England Patriots stand following 2022 NFL Draft
You can never count out Bill Belichick when it comes to roster building. While the New England Patriots have not done much in the offseason to surround Mac Jones with elite talent and upgrade the defense there are still moves out there to be made.
With that said, the team is middle of the pack looking up at many of their rivals in the entire AFC. With the star power that has moved around the league, particularly the AFC, the Patriots have fallen behind in the AFC arms race to a point where just contending for a playoff spot feels like a reach.
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But, again, it’s just May, and things can still change and the games till need to be played on the field. There are a lot of “If’s” with the Patriots current roster, but if just some of that talent breaks out, the 2022 NFL season could be a fun one for fans.
Along with some of that young talent, the New England Patriots need more from 2021 free agent additions Jonnu Smith and Nelson Agholor to play faster and be more productive in 2022. On defense they need for young linebacker talent like Josh Uche, Cameron McGrone, Anfernee Simmons, and Ronnie Perkins to step up and be factors.
The Patriots will also be depending on old friend Malcolm Butler to stabilize a secondary that took a severe hit when J.C. Jackson took his talent to Hollywood.
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Above all, the Patriots need to step it up when it comes to coaching. That seems odd considering the team has the great Bill Belichick running the ship. But, with no set defensive or offensive coordinator, it seems the team has no set plan heading into 2022.
Then again, when it comes to Belichick, there might be some mastermind plan in the works behind the scenes that will answer a lot of questions headlining the offseason thus far. At least, we hope so.