What experts think of the Patriots through too early mock drafts

Seemingly by the time the on-stage Mr. Irrelevant ceremony finished and everyone walked off stage, we could see projections of who the New England Patriots will select in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Mock drafts have always been futile exercises, but producing them in May is a ridiculous waste of time. Ranking the top prospects is one thing. Projecting who teams will select is just absurd.

But they do them. Experts from Pro Football Focus, CBS Sports and practically the whole roster from The Draft Network keep pumping them out, with zero regards to actual results.

There are clues to what experts think of the 2022 New England Patriots in these too early mock drafts

Before the ball was snapped in Hard Rock Stadium, people projected New England’s biggest need. It seemed like a lot of these mocks were based more on the 2021 Patriots than the 2022 edition.

These mocks don’t take into consideration the roster adjustments that will happen over the course of the 2022 season. Injuries happen, so they have to find replacements/depth. Sometimes unexpected rookies become starters, or even stars. The mid-season trade deadline will significantly augment some teams. And after the season there’s free agency.

And fully knowing they will be very wrong, they produce mock drafts.

Very well. I’ll play along. My curiosity is more about finding the players to watch during the NCAA football season. Mock drafts are just entertainment, especially right now. But the general feel from a lot of mocks aren’t flattering for the Patriots: