As a lead-up to the 2023 NFL draft, we've broken down the current depth chart of every NFL team and identified the biggest draft and team needs for the New England Patriots.
You can find additional team-by-team draft needs articles and other draft content on our 2023 NFL Draft hub.
Who did the Patriots pick in the NFL Draft?
The New England Patriots selected Christian Gonzalez (CB, Oregon) with the 17th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
The Patriots added Keion White (EDGE, Georgia Tech) with the 46th pick.
New England selected Marte Mapu (S, Sacramento State) with the 76th pick.
Patriots Draft Needs: Top Positions of Need in 2023
- Offensive Tackle
- Cornerback
- Wide Receiver
What Picks do the New England Patriots have in 2023?
The New England Patriots have 11 picks in the 2023 NFL Draft, including:
- Round 1 (14)
- Round 2 (46)
- Round 3 (76)
- Round 4 (107)
- Round 4 (117)
- Round 4 (135)
- Round 6 (184)
- Round 6 (187)
- Round 6 (192)
- Round 6 (210)
- Round 7 (245)
New England Patriots Draft Capital Stats
Our Sharp Draft Value Rank is a valuation of draft capital based on a combination of average performance delivered and average dollars earned on second contracts.
This is based on two public models: performance delivered based on draft slot (the AV model created by Chase Stuart) and contractual earnings in non-rookie deals based upon draft slot (the OTC model created by Brad Spielberger and Jason Fitzgerald).
- Patriots Sharp Draft Value Rank: 9 of 32 teams
- Patriots AV Model Draft Value Rank: 9 of 32 teams
- Patriots OTC Model Draft Value Rank: 8 of 32 teams
New England Patriots Draft Value vs Other Teams:
The Patriots' draft value is 18% higher than the league average of all 32 teams. Eight other teams have more draft value entering the 2023 NFL Draft.
New England Patriots Draft Prediction:
The Patriots are predicted to draft Peter Skoronski (OL, Northwestern) with their 1st-round pick (#14 overall) according to the most recent mock draft from Ryan McCrystal.
Another mock draft expert, Brendan Donahue, has the Patriots predicted to draft Christian Gonzalez (CB, Oregon) with their first-round pick according to his most recent mock draft.
New England Patriots Strength of Schedule, 2023
The New England Patriots have the hardest NFL strength of schedule for the 2023 NFL season.
New England Patriots Offense: Depth Chart, Analysis & Draft Needs
Rich Hribar breaks down the offensive depth chart by position for the New England Patriots, identifying areas where the team could improve in the upcoming 2023 NFL Draft.
2022 New England Patriots Offensive Rankings
Quarterback Depth Chart, Patriots:
- Mac Jones
- Bailey Zappe
- Trace McSorley
After a solid rookie season, Mac Jones took a full step backward in 2022.
Jones ended the season 29th out of 33 qualifying passers in expected points added per dropback (-0.09) and 29th in success rate (37.5%). After a 67.6% completion rate, 4.2% touchdown rate, and 7.3 yards per pass attempt during his rookie season, Jones completed 65.2% of his passes with a 3.2% touchdown rate and 6.8 Y/A.
To give Jones some benefit of the doubt, he missed three starts with an ankle injury, the Patriots once again lacked firepower among their pass catchers, and most importantly of all, the team entered last season not only without an offensive coordinator but let the offense run through Matt Patricia and Joe Judge.
While that is a good amount of excuse making for Jones in 2022 and he ultimately needs to play better, he now will be onto his third offensive coordinator in three seasons with New England bringing back Bill O’Brien.
There have been reports that New England shopped Jones this offseason. 2023 will be a major season in finding out what they have in Jones before they have the decision of picking up his fifth-year option entering the 2024 season.
Bailey Zappe started twice and appeared in four games as a rookie.
In his small sample, the Patriots won both of his starts, with Zappe completing 70.7% of his passes to go along with a 5.4% touchdown rate and 8.5 yards per pass attempt.
Running Back Depth Chart, Patriots:
- Rhamondre Stevenson
- James Robinson
- Pierre Strong
- Kevin Harris
- J.J. Taylor
- Ty Montgomery
- Lynn Bowden
Through injuries and an inexperienced depth chart, the Patriots had the rare season in which they were forced to largely be a one-back offense.
Rhamondre Stevenson accounted for 49.4% of the team's rushing attempts. That was the highest rate for a New England back since 2019 and the second-highest rate over the previous 10 seasons.
Stevenson handled 35.6% of the team touches, which was the highest rate for a New England back since 2016.
As a rusher, Stevenson averaged 5.0 yards per carry (sixth among all backs with 100 or more carries). He was more of a boom-or-bust runner as his 37.1% success rate ranked 27th among the same group. 14.3% of his carries gained 10 or more yards, which was sixth in the league, while his 3.81 yards after contact per carry was second, trailing only Tony Pollard.
As a pass catcher, Stevenson drew 88 targets, which was second on the team behind Jakobi Meyers. It was the third-most targets for a New England back over the past 30 seasons, trailing just two James White seasons. Only Austin Ekeler and Christian McCaffrey were targeted more out of the backfield last season.
The Patriots have rarely exited a recent draft without a running back. They have selected at least one back in four of the past five past drafts, which includes selecting a pair last season in Pierre Strong and Kevin Harris.
They should refrain from selecting one this season given Stevenson’s output as a workhorse and the young depth they acquired last season.
The team also added James Robinson, who will still only be 25 years old when the season kicks off.
Returning from an Achilles injury at the tail end of the 2021 season, Robinson came back strong to open the year for the Jaguars, rushing 51 times for 230 yards (4.5 YPC) and three touchdowns over the opening three games.
He then rushed 59 times for 195 yards (3.3 YPC) with zero touchdowns for the remainder of the season, was traded at the deadline to the Jets, and then was a healthy scratch for the final five weeks.
With a full offseason of recovery, the Patriots are hoping Robinson is a value signing.
Wide Receiver Depth Chart, Patriots:
- DeVante Parker
- JuJu Smith-Schuster
- Tyquan Thornton
- Kendrick Bourne
- Matthew Slater
- Raleigh Webb
- Tre Nixon
New England wideouts were once again in the bottom third of the league in production in 2022.
Patriot receivers combined for 297 targets (21st), 191 receptions (21st), and 2,421 yards (21st) but did catch 15 touchdowns (13th).
The team lost Jakobi Meyers via free agency this offseason, who led the team in targets (96), receiving yards (804), and touchdowns (six).
They are looking to replace most of his production with JuJu Smith-Schuster, who they signed to a three-year contract.
Smith-Schuster will still only turn 27 years old this November, coming off catching 78-of-101 targets for 933 yards and three touchdowns with the Chiefs last season.
Over the first eight games of the season, Smith-Schuster caught 44 passes for 582 yards and two scores.
Over his final 11 games, he caught 44 passes for 440 yards and one score.
He still can be an effective slot receiver. His 2.03 yards per route run against zone coverage ranked 20th among wideouts, but his 1.30 yards per route against man coverage ranked 84th.
DeVante Parker showed that he still does have some juice as a vertical outside receiver, averaging 17.4 yards per catch, the highest rate since his rookie season. But Parker failed to stay healthy once again and failed to be a significant target earner.
Parker missed four games due to injury, giving him just one complete season over his eight years in the league. He was targeted on just 14.9% of his routes, which ranked 102nd in the league at his position.
Parker turned 30 years old this January with only this season remaining on his contract.
The Patriots selected Tyquan Thornton in the second round (50th overall). His season got off to a slow start after he missed the opening four games due to a broken clavicle.
Returning from injury, Thornton caught 22-of-45 targets for 247 yards and two touchdowns with an added rushing touchdown over the final 13 games.
His 0.77 yards per route run ranked 122nd among 134 qualifying wide receivers over that stretch. The only rookies that he was ahead of over that span were David Bell and Brandon Johnson.
Thornton has enough draft capital to earn another extended runway in his second season, but the Patriots should be expected to add more target competition to this roster since Thornton is the only wideout here other than Smith-Schuster signed beyond this season.
Tight End Depth Chart, Patriots:
- Hunter Henry
- Mike Gesicki
- Matt Sokol
- Scotty Washington
After a productive season in 2021 with New England (50-603-9), Hunter Henry’s numbers declined across the board in 2022. He caught 41-of-59 targets for 509 yards and two touchdowns.
Henry played a higher snap rate (76% up from 68% in 2021), but not many pass catchers escaped the wake of this lackluster passing game a year ago.
Henry is in the final season of the three-year contract he signed with the team.
After the trade of Jonnu Smith, the team acquired Mike Gesicki on a one-year deal.
Gesicki was lost in Miami’s new offense in 2022, averaging just 1.9 receptions for 21.3 yards per game. His 52 targets were his fewest in a season since his rookie year. He played just 45% of the offensive snaps, his lowest rate since his rookie campaign.
Gesicki is a great athlete that has played more slot receiver than inline tight end over his career but has failed to live up to early expectations.
Since entering the league in 2019, Gesicki has played just 19.9% of his snaps at inline tight end, the lowest rate of all qualifying tight ends.
The Patriots do not have an immediate need here and given their recent draft picks and free agent signings at the position may be hesitant to invest again.
But with only Matt Sokol signed beyond this season and a potentially rich crop of players at the position, they could have a player they have a high grade on fall into one of their draft slots.
Offensive Line Depth Chart, Patriots:
LT: Trent Brown/Calvin Anderson/Andrew Steuber
LG: Cole Strange/James Ferentz/Bill Murray
C: David Andrews/Kody Russey
RG: Mike Onwenu/Chasen Hines
RT: Riley Reiff/Conor McDermott/Yodny Cajuste
The New England offensive line was a mediocre to subpar unit in 2022.
They ended the season 15th in ESPN’s pass block win rate (61%) and dead last in run block win rate (68%). Pro Football Focus gave them a higher pass blocking grade (12th), but a lower run blocking grade (20th) as a team.
New England’s most frequently used offensive line combination was on the field for just 33.7% of the offensive snaps in 2022, which ranked 22nd in the league.
Michael Onwenu, Cole Strange, and Trent Brown were able to play in all 17 games at their positions, but center and right tackle were impacted heavily with injuries.
Starting center David Andrews missed three games to injury while the Patriots used four different players at right tackle for over 100 snaps. Two of those players (Isaiah Wynn and Marcus Cannon) are no longer with the team.
The team signed veteran tackle Riley Reiff to a one-year contract to compete for snaps at the position, but he is not the long-term answer.
Reiff turns 35 years old in December of this season, has played for three different teams over the last three seasons, and has been part of the worst three offensive lines in the league in those years.
Last season with the Bears, Reiff was 56th in pressure rate allowed and 71st among tackles in collective grade at Pro Football Focus.
Andrews and Strange are signed for multiple seasons, but both Onwenu and Brown are in the final seasons of their deals.
Onwenu has been excellent in each of the past two seasons. After playing both left guard and right tackle in each of his first two years in the league, he played right guard exclusively in 2022.
He ended the season fourth in overall grade among guards, allowing pressure on just 2.4% of his protection snaps, which was third at his position.
Brown has been a mixed bag in his second stint with the Patriots. He was 56th among all tackles in pressure rate allowed in 2022 while ranking 52nd in run blocking grade at Pro Football Focus.
New England Patriots Defense: Depth Chart, Analysis & Draft Needs
Dan Pizzuta breaks down the defensive depth chart by position for the New England Patriots, identifying areas where the team could improve in the upcoming 2023 NFL Draft.
2022 New England Patriots Defensive Rankings
Interior Defensive Line Depth Chart, Patriots:
- Davon Godchaux
- Christian Barmore
- Lawrence Guy Sr.
- Daniel Ekuale
- Carl Davis Jr.
- Sam Roberts
Davon Godchaux has been a presence inside on the New England defensive line. He was third on the team in tackles that produced a positive play for the defense and 17.5% of his run snaps resulted in a tackle. That’s a solid number for a nose tackle.
Christian Barmore had a promising rookie season, but a knee injury that forced him to miss seven games in the middle of the year hampered his production. Still, when Barmore was on the field, 20% of his run snaps produced a tackle.
Lawrence Guy remains a consistent player along the line with 44.5% of the defensive snaps played. Guy has two years remaining on his contract but also just turned 33 years old in March.
EDGE Depth Chart, Patriots:
- Matthew Judon
- Deatrich Wise
- Josh Uche
- Anfernee Jennings
- Ronnie Perkins
- DaMarcus Mitchell
- Jeremiah Pharms Jr.
Matthew Judon continued to get better as a pass rusher in New England. Judon had 15.5 sacks and tied for fourth in the league with 28 quarterback hits.
It’s not just all pass rush, either. Judon has also been a plus run defender with eight run stuffs in 2022.
Deatrich Wise is a strong presence on the edge. He is not the type of player who is going to put up consistent pressure, but his impact plays are big.
Wise only had 11 quarterback hits but turned those into 7.5 sacks. He does set the edge in the run game and recorded a tackle on 16% of his run snaps.
Josh Uche is another player who converted a high rate of hits into sacks. On 14 quarterback hits, Uche recorded 11.5 sacks for an insanely high 82.5% conversion rate.
He is not likely to see that type of success on a per-hit basis, but with a bigger role on defense, his high-pressure rate signals he could put up more quarterback hits to soften the blow of regression.
Overall, the Patriots were fourth in pressure rate in 2022.
Off-ball Linebacker Depth Chart, Patriots:
- Ja’Whuan Bentley
- Jahlani Tavai
- Raekwon McMillan
- Mack Wilson Sr.
- Calvin Munson
- Chris Board
- Olakunle Fatukasi
- Terez Hall
Ja’Whuan Bentley was one of the best all-around linebackers in the league last season.
He tied for seventh in total tackles that produced a positive play for the defense and an outstanding 64.8% of his tackles resulted in a positive play. Bentley was also 13th among linebackers in yards allowed per coverage snap.
2023 is the final year of his current contract.
Jahlani Tavai played 50% of the defensive snaps but had an up-and-down season.
Just 47.8% of Tavai’s tackles produced a positive play for the defense, but he had a better performance in coverage, finishing 11th in yards allowed per coverage snap at the position.
No team used dime personnel more often than the Patriots (27.7%), and only four teams used base less often (9.4%) than the Patriots in 2022, per TruMedia. That makes the third linebacker spot less important than it might be on other teams.
Cornerback Depth Chart, Patriots:
- Jonathan Jones
- Jack Jones
- Marcus Jones
- Myles Bryant
- Shaun Wade
- Rodney Randle Jr.
- Quandre Mosely
The sum of the Patriots’ pass defense was better than the individual parts. New England was first in EPA per dropback but few cornerbacks stood out in coverage.
Jonathan Jones was 57th among outside cornerbacks in adjusted yards allowed per coverage snap. He led the position with 79% of the defensive snaps played.
It was expected he would leave in free agency, but the Patriots brought him back for a modest two-year deal.
Jack Jones played 40.2% of the defensive snaps as a fourth-round rookie. He was the best performer of the group, finishing 25th in adjusted yards allowed per coverage snap on the outside, but that was on limited playing time. Jack Jones could be the bright spot going forward.
Marcus Jones had some splash plays but was 76th among outside corners in adjusted yards allowed per coverage snap. Despite a 5-foot-8 frame, he played a majority of his defensive snaps out wide.
Myles Bryant spent most of his time in the slot and also has the versatility to play safety.
Safety Depth Chart, Patriots:
- Kyle Dugger
- Adrian Phillips
- Jalen Mills
- Jabrill Peppers
- Joshuah Bledsoe
- Brenden Schooler
- Cody Davis
- Brad Hawkins
The safety position will miss Devin McCourty, who retired this offseason after 13 seasons and played 97% of the defensive snaps in 2022. What the Patriots will miss most is McCourty’s ability to play deep.
Kyle Duggar has come on as a defensive weapon.
He has played a majority of his snaps in the box but has been able to cover and stop the run from that spot.
Duggar had eight passes defensed and was fourth on the team in tackles that produced a positive play.
Adrian Phillips also played a majority of his snaps in the box but has played deep in the past. He also played in the slot a bit when the Patriots needed some help there. His versatility has been key to being a great fit in this defense over the past two seasons.
Jabrill Peppers is also a box-heavy player who was on the field for 35% of the defensive snaps.
Peppers was an impact tackler with 53.3% of his tackles producing a positive play for the defense.
Jalen Mills could be an answer to the deep safety question.
Mills struggled at outside corner last season and was released, but he immediately re-signed this offseason. Mills was a safety earlier in his career and could return to that spot given how the rest of the defensive roster looks.
