The Patriots need defense. Specifically they need to get faster on defense.
The last time we looked in on the team, they were forcing the Buffalo Bills to punt zero times in a playoff game. The common thinking being, that the Patriots defense needed to get smaller, quicker and above all faster. Big, strong, ’80s Giants-style linebackers like Dont’a Hightower are apparently passe. 225-pound linebackers who can cover running backs in the passing game, that’s where football is supposed to be going. That’s why Hightower, Jamie Collins and Kyle Van Noy are still on the free agent market.
Of the 10 picks the New England Patriots made during the 2022 NFL Draft, they used exactly three of them on defensive players: two cornerbacks, (Marcus and Jack Jones, no relation, but they are both small and quick) and a defensive lineman of Division II (Sam Roberts).
Going into this draft here is what we thought we knew about the Patriots.
— Our quarterback is Mac Jones.
— We’re deep and talented at running back.
— We lack dynamic pass catchers who can stretch the field.
So the Patriots took quarterback Bailey Zappe out of Western Kentucky in the fourth round. Good to have a back up, lord knows Brian Hoyer isn’t going to be back there forever, but the fourth round seems high to invest in a position that doesn’t present the same level of urgency of say, linebacker. (I’m sorry, I can’t stop thinking about linebackers. Nakobe Dean fell to the late third round and went two picks before the Patriots. The wounds are raw right now.)
Deep and talented at running back. The Patriots drafted Pierre Strong Jr. in the fourth and Kevin Harris in the sixth. They’re going to have to build an addition onto the running back room as it already features Damien Harris, Rhamondre Stevenson, James White, JJ Taylor and Ty Montgomery. I won’t overreact here because they did lose Brandon Bolden; perhaps one of these guys projects as a special teams talent and Kevin Harris was taken in a round where the Patriots had three picks. (I am worried about the name repetition on this roster, we now have Marcus, Jonathan, Mac and Jack Jones, plus Damien and Kevin Harris at running back. Gino Cappelletti would hate this roster if he was still calling games.)
Dynamic pass catcher. Tyquan Thornton has a lot of pressure on him. The Patriots traded up from 54 to grab him at 50 in the second round and immediately I had people calling me to ask “What the hell!?!” (Shout out to Dancin’ Dave!)
Thornton is a track star. No, really. The kid ran a 4.28 40-yard dash at the combine, which is in the 98th percentile of players who have ever participated in the event. There is no question that at 6-foot-2, this guy has the tools to be (most overused phrase of the weekend) “a guy that can take the top off the defense.” Thornton does make the Patriots faster, but is it “Al Davis drafted Darrius Heyward-Bey seventh overall” fast or is it “Tyreek Hill-game changer” fast? Six receivers went in the top 18 picks, there wasn’t a ton left for the Patriots at 21, although Christian Watson and Skyy Moore were good enough for Green Bay and Kansas City in the second round.
Linebacker, the elephant not in the room. Here is the Patriots depth chart at linebacker: Matthew Judon, Ja’Whaun Bentley and Mack Wilson are your starters; Ronnie Perkins, Harvey Langi and Josh Uche are your back ups.
Behind them you have Anfernee Jennings, Jahlani Tavai, Cameron McGrone and Terez Hall.
In a 4-3 the starters are fine. Judon is a stud, Bentley serviceable and Mack Wilson could develop into something. Behind that you have some middle of the draft guys who haven’t played, let alone produce.
Perkins missed all of 2021 due to injury. Uche was supposed to break out and forgot to. Harvey Langi is a nice serviceable piece, but he’s not someone you want to count on. Cameron McGrone is the hot choice to emerge in 2022. Those who cover the Patriots talk about the 2021 Draft pick as if he’s an uncashed lottery ticket, where it’s not if he makes an impact on the defense, but when. There are some unpopped kernels at linebacker and since they didn’t spend any draft capital at the position, I wouldn’t be surprised to see one of those three veteran free agents walk back through the doors of 1 Patriot Place.
From a fans perspective, a pretty disappointing draft. If 2021 was all about big names and top shelf schools, 2022 was back to bargain shopping and mining for diamonds in the rough. Maybe they’ll break out. Maybe Cole Strange becomes the next Joe Thuney. Maybe Tyquan Thornton becomes to Mac Jones what Mark Duper was for Dan Marino. (Didn’t think you were getting a Mark Duper reference this deep into the column did you, did you?) Maybe Marcus Jones or Jack Jones become this generation of the “Jones Brothers” (shout out to Sam and KC).
To quote Chris Berman, “That’s why they play the games. We’ll be right back.”