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The New England Patriots have had their fair share of hits and misses in the first round of NFL drafts over the last 10 years. It serves as a strong reminder that not every first-round pick turns into a Christian Gonzalez.
Even with the No. 4 pick in the 2025 NFL draft, the Patriots will need to proceed with caution. This is the reason why Patriots coach Mike Vrabel hinted at the team taking the best available player instead of simply drafting for need. It's easier to hit a bullseye when drafting for talent instead of reaching for a player to fill a hole on a roster.
We're going to explore the Patriots' first-round picks over the last 10 seasons. How did they fare in those selections, and where are those players now?
Malcom Brown won two Super Bowls with the Patriots and left as soon as his contract was up. There was hope he'd serve as the replacement for former longtime Patriots great Vince Wilfork. Those were big shoes to fill for Brown, who served as a solid defensive option in his time with New England. But he never lived up to the lofty expectations some had for him. He has been out of the league since being released by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2022.
The Patriots lost their 2016 first-round draft pick as punishment for the Deflategate scandal.
New England won a Super Bowl in the aftermath of Deflategate and opted to trade their first-round draft pick to the New Orleans Saints in 2017.
An inability to stay healthy ruined whatever run Isaiah Wynn could have had in New England. He bounced around from guard to offensive tackle in a desperate attempt by the team to fill an existing hole on the roster. It ended up being a massive failure with Wynn eventually moving back to guard. He is currently a free agent, but he should find work at some point.
Sony Michel's six rushing touchdowns were instrumental in the Patriots' 2018 postseason run that led to their sixth Super Bowl win. Unfortunately, like Wynn, Michel also dealt with his fair share of injuries that shortened his NFL career. He is currently retired from football.
The Patriots made a horrible reach back in 2019 when making the decision to take N'Keal Harry over A.J. Brown and Deebo Samuel. It's a decision that still haunts them to this day.
Harry went on to become one of the biggest draft busts in franchise history. It's important to note that his career was hampered by injuries. So he probably feels like he wasn't able to show his best in New England. He is currently unsigned after being released by the Seattle Seahawks' practice squad last December.
With Tom Brady gone, the Patriots opted for more draft picks to help improve their roster. So they traded their 2020 first-round draft pick to the Los Angeles Chargers.
There was hope that Mac Jones would be the answer to the Tom Brady problem in New England. The team hasn't looked the same since the seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback left in 2020.
It would be easy to paint Jones as a bust for failing to break out, but the Patriots did him no favors with a bad roster and by appointing longtime defensive coach Matt Patricia as the offensive coordinator. He is currently serving as a backup quarterback for Brock Purdy with the San Francisco 49ers.
This was one of the less popular first-round picks for the Patriots over the years. That isn't to suggest Cole Strange is a bad player. Quite the contrary, Strange has proven to be a reliable contributor when healthy.
The issue most had with this draft pick was the timing. Did the Patriots really need to reach in the first round for a guard out of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga?
Strange could be on the verge of a position change to center with the Patriots in 2025.
This pick was one of the biggest steals of the entire draft. New England traded down and still managed to come away with one of the best defensive backs in the NFL. Gonzalez is setting himself up for a career as a perennial Pro Bowler and future Patriots Hall of Famer.
The Patriots hope they got their quarterback of the future when using the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft on Drake Maye. Things appear to be tracking in the right direction for the former North Carolina standout. He earned a Pro Bowl invite in his first year with the team, and he managed to change the offense for the better, despite playing behind a makeshift offensive line with limited receiving weapons.
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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Every Patriots first-round pick in last 10 years. Where are they now?
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Even with the No. 4 pick in the 2025 NFL draft, the Patriots will need to proceed with caution. This is the reason why Patriots coach Mike Vrabel hinted at the team taking the best available player instead of simply drafting for need. It's easier to hit a bullseye when drafting for talent instead of reaching for a player to fill a hole on a roster.
We're going to explore the Patriots' first-round picks over the last 10 seasons. How did they fare in those selections, and where are those players now?
2015 NFL draft: Malcom Brown, pick No. 32
Malcom Brown won two Super Bowls with the Patriots and left as soon as his contract was up. There was hope he'd serve as the replacement for former longtime Patriots great Vince Wilfork. Those were big shoes to fill for Brown, who served as a solid defensive option in his time with New England. But he never lived up to the lofty expectations some had for him. He has been out of the league since being released by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2022.
2016 NFL draft: No pick, forfeited due to Deflategate
The Patriots lost their 2016 first-round draft pick as punishment for the Deflategate scandal.
2017 NFL draft: No pick, traded down with New Orleans Saints
New England won a Super Bowl in the aftermath of Deflategate and opted to trade their first-round draft pick to the New Orleans Saints in 2017.
2018 NFL draft: OT Isaiah Wynn, pick No. 23 and RB Sony Michel, pick No. 31
An inability to stay healthy ruined whatever run Isaiah Wynn could have had in New England. He bounced around from guard to offensive tackle in a desperate attempt by the team to fill an existing hole on the roster. It ended up being a massive failure with Wynn eventually moving back to guard. He is currently a free agent, but he should find work at some point.
Sony Michel's six rushing touchdowns were instrumental in the Patriots' 2018 postseason run that led to their sixth Super Bowl win. Unfortunately, like Wynn, Michel also dealt with his fair share of injuries that shortened his NFL career. He is currently retired from football.
2019 NFL draft: WR N'Keal Harry, pick No. 32
The Patriots made a horrible reach back in 2019 when making the decision to take N'Keal Harry over A.J. Brown and Deebo Samuel. It's a decision that still haunts them to this day.
Harry went on to become one of the biggest draft busts in franchise history. It's important to note that his career was hampered by injuries. So he probably feels like he wasn't able to show his best in New England. He is currently unsigned after being released by the Seattle Seahawks' practice squad last December.
2020 NFL draft: No pick, traded down with Los Angeles Chargers
With Tom Brady gone, the Patriots opted for more draft picks to help improve their roster. So they traded their 2020 first-round draft pick to the Los Angeles Chargers.
2021 NFL draft: QB Mac Jones, pick No. 15
There was hope that Mac Jones would be the answer to the Tom Brady problem in New England. The team hasn't looked the same since the seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback left in 2020.
It would be easy to paint Jones as a bust for failing to break out, but the Patriots did him no favors with a bad roster and by appointing longtime defensive coach Matt Patricia as the offensive coordinator. He is currently serving as a backup quarterback for Brock Purdy with the San Francisco 49ers.
2022 NFL draft: G Cole Strange, pick No. 29
This was one of the less popular first-round picks for the Patriots over the years. That isn't to suggest Cole Strange is a bad player. Quite the contrary, Strange has proven to be a reliable contributor when healthy.
The issue most had with this draft pick was the timing. Did the Patriots really need to reach in the first round for a guard out of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga?
Strange could be on the verge of a position change to center with the Patriots in 2025.
2023 NFL draft: CB Christian Gonzalez, pick No. 17
This pick was one of the biggest steals of the entire draft. New England traded down and still managed to come away with one of the best defensive backs in the NFL. Gonzalez is setting himself up for a career as a perennial Pro Bowler and future Patriots Hall of Famer.
2024 NFL draft: QB Drake Maye, pick No. 3
The Patriots hope they got their quarterback of the future when using the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft on Drake Maye. Things appear to be tracking in the right direction for the former North Carolina standout. He earned a Pro Bowl invite in his first year with the team, and he managed to change the offense for the better, despite playing behind a makeshift offensive line with limited receiving weapons.
Follow Patriots Wire on Twitter and Facebook.
This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Every Patriots first-round pick in last 10 years. Where are they now?
Continue reading...
