Patriots 53-man roster projection after NFL draft: Rough year for rookies to make the team

The 2021 NFL draft class doesn’t really stand a chance.

The New England Patriots aren’t done working through the kinks of their roster ahead of minicamp and training camp. But it seems they have put together a fairly complete roster, give or take a few players.

I do think there could be some moves pending at cornerback, for example. And we’ll get to what might be in store for the position. But otherwise, we can very clearly see the bones of this roster. What’s fascinating is that the complexion of the quarterback competition took a massive left turn, with Mac Jones – the 15th overall pick – set to challenge Cam Newton, the 2020 starter. That will be one of the most interesting quarterback competitions in the NFL.

But, of course, there will be so many positional battles in New England. Here’s a look at our initial thoughts on how those will shake out.

(Note: Rookies are in all-caps)