The New England Patriots have made the offensive side of the ball a priority throughout the offseason, and that likely isn’t changing heading into the 2023 NFL draft.
There needs to be improvements made along the offensive front, particularly at offensive tackle, and the team still needs weapons at receiver. The oft-used phrase that defense wins championships hasn’t taken into account that six of the last seven Super Bowl champions had a top-five scoring offense.
So the Patriots, who finished 16th in scoring in 2022, must get better at fighting fire with fire to compete with some of the juggernaut offenses that have risen in the NFL.
This year’s draft gives them a chance to build both for the present and future. They need players that can step in immediately and help get them back on track, but they also have to make selections with the future in mind. Getting back to championship contention for New England should be considered a marathon, not a sprint.
This three-round mock draft would go a long way in putting them back in position to be successful. They make a gamble in trading down in the first round and still end up getting their guy, while also picking up an extra second-round pick to make an unexpected splash elsewhere on the roster.
Here’s how the results unfolded: