The Patriots, at least on paper, significantly improved their roster via an uncharacteristic free agency spending spree.
Still, Pro Football Focus believes New England ranks in the bottom third of the NFL when it comes to player personnel.
PFF on Friday released its power rankings of NFL rosters ahead of the 2021 draft, and Bill Belichick's team came in at No. 20.
"Bill Belichick went all-in during free agency, handing out money left and right," Anthony Treash wrote. "Even after the heavy spending, the Patriots still have an average roster outside of their offensive line. Despite losing standout left guard Joe Thuney, they still have a top-10 unit.
"The big concern with this team is at quarterback and wide receiver. Cam Newton ranked 24th in passing grade in his first season as a Patriot and struggled to push the ball downfield. His 2.8% big-time throw rate was a bottom-five mark among quarterbacks on the year. As it stands, New England's No. 1 wideout is Nelson Agholor, who is coming off a boom-or-bust campaign with Las Vegas where he was fed deep crossers and vertical routes. He ranked 45th of 99 qualifiers in receiving grade in what was his most productive year in the NFL. In the five years prior combined, he ranked second-to-last in receiving grade."
Perhaps the Patriots will move up PFF's ranking after the draft, but they likely would need to land one of the top five quarterback prospects in order to do so. Drafting a QB in the first round would be a first for New England in the Belichick era, but the organization already has veered from normalcy this offseason and is taking a "different approach" to the draft this year.
So, stay tuned.
