Patriots’ 2022 Draft Class Had Another Rough Day In Latest Loss

The New England Patriots selected a total of 10 players in the 2022 NFL Draft. Just three saw playing time in Sunday’s loss to the Washington Commanders, and two of them were benched.

It was the latest indictment of a draft class that looks decidedly lackluster at the halfway mark of Year 2.

Here’s a closer look at what the Patriots got from each of their 2022 draftees in Sunday’s 20-17 defeat at Gillette Stadium:

G Cole Strange (first round)
This wasn’t a glaringly bad game for Strange, who’s battled injuries and inconsistency throughout his sophomore season. In fact, Pro Football Focus graded it as his best of 2023. That’s a low bar, however, and Strange still was New England’s lowest-graded offensive lineman in the loss, with PFF assigning blame to him for three of the team’s eight hurries allowed. That Strange played every offensive snap for just the third time this season was a positive, but he hasn’t looked like a no-doubt long-term starter.

WR Tyquan Thornton (second round)
Benched after 12 snaps and four targets, which produced one catch for 7 yards. Believe it or not, that actually was Thornton’s most productive outing of the season, as he caught one pass for 6 yards and one pass for 2 yards in his first two games back from injured reserve. Thornton’s route-running was not up to snuff, which he admitted after the game. He didn’t play a snap after the 11:28 mark of the second quarter, and Bill Belichick confirmed his removal was not injury-related. Thornton has been a nonfactor in nearly every game he’s played for the Patriots, with just 25 career catches for 262 yards and two touchdowns. The two wideouts drafted immediately after him (George Pickens at No. 52 and Alec Pierce at No. 53) both have more than twice as many receptions and more than three times as many yards.

CB Marcus Jones (third round)
Out for the season after suffering a torn labrum in his shoulder in Week 2. When healthy, Jones is a weapon in the return game and brings gadget-play potential on offense, but his defensive ceiling remains murky. He was fourth on the cornerback depth chart in Week 1 and likely would have been fifth had Jack Jones been available to start the season.

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CB Jack Jones (fourth round)
Benched to start the game (no snaps over the first three defensive series) and didn’t see the field after the opening drive of the second half. While he was waiting to play his first snap, Jones could be seen sitting away from his teammates rather than standing with the other defensive substitutes. In the 30 snaps Jones did play, he was PFF’s second-lowest-graded Patriots defender, ahead of only Adrian Phillips and Jalen Mills, who both missed tackles on Sam Howell’s 24-yard scramble on third-and-23. The Athletic’s Jeff Howe reported Jones’ role reduction was the result of “recent performance issues.”

RB Pierre Strong (fourth round)
Traded before the season for an offensive tackle (Tyrone Wheatley Jr.) with no regular-season NFL experience. Strong has 34 carries for 152 yards and a touchdown in eight games with Cleveland. Wheatley landed on injured reserve before playing a snap for New England.

QB Bailey Zappe (fourth round)
Watched from the sideline as Mac Jones’ primary backup. Zappe was cut before the season and failed to impress after either of Jones’ two October benchings. He also was demoted to third string behind Malik Cunningham for one game. It’s clear the Patriots don’t believe Zappe can successfully operate their offense. If they did, he likely would have gotten a chance to start by now.

RB Kevin Harris (sixth round)
On the practice squad after being cut out of camp.

DL Sam Roberts (sixth round)
Healthy scratch for the third time this season.

OL Chasen Hines (sixth round)
Released in August. Now on the Miami Dolphins’ practice squad. Never played a snap for New England.

OL Andrew Stueber (seventh round)
On the practice squad after being cut out of camp.

With the Patriots miles out of playoff contention at 2-7, identifying future building blocks should be a priority over the final nine weeks of the season. It’s hard to confidently say there are any in this crop of second-year pros.