10 winners and losers from the Patriots offseason workout program

Here is who caught our eye, for better or worse, throughout the spring.

The New England Patriots officially put an end to their offseason program this week, which featured five open practices to the media.

Here’s who stood out for better, or worse, throughout those sessions and the spring as a whole.

Winners

CB Christian Gonzalez: New England’s top cornerback opened the spring with a pair of interceptions, including a top-tier play to fall off a flat route and haul in an over the shoulder pick down field. In the final practice of minicamp, Gonzalez then recorded a smooth one-handed interception down the field.

While there were no highlight plays in the three sessions in between, Gonzalez looked to be in midseason form as he spent most of his time in the hip pocket of New England’s wide receivers. The 22-year-old, who also appeared to add some good weight this offseason, looks ready to build off his All-Pro season.

WR DeMario Douglas: Shortly after the Patriots first minicamp practice, Pop Douglas struggled to hold in his excitement when talking about Josh McDaniels’ offense — which has a well-documented history of slot receivers finding success. Douglas, who has spent time watching cutups of Julian Edelman, Wes Welker, etc., looked at home in that role this spring. His quickness is apparent as McDaniels was able to create mismatches over the middle of the field while his connection with Drake Maye remained strong.

WR Efton Chism III: Speaking of New England’s past slot receivers, Chism fits the mold with his quick-twitch movements and route running ability. The UDFA tallied 15 receptions across the five open practices which caught the eye of his quarterback: “Chis had like 50 catches is OTAs,” Maye said. Chism ended the spring sharing the field with Maye at times which puts him in position to earn a 53-man roster spot in training camp.

DE Keion White: After sharing his frustration down the stretch last season, White looks at home along the edge in a more aggressive defensive front. He was disruptive in the non-padded sessions and has enjoyed working with outside linebacker coach Mike Smith, who has an extensive history of working with bigger rushers like White. The 26-year-old could be on the verge of a breakout in year three.

DL Christian Barmore: First off, it was a win that Barmore, who was given the “green light” by the medical staff, to be on the field this spring after dealing with blood clots last year. But the defensive tackle was full-go and looked to be in great shape during the spring — highlighted by him chasing several plays down field. Barmore also had his disruptive moments as a rusher as he, White, Milton Williams, and Harold Landry have the potential to form a formidable four-down front.

K Andres Borregales: Consistency was the buzz word coming from New England after selecting Borregales in the sixth-round of the draft. That was on display throughout the spring as the rookie went 19-of-20 in the five open practices. Borregales has looked the part early on and it would be a surprise to see him not winning the starting job entering Week 1.

Losers

WR Javon Baker: In a crowded wide receiver room, Baker appears to be losing ground in his push for a roster spot. He sits behind both Kayshon Boutte and rookie Kyle Williams on the X-depth chart while one of his most notable moments of the spring came when Mike Vrabel had to vocally tell the receiver to get back in the huddle multiple times after he celebrated a down field catch (that certainly looked like offensive pass interference) and jogged to the sideline.

G Layden Robinson: The battle for the starting left guard position remains open exiting the spring, with Mike Vrabel noting the real competition starts when the pads come on this summer. While New England rotated several bodies along the top unit, including since-retired Wes Schweitzer, second-year guard Layden Robinson was not among the primary options: he mostly aligned with the scout team. Robinson appears to be buried among the group that is currently led by Cole Strange and also features Sidy Sow, Tyrese Robinson, Caedan Wallace, and UDFA Jack Conley.

ED Anfernee Jennings: As the Patriots transition to more four-down fronts and an attacking defensive philosophy, it’s tougher to find a role for Anfernee Jennings along the edge. While Jennings has been one of the more disruptive outside run defenders in football, he consistently ran with the backup defense while Keion White, Harold Landry, and K’Lavon Chaisson repped with the top unit. With rookie Bradyn Swinson also projecting to factor into this group, Jennings appears to be on the outside-looking-in for a roster spot.

LB Marte Mapu: For the third straight year, Mapu is dealing with some sort of injury that has disrupted his time on the field in the offseason as he spent the final weeks of spring limited. His lack of availability has certainly not helped his cause early in his career, especially this offseason with the door open for more snaps at linebacker in the wake of Jahlani Tavai’s injury.