It’s been over a week since the final pick was made in the 2022 NFL Draft. For NFL.com, enough time has passed for them to evaluate the picks and rank all of the classes.
But while the Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagles stood out for their great classes, one team is taking heat for their class. As you might have guessed, it’s the New England Patriots.
NFL.com gave the Patriots last-place in their 2022 NFL Draft class rankings. Analyst Dan Parr said that the Patriots failed to address positions of need and may have reached on some of their biggest picks.
But Parr conceded that if picks like Cole Strange and Tyquan Thornton defy their pre-draft rankings and become stars, he’ll be “roasted on Twitter for eternity.”
“After a respite in 2021, the 2022 Patriots class seems like it could be a return to the franchise’s struggles of the past decade when it comes to drafting players…” Parr wrote. “New England hasn’t selected a first-team All-Pro on offense or defense since Rob Gronkowski in 2010, per NFL Research. Perhaps (Cole) Strange will be the guy to snap that streak — he certainly has the potential to do it — but taking NFL.com analyst Daniel Jeremiah’s No. 74 overall prospect with the 29th overall pick seems like a questionable move. If the Logan Mankins comparisons prove to be correct, critics like me will be roasted on Twitter for eternity…
“… based on what I know now, the Patriots made a series of reaches that could come back to haunt them.
The New England Patriots had 10 picks in the 2022 NFL Draft after a combination of trades and other moves.
Their pick of Cole Strange was widely panned as a massive reach by the Patriots.
But Bill Belichick has proven before that he knows better than everyone else. He’s earned the benefit of the doubt until those players prove to be as bad as people think they’ll be.
What do you think was the worst draft class in 2022?