The NFL Draft is in the rearview mirror as the New England Patriots made nine selections before signing 11 undrafted free agents. Work now picks up back in Foxboro where the rookie class will join next week, and potentially a big-time wide receiver addition joins the following month.
So with that, let’s get into this week’s #PostPulpit Mailbag.
It seems that AJ Brown is a Patriot. I’m a skeptic but that might be due to a lot of the negative noise around him last year but how did he actually perform?
Was he still explosive, did he have drops? Also what is the knee situation? – DTW10
With the draft now over, I plan to take a deeper look at A.J. Brown’s dip in production last season in Philadelphia. Based on an early review, here’s how it breaks down across your highlighted categories of explosiveness, drops, and his injury situation:
Explosiveness: Brown posted the second-lowest receiving total of his career in 2025, and his 1.96 yards per route run was a career low. His average depth of target stayed in line with his usual numbers, suggesting the decline came more from a career-low yards after catch per reception and fewer missed tackles forced.
Drops: Brown had just one drop in the regular season — though it came in the end zone in a three-point loss to the Chargers. He did struggle in the playoffs, however, with two notable drops in the Eagles’ wild-card loss to the 49ers.
Knee injury: During his time in Tennessee, Brown underwent cleanup procedures on both knees after the 2020 season. He later had his knee drained multiple times during the Eagles’ Super Bowl run in 2024. He’s generally been available, but there are some long-term durability concerns.
That all sounds negative, but even a slightly diminished Brown remains one of the top wide receivers in football. Plus, his effort level was rightfully questioned at times last season, which could lead to a bounce-back in a new environment with Drake Maye and Mike Vrabel. Surrounding Maye with talent remains a priority for the Patriots, and a move for Brown would give them a high-end receiver for at least the next two seasons. The concerns, however, is why it’s tough to justify giving up a future first-round pick.
What are the odds that Efton Chism III and Kyle Dixon make the roster over Demario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte? – mathblaster97
It would be a reasonable two-for-two swap based off skillsets while keeping the younger and cheaper theme alive. Currently, I’d have Chism as the only one of the four on the roster.
The addition of Romeo Doubs and eventually Brown leaves Boutte expandable, while Douglas enters the final year of his rookie deal. I haven’t been able to get to the point of projecting one of the four UDFAs on the roster yet when watching them (perhaps that changes on the field in Foxboro), so that’s where the Chism pick comes from.
Do you believe Hunter Henry is playing his last season with the Patriots? – mathblaster97
Henry will turn 32 years old this season and is in the last year of his contract. The team also drafted tight end Eli Raridon in the third-round of this year’s draft. Considering those factors I’d put the odds in favor of this being his last year.
Do you think Karon Prunty plays Safety or Cornerback? Is there a chance that Eli Raridon sees TE #1 snaps especially if he turns out to be a better blocker and receiver than Hunter Henry? – For Pats Sake
Sticking with tight ends first, I don’t see Raridon earning the No. 1 role as a rookie. He has an exciting amount of potential but has work to do as a one-year starter at Notre Dame. Still, his versatility and straight-line speed complement the room nicely and should earn him playing time as a rookie. I’d expect Henry to still lead the way with Julian Hill and Raridon mixing it, and have projected an early snap usage around 35% for the rookie.
As for Prunty, his athleticism, aggressiveness and impressive ability as a blitzer would seem to make him a nice fit at safety. Patriots VP of player personnel Ryan Cowden said that Prunty will ideally compete at the corner position when asked, however.
Based on how the board actually fell on draft day, create your own mock draft based on your preferences. You know, just for fun. – Sportzballer
I didn’t have many complaints about attacking offensive tackle, edge rusher, and tight end in the first three rounds. And even though we did not discuss Lomu much in the pre-draft process (due to play demeanor and lack of right tackle snaps), I liked all three players as prospects.
One second-guess I have looking back at it is the trade ups. While I applaud them for being aggressive to get their guys in Rounds 1 and 2, not making a fourth-round pick left the draft class feeling somewhat thin. Would it have better to stay at No. 63 and take edge rusher Keyron Crawford, while opening the door then for a guard (i.e. Jeremiah Wright, No. 132) or a better linebacker (i.e. Trey Moore, No. 130) in the fourth-round instead of Gabe Jacas?
And speaking of linebacker, I had higher graded linebackers on the board over Namdi Obiazor. LSU’s Harold Perkins went three picks later while Indiana’s Aiden Fisher went in Round 7.
What additional veteran free agent signings do you see as possibilities and who might be corresponding veteran cut candidates? – wrw921
To me, that linebacker spot is the weakest spot on the Patriots roster after leaving the draft with just Obiazor in the sixth-round. That leaves the main depth behind Robert Spillane and Christian Elliss as Obiazor, K.J. Britt and Chad Mama. Perhaps they feel confident in that group, but if not they could explore some one-year stop gap veteran options like Matt Milano or Bobby Okereke.
Looking at current roster of last years picks and seeing a lot of promise, even for guys who didn’t hugely contribute yet (like Kyle W. and maybe Swinson, definitely Farmer and Borregales, and Woodson, Wilson). This year does not feel very positive at all. Is it just the difference picking 4th overall compared to 2nd last? In other words, did the blind squirrel just find a nut last year? – Chu
I think it’s a combination of where the Patriots were picking — plus the quality of this year’s draft — and where the roster stands. This is life back at the end of the first-round (worth it to play in Super Bowls) and they no longer needed to restock the roster with instant contributors. Most of the picks — including Lomu — project best as 2027 pieces.
Pair that with the team eliminating Round 4 so the Day 3 haul truly feels like depth/special team players, and I think that’s where the lack of true excitement comes from in this class.
With the depth we suddenly had at OT vs the IOL, do any of the backup tackles have the ability to move inside for more bodies at those positions? – Loiosh
Eliot Wolf left the door open for Caleb Lomu to potentially play some guard if needed. I would not be surprised if some of the other depth options end up taking snaps along the interior this summer as well.
That’s all for this week’s #PostPulpit mailbag. If you have questions you’d liked to be answered next week, submit them online in our weekly submission post or on Twitter using #PostPulpit. Make sure to be following @iambrianhines and @PatsPulpit as well.
