Bill Belichick's once-panned 2022 draft class already looks like a coup
By Henry McKenna
FOX Sports AFC East Writer
There was no shortage of snickering around the NFL when the New England Patriots wrapped up their 2022 draft. Scouts and draft analysts couldn't believe what Bill Belichick and director of player personnel Matt Groh had done.
Every pick looked like a reach, from top to bottom.
Because of the skepticism surrounding the Patriots' rookies, a video of Los Angeles Rams top dogs Sean McVay and Les Snead went viral. The Rams brass saw, in real time, New England select UT Chattanooga guard Cole Strange in the first round. McVay and Snead laughed and shared that they thought they might have a shot at picking Strange in the third round. In a statement McVay later released, he explained that the joke was on him for not properly evaluating Strange. But the Internet interpreted Snead and McVay as laughing at Belichick.
And the narrative for the weekend was complete: The whole NFL was laughing at Belichick. But you know how it goes with Belichick. He gets the first, second, third, 50th and last laugh. New England's 2022 draft class is making as big of an impact as any around the NFL.
LG Cole Strange
I know everyone is immediately thinking about QB Bailey Zappe. And we'll get to him. But I think the core of this draft class starts with Strange, who has played 98% of the team's offensive snaps. The Patriots pulled him for one series in the season-opener in Miami to help manage the 100-degree heat on the field. Aside from that, he has not left the field.
I won't overhype Strange's performance. He has not instantly been the best guard in the NFL. He is experiencing typical growing pains, with two sacks allowed (third among Patriots offensive linemen) and eight pressures (also third on the team). But the left guard has committed zero penalties and has a strong pass-blocking grade (69.8) on Pro Football Focus and a serviceable run-blocking grade (53.7). He has been a good starter from Day 1. That's what you want out of a first-round pick, particularly if you're selecting at the bottom of Round 1.
"Cole's given us a good level of play all year," Belichick said earlier this month. "He gets better every week, gets better every day. Smart kid. Has learned a lot and is able to process a lot more on a weekly basis."
CB Jack Jones
The next rookie making a difference is cornerback Jack Jones, the Patriots' fourth-round pick out of Arizona State. He is sort of the inverse of Strange. Maybe Jones is not playing all the team's defensive snaps (44%), but he is the top-graded rookie in the NFL (90.5), according to Pro Football Focus.
The Patriots can afford to rotate Jones into the defense, because they have starters Jalen Mills, Jon Jones and Myles Bryant — along with a deep group of safeties who can play nickel. When Jack Jones has been on the field, he has been a liability for opponents. He has the top coverage grade among Patriots players and has two interceptions in the past three games. His first was a pick-six on Aaron Rodgers. The second was a heel-tapping interception near the sideline against Jared Goff.
"It was an outstanding catch and to get his feet inbounds, I mean, he looked like a receiver doing that," Belichick said.
QB Bailey Zappe
Zappe has helped turn New England's season around, with a pair of wins in his three NFL starts. But I think there's a necessary hype-check that needs to happen. The team's game plans have highlighted other Patriots players while minimizing Zappe's role in the offense. The idea was to put as little pressure on the rookie QB as possible. Everyone calling for Zappe to replace Mac Jones needs to relax.
This isn't to say it's been easy for Zappe, who has thrived in his point-guard role. With help from his Patriots teammates (and two bottom-10 defenses), Zappe has managed to look substantially more impressive than anyone could have expected, given that he was drafted in the fourth round. He has a passing grade of 77 and an overall offensive grade of 72.7, per Pro Football Focus. Both grades eclipse what Jones put together in his four starts this year.
All that can be true, and Zappe is still not deserving to overtake Jones as the starter.
Overhyped or not, Zappe has been exactly what the Patriots wanted out of a backup quarterback. The team got wins over teams they would have expected to beat with Jones at quarterback. The starter is reportedly set to return on Monday against the Bears. If Jones doesn't fix his turnover problem, the Patriots now know they can entrust Zappe with the offense.
There has not been much buzz around the Patriots' second-round pick, a receiver out of Baylor. While Strange headlined the team's odd draft, Thornton was one of the most scrutinized picks. Belichick, after all, drafted receiver Chad Jackson in Round 2. Who? That's the point. The Patriots drafted Taylor Price in Round 3. They drafted Aaron Dobson in Round 2. New England took N'Keal Harry in the first round.
Belichick doesn't quite have a strong history of drafting wideouts.
Thornton started the season on injured reserve after breaking his collarbone in the preseason. In his second NFL game, last weekend against the Browns, he logged rushing and receiving touchdowns with 53 yards from scrimmage.
He already looks more comfortable in New England's offense than many of his predecessors. He has the blazing speed that made him the fastest wideout at the combine, but he also has short-area quickness that many didn't expect. And though he's extremely skinny, he will likely bulk up in the coming years.
I'm not saying we can crown Thornton a future WR1, but he's a compelling developmental prospect.
The rest of the class
Cornerback Marcus Jones, a third-rounder, has gotten some work in the slot at 13% of defensive snaps. He has also returned punts for the team in the past three weeks, with six returns for 96 yards.
Defensive tackle Sam Roberts has a tackle in each of the past two games. He played 26% of snaps in Week 5 and 31% of snaps in Week 6.
Running backs Pierre Strong (fourth round) and Kevin Harris (sixth round) each received snaps last Sunday, but their roles remain minimal.
So the Patriots actually made a few good draft picks. Who cares?
The best way to sustain success is through the draft. Not everyone can pull off what Snead and McVay have done, acquiring veteran talent in trades and plugging them into the team's system. They are the only team that has proven that can work.
Belichick likes to draft and develop players on their rent-controlled rookie deals, which are very inexpensive for the team. By the time that contract expires, Belichick has already drafted and developed a replacement, so he lets his stars sign elsewhere for big money.
But in recent years, New England has whiffed on entire drafts. Belichick simply hasn't had the young talent that the Patriots have needed to make postseason runs, particularly in the wake of Tom Brady's departure. Belichick appears to have put together a strong rookie class in 2022. The 2021 and 2020 classes are also looking solid. This reversal could prove enormously important for Belichick to prove he can win without Brady.
If the Patriots are going to elevate out of mediocrity, they're going to need these rookies to help them rise. And so a draft like this — once panned — could make all the difference.
Prior to joining FOX Sports as the AFC East reporter, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @McKennAnalysis.