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Who are the winners and losers from Patriots minicamp?
A pair of rookies were among the top performers for New England during its mandatory minicamp.
School’s out for the Patriots.
After two extended minicamp practices on Monday and Tuesday at Gillette Stadium, Bill Belichick opted to cancel the team’s final on-field session Wednesday. Most players will not return to Foxboro until training camp officially gets underway.
Along with mandatory minicamp, the Patriots also held seven organized team activities (OTA) over the last few weeks. Even though none of these offseason reps featured contact, it’s often our first chance to see the foundation of a new season.
Training camp practices will give way to more competitive reps and roster battles, but there were a number of players who stood out over these last few weeks in Foxboro … and a few who left a lot to be desired.
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Here are five winners — and four losers — from Patriots minicamp.
WINNERS
LB/S Marte Mapu
Mapu’s stock has soared since the Patriots drafted him in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Despite wearing a red non-contact jersey as he recovers from pectoral surgery, Mapu impressed wherever New England slotted him on the field.
Despite being listed on the Patriots roster as a linebacker, he also lined up at deep safety during 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills. Primarily a defensive back against FCS competition at Sacramento State, Mapu was routinely around the ball during plays.
After snagging an interception in New England’s final OTA session on Friday, he recorded pass breakups on both Monday and Tuesday during minicamp.
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Mapu’s speed stands out on just about every snap, and his versatility could make him the latest in a long line of hybrid “unicorns” who could anchor New England’s defense in 2023 and beyond.
“I think just his speed and how big he is,” Matt Judon said of Mapu. “He runs like a safety — he runs like a free safety. But he stands like a linebacker, or an edge player. So that’s another guy that can play all three levels.
“I think, you know, you have people like that here all the time. You have people like Jamie Collins or [Dont’a] Hightower and stuff like that. It’s just new names. It’s just new names in that situation. And I’m not saying they’re gonna be as good as those guys or leave a legacy as those guys, but they have a chance. And that’s all you kind of ask for.”
CB Christian Gonzalez
Mapu might be the most surprising and intriguing 2023 draft pickup in New England, but their first-round selection Christian Gonzalez has lived up to expectations during his first few weeks on the field at Gillette Stadium.
That’s great news for New England, as the team desperately needs another boundary corner capable of negating opposing team’s top wideouts. Throughout the offseason, Gonzalez primarily played with the team’s starters and didn’t look out of place as CB1.
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Again, we’ll see how he fares once live contact begins, but his athleticism and defensive instincts were apparent on most of his snaps over the last few weeks.
CB Jack Jones
Gonzalez put forth promising returns during minicamp, but New England’s other starting corner Jack Jones might have been the most impressive defensive player during camp.
After a promising rookie campaign that ended with a team-imposed suspension, Jones seems to have embraced the clean slate presented with a new season.
The second-year corner recorded two interceptions last season in New England, and those ball-hawk tendencies were on display again this offseason. He had arguably the play of the day on Tuesday when he picked off Mac Jones on a throw down the sideline to Hunter Henry.
If both Jack Jones and Gonzalez can lock down the boundary as New England’s starting corners, the resulting domino effect could allow Jonathan Jones to return to his usual spot as the team’s slot corner.
TE Mike Gesicki
With Bill O’Brien running the show on offense once again, expect the Patriots to roll out the two-tight-end set often in 2023. Minicamp offered an early glimpse of O’Brien’s offense, with Mac Jones routinely feeding the ball to both Hunter Henry and Mike Gesicki.
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After a lackluster 2022 season (32 catches, 362 yards) with the Dolphins, Gesicki looks like a promising weapon in New England’s offensive arsenal.
The Penn State product — who posted two 700-yard seasons in Miami before last year — isn’t exactly your prototypical tight end. Don’t expect much in terms of blocking or some of the other dirty work that comes with the position.
But Gesicki is a fluid route-runner for his size (6-foot-6) who can extend drives by dicing up defenses on slants and other plays. Expect Jones to rely on both Gesicki and Henry heavily this season.
QB Mac Jones
Jones and the Patriots’ offense did hit a wall at times during Tuesday’s minicamp practice against a stout defensive unit. Still, there should be room for optimism when it comes to the Patriots’ starting QB orchestrating a bounce-back year.
Jones, who earned a majority of the reps with starters during OTAs and minicamp, was in good spirits in practices and was relatively crisp with his passing during competitive team drills.
Whether it be the two-tight-end set or the variety of weapons that should be available on New England’s roster, Jones seems to be comfortable and content now that O’Brien has the keys to the offense.
That confidence was reflected in Jones’ play for most of the offseason. Now it falls on the third-year QB to build on that in July.
LOSERS
T Trent Brown
The tackle position was an Achilles heel for the Patriots in 2022, with turnstiles on the edge of New England’s O-line routinely leading to Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe hitting the turf.
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If New England wants to right the ship on offense, it’s going to need stronger play from its tackles, especially returning starter Trent Brown.
But this offseason wasn’t exactly the best start for Brown. After not taking part in voluntary OTAs, Brown was not present on Monday due to reported travel issues. When he was on the field Tuesday, he worked primarily on conditioning drills and did not participate in any 7-on-7s or 11-on-11s.
Even though the Patriots do have backup options at tackle in Calvin Anderson, Conor McDermott, and Riley Reiff, Brown offers the largest upside.
Brown’s stellar play at left tackle played a huge role in New England’s Super Bowl title in 2018, and his substandard play in 2022 doomed a unit that was already taking on water. The Patriots desperately need him to be better in 2023.
WR JuJu Smith-Schuster
The Patriots opened up their checkbook for Smith-Schuster, handing him a three-year, $33 million contract in March.
Coming off a Super Bowl title with the Chiefs, Smith-Schuster could be a versatile weapon for the Patriots, especially when it comes to his ability to stack up yards after catch (YAC).
But the 26-year-old wideout was unable to log valuable reps with Jones this spring, as he missed all of New England’s open practices with an undisclosed injury. Smith-Schuster’s health will be something worth monitoring in training camp, as the gifted playmaker wasn’t able to get much of a head start on his work with Jones over the last few weeks.
WR Tyquan Thornton
A second-year leap by Thornton should offer more hope that the Patriots’ offense is due for a rebound performance. But after a few impressive practices during OTAs, the Pats’ 2022 second-round pick was not spotted during minicamp due to a reported soft tissue injury.
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Thornton showcased flashes of his high-end speed during his rookie year, and it does seem like he’s tacked more muscle onto his 6-foot-2 frame. Still, the TCU product needs to stay on the field if he wants to emerge as a viable receiver option for Jones in 2023.
OT Riley Reiff
Reiff was expected to serve as some much-needed insurance at the tackle position for the Patriots in 2023, especially in the wake of Brown’s lackluster season.
But even with Brown not in the equation for team drills, Reiff regularly found himself on the outside looking in at reps with the starters during minicamp.
On both Monday and Tuesday, the 34-year-old Reiff was primarily the team’s backup right tackle, with Calvin Anderson (LT) and Conor McDermott (RT) earning most of the looks with the team’s first unit.
Not exactly a great sign.
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