Patriots jump 18 spots into top-10 of ESPN’s ‘under-25’ talent rankings
"Here's an up-and-coming collection of young talent: the all-new, all-different Patriots!"
With Drake Maye, Christian Gonzalez, and several other young pieces in place, the Patriots seem to have more young talent now than they have had over the past few years.
On Tuesday, ESPN published its rankings of teams with the best talent at age 25 and under.
New England, which was 25th last year, skyrocketed to No. 7 on the list.
“Here’s an up-and-coming collection of young talent: the all-new, all-different Patriots!” ESPN’s Aaron Schatz wrote. “Maye is a very promising young quarterback talent who turns 23 on Aug. 30. He ranked 17th in QBR (58.6) last season despite subpar receiver and offensive line play.”
“But young talent is here to save the offense. First-round rookie Campbell is 21 years old. Third-round rookie center Jared Wilson is 22. At receiver, the Patriots have 22-year-old rookie Kyle Williams, plus the 23-year-old Kayshon Boutte and 24-year-old DeMario Douglas. They may even be able to get something out of 2024 second-round pick, Ja’Lynn Polk, who had a troubling rookie season but is 23 years old with plenty of potential.”
The Patriots have better weapons around Maye this year at the skill positions.
Adding Stefon Diggs, even though he is coming off of a torn ACL, will more than likely be an instant upgrade for the receiver room.
Douglas is a promising slot receiver who has a chance to thrive suiting up alongside a No. 1 receiver like Diggs, which the Patriots haven’t had in years. Boutte, who enjoyed a productive season last year (43 catches, 589 yards), may receive even less attention with Diggs and Douglas on the loose.
Both this list, and the Patriots’ success on offense this season, seems to have a lot riding on Will Campbell. The rookie left-tackle was overpowered at times during his first padded practice but had a more promising showing on Tuesday. As the No. 4 overall pick in the draft, he’s expected to come in and have an impact right away.
Jared Wilson is off to a strong start, mixing in with the first-teamers at both left-guard and center on occasion.
Polk missed the first four practices, but made a highlight-worthy TD catch on Monday and almost had another on Tuesday. The list didn’t mention Javon Baker, who is the more physically gifted (but less productive thus far) of the two receivers from last year’s draft class.
Gonzalez and Marcellas Dial, both cornerbacks, were the only players from the Patriots’ defense who were mentioned on the list.
Gonzalez, who now has a healthy season under his belt after missing all but four games during his rookie year, is widely considered one of the top young cornerbacks in the league. Dial primarily played on special teams last year, but has an opportunity for more snaps during this training camp with Gonzalez and Carlton Davis battling injuries.
Defensive end Keion White, who was drafted in 2023, turned 26 in January.
“The Patriots have much less young talent on the defensive side of the ball,” Schatz wrote. “They concentrated their early draft picks this year on offense and picked up most of their new defenders in free agency. Even in the 2024 draft, the Patriots selected only one defensive player: sixth-round cornerback Marcellas Dial Jr., who turns 25 in December.”
Quarterbacks seemed to play a big role on this list. Five of the top seven teams, including the Patriots, had a quarterback under age 25.
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