As we get closer to the start of the 2024 NFL year, the pre-season rankings continue to pile in to project how the coming campaign will go for each of the league's 32 teams.
For the New England Patriots, the general consensus around how this squad will fare in the coming months looks to be pretty low after a spring filled with significant changes, and that feeling was further exemplified in Yahoo Sports! latest power rankings.
In their NFL offseason power rankings, the expectations weren't too high for the Patriots, as they placed just one spot above last place as the 31st-best team in the league. The Carolina Panthers were the only squad to rank beneath New England.
While the placement is far from the place the Patriots would like to be, the year ahead doesn't look to be totally disastrous for New England. Frank Schwab of Yahoo! Sports provided some reason for optimism surrounding this team, crediting Drake Maye as a massive component of this team's success:
"The Patriots drafted North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye, who along with head coach Jerod Mayo will lead the Patriots into a brand new era... New England's rebuild gets a lot easier if Maye is a hit... He has the entire package of skills to succeed, as long as his aggressive nature doesn't become a big problem with turnovers."Frank Schwab, Yahoo! Sports
Just like the bulk of this Patriots rebuild, a ton of responsibility falls onto Maye's shoulder and how well his game can translate to the pros.
The 21-year-old signal-caller is widely regarded as one of the more physically talented prospects to enter this draft and can make all of the throws necessary, but it needs to come alongside some further technical developments to his game as well.
That progression within Maye will come within due time, but in the meanwhile, things could get a bit shaky in New England. It's why they ultimately ended as the second-worst ranked unit in team prestige as they continue to keep building up the foundation of this rebuild.
Among the few holes New England could still benefit from patching up, the wide receiver position remains a glaring weak spot despite the group seeing several improvements over the past offseason months.
Schwab continued on to dive into the Patriots' recent shortcomings in the weapons department, despite being close to an acquisition of Calvin Ridley during this offseason.
"One issue is the Patriots still didn't do much to improve the offense around him. They tried to get free-agent receiver Calvin Ridley, and while team owner Robert Kraft said Ridley chose the Tennessee Titans because his girlfriend wanted to be in the South, Kraft's comment that 'Part of it might be the quarterback situation as well' was probably more accurate. The Patriots aren't a destination yet. That will take time. The first step has to be Maye becoming the type of QB other players want to join forces with."Frank Schwab, Yahoo! Sports
Ridley would've undoubtedly been a stellar upgrade at WR, and a move that could've set up this offense to be a bit more complimentary for when Maye gets the green light to start. Sadly, the big-time signing didn't occur, but New England didn't walk out empty-handed.
By selecting Ja'Lynn Polk on day two of this past draft, along with the decision to double up on receiver on day three with Javon Baker, it gives Maye not one, but two high-ceiling young options to build towards the future with and remain on the same timeline as their franchise quarterback.
It's clear that this rebuild is far from a one-step solution, and it could result in another down year in the win-loss record, but the cornerstones of this franchise refresh are clearly in place.
With a tough defensive unit to help hold up the other end, there's a world where the Patriots could exceed the abysmal predictions pinned onto them before the season begins, but it remains to be seen how the first year under new head coach Jerod Mayo will tackle the demanding challenge at hand.
Regardless, the only way is up from here for the Patriots.
