Regular season football is back! Not in the NFL mind you, but in college football.
This Saturday, the 2023 college season kicks off with ‘Week 0,’ when a handful of teams get their season started before the full start of Week 1 next weekend. This upcoming season is a big one for the sport. A number of changes, including a 12-team playoff format and significant conference realignment, will begin in 2024, making this the last season the sport will hold a certainly level of familiarity for many fans for some time.
Now, I understand all of that is lost on most people in the Sports Hub’s readership demographic. College football isn’t exactly the biggest stage to New England sports fans.
One reason people around here often say they aren’t interested in college football is they don’t have any rooting interest. It’s been over 15 years since Boston College was relevant, and UMass hasn’t won more than a single game in a season since 2018 and hasn’t been over .500 since 2010, when they were still playing at the FCS level. UConn broke a six-year bowl drought last year, and apparently nobody scrolls far enough down the scores to get to Holy Cross’ recent FCS success.
Still, there are ways to get into college football beyond the local schools. One that relates to a team I know a lot of people in the area care about – the New England Patriots.
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Every year when the NFL Draft rolls around, so many Patriots fans find themselves playing catch-up. For the many who don’t watch college football, all of the names in the draft are brand new when the NFL Combine pops on the calendar in late February.
Want to be ahead of the curve when it comes to draft talk this year (and have some fun watching football while doing it)? Simple, watch the players play in college. To help, I’ve put together a very early list of some logical Patriots draft targets I’ll be watching this season, position-by-position.
Again, this is a very early list. Draft projections mentioned will likely change over the course of the next few months, and there are some underclassmen included who could decide to go back to school (but I tried to pick players who are logical candidates to declare early). Still, as much as their performance will impact their draft stock in 2023, these are named I expect to be tied to the Patriots one way or the other leading up to the 2024 NFL Draft.
That being said, let’s start with a position we’re going to wait a little big to really dig into this year…
Quarterbacks
New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones and offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Bill O’Brien head to the practice fields for 2023 training camp in Foxboro. (Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports)
We’re going to skip highlighting any specific players at quarterback now, because it’s too early to tell what the Patriots’ needs at the position will be this spring. Does Bill O’Brien figure things out with Mac Jones, leading to the team picking up his fifth-year option for a longer look? Then the Patriots could take the ‘Jalen Hurts route’ so many people talked about last year, and add an athletic, high-upside passer in the middle rounds to hedge their bets at the position like K.J. Jefferson from Arkansas, Grayson McCall from Coastal Carolina, or Jayden Daniels from LSU.
If things go south with Jones? Well then, it’s a good year to need a quarterback. Even if things get bad, the Patriots probably have too much raw talent to have a shot at USC’s reigning Heisman winner Caleb Williams, who is projected to be the top overall pick next year. but UNC’s Drake May, Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, Texas’ Quinn Ewers, and Washington’s Michael Penix are hardly bad options. If things start looking like they’re trending this way, we’ll do more ‘QB Watch’ pieces later in the season.
RB Blake Corum, Michigan
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN – OCTOBER 15: Blake Corum #2 of the Michigan Wolverines runs up the field in the first half of a game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Michigan Stadium on October 15, 2022 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)
Corum makes this list for the second year in a row. As a junior in 2022 he was one of the top running backs in the country, rushing for 1,463 yards and 18 touchdowns. A Heisman finalist, he was a lock to go in the top 100 last spring until he tore his left meniscus late in the season and needed to undergo surgery. Instead of being limited during the pre-draft process, Corum decided to return to Michigan for his senior year.
Corum should be the focal point of the Wolverines’ offense once again this season. As a do-it-all back, he’ll check a lot of boxes for the Patriots – whose running back depth could be very uncertain with Rhamondre Stevenson entering a contract year and Pierre Strong and Kevin Harris still very much unknowns. Would they invest a Day 2 pick at the running back position? If so, it’d make sense for them to target a guy like Corum.
WR Jacob Cowing, Arizona
Nov 25, 2022; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Jacob Cowing (2) makes a catch against Arizona State Sun Devils defensive back Jordan Clark during the Territorial Cup at Arizona Stadium. Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
There are so many fun wide receivers to talk about in this year’s class, even going beyond the Ohio State duo of Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka – who should both be off the board before the Patriots pick (and if they are picking that high, they need to take a quarterback). Texas’ Xavier Worthy and Florida State’s Johnny Wilson both bring potentially one-of-one traits as well (elusiveness for Worthy, size/speed combination for Wilson).
But for now, let’s look a little further down the board at a player that should get connected to the Patriots plenty in the spring in Cowing. Why does Cowing fit the Patriots so well? For one thing, his style of play. The 5-foot-11, 170-pound wideout is a textbook Patriots slot receiver with his high-level route running, strong hands, and ability to create after the catch.
He’s also been highly productive in his college career. His only FBS offer coming out of high school was from UTEP, and he caught 69 passes for 1,354 yards and seven touchdowns for the Miners in 13 games 2021. The following year he transferred to Arizona and improved on those numbers against Power 5 competition with 85 catches for 1,034 yards and seven touchdowns in 12 games.
Plus, there’s a pre-existing connection between Cowing and the Patriots. Arizona’s current head coach, Jedd Fisch, was the Patriots’ quarterbacks coach in 2020. Former Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi, who himself played at Arizona, is also involved with the program under the title ‘Senior Advisor to the Head Football Coach.’
TE Cade Stover, Ohio State
Nov 19, 2022; College Park, Maryland, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes tight end Cade Stover (8) runs after the catch as Maryland Terrapins linebacker Ruben Hyppolite II (11) defends during there second half at SECU Stadium. Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Like with the receivers, if the Patriots are picking high enough to have a shot at Georgia’s Brock Bowers – a name many people are probably familiar with right now – again they should probably be taking a quarterback. At the same time, tight end could be a need with Hunter Henry and Mike Gesicki in contract years.
That brings us to Ohio State’s Cade Stover. At 6-foot-4, 255 pounds Stover was originally recruited as a linebacker, but moved to tight end part time in 2020 and full-time last year (with a large special teams workload as well). Because of his size and athleticism his upside is high, but having just recently started playing tight end his skillset is raw. The Patriots haven’t been afraid to take chances on such players in the past (like Keion White in this past draft). Even more than the average player, his 2023 season will make or break his draft stock.
OT JC Latham, Alabama
Sep 4, 2021; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide offensive lineman JC Latham (65) blocks against the Miami Hurricanes at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Tackle should (once again) be the Patriots’ biggest need this offseason, so this time we’re going to look at the top of the board. Entering the season there are three ‘elite’ tackles in this class. Two, Penn State’s Olumuyiwa Fashanu and Notre Dame’s Joe Alt, are from programs the Patriots rarely ever draft from. Meanwhile, the third is Latham from the very familiar team down in Tuscaloosa.
Latham, a projected first-round pick, checks all the boxes of a Patriots right tackle. He’s big (6-foot-6, 360 pounds), an impressive and overpowering athlete for his size, and experienced – 2023 will be his second full season as a starter. Don’t be surprised to see him as one of the most-mocked players to the Patriots in the spring.
DL Patrick Payton , Florida State
Florida State Seminoles defensive lineman Patrick Payton (56) celebrates a sack. The Florida State Seminoles lost to the Wake Forest Demon Deacons 31-21 Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022. (Alicia Devine/Tallahassee Democrat/USA Today Network)
In the past the Patriots have done this thing during the draft where they pick ‘the other guy.’ While teams are looking at a star player, they’ll find the players who are capitalizing on the attention that star player is getting, and try to put him in similar situations to succeed.
That brings us to Payton, who played the EDGE role in the Seminoles defense opposite projected top-five pick Jared Verse. Payton flashed in that role at times last year, with five sacks in 13 games. At 6-foot-5, 240 pounds Payton may be more of a linebacker than a defense end in New England, but with Josh Uche entering a contract year, the Patriots could be in the market for a pass rush specialist off the edge.
LB Chico Bennett Jr., Virginia
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – OCTOBER 29: Chico Bennett Jr. #15 of the Virginia Cavaliers celebrates a defensive stop in the first half during a game against the Miami Hurricanes at Scott Stadium on October 29, 2022 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
Bennett is another player that checks a ton of boxes for the Patriots, both on and off the field. He comes from both a military and football family – his dad played collegiately at Hawaii and his uncle Leon Moore played at Tennessee State and then three years in the NFL with the Rams in the late 60s.
On the field, Bennett can play both on the edge and off the ball at 6-foot-4, 252 pounds – although he’s used mainly as a pash rusher at Virginia. Last season, his first at UVA after transferring from Georgia Tech, he had seven sacks in 10 games. He’s also a high-motor, high-energy player who doesn’t often come off the field. Bennett did suffer a knee injury in practice last week, so he may not be on the field at the start of the season.
CB Max Melton, Rutgers
Oct 22, 2022; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights defensive back Max Melton (16) breaks up a pas intended for Indiana Hoosiers wide receiver Andison Coby (10) during the second half at SHI Stadium. Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Believe it or not, it’s been 10 years since the Patriots draft a player from Rutgers. But now that Greg Schiano is back in charge, that may change.
The most Patriots-like player on Rutgers’ roster is Melton. The 6-foot, 190-pound cornerback can play both on the boundary and in the slot, and excels in press-man coverage. He also plays a key special teams role for the Scarlet Knights, and blocked three punts in 2022 alone.
If Melton isn’t the guy, Kris Abrams-Draine from Missouri is another player to watch. He’s a 5-foot-11, 178-pound converted wide receiver who specializes in man coverage, and was projected to be a Day 2 pick early last year before he announced he was returning to school for his senior year.
S Cooper DeJean, Iowa
Iowa cornerback Cooper DeJean intercepts a pass in the Iowa State end zone intended for wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson during the Cy-Hawk Series football game on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022, at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City. (Bryon Houlgrave/The Register/USA Today Network)
DeJean is another player you’ll see mocked to the Patriots a lot in the spring. Depending on where you look, you may see him listed as a cornerback or a safety (Iowa officially lists him as a defensive back).
That’s fitting as DeJean – who was the leader of an Iowa defense that allowed just 13.3 points per game last year – does a little bit of everything for the Hawkeyes. At 6-foot-1, 207 pounds he’ll play boundary corner, slot corner, box safety, and even line up as an edge rusher at times. In 13 games last year he had 75 tackles and eight pass breakups with five interceptions, returning three for touchdowns. He also returns punts and played on the punt coverage and kick return units last year, and has even held for field goals in practice. He’d be an excellent fit in the Patriots’ multi-positional and highly versatile secondary.
Special teams
Jul 27, 2023; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots punter Bryce Baringer (59) and place kicker Chad Ryland (62) leave the practice field after training camp at Gillette Stadium. Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports
Usually we make a big to-do of highlighting special teams prospects for the Patriots, but not this year. After drafting both a kicker and a punter, and signing Joe Cardona to a long-term contract extension, it would be bad news if the Patriots have to go back into the draft for any of those three positions.
