With the NFL season around the corner, ESPN power ranked all 32 teams based on quarterback, coaching, drafting, and front-office competency. The categories add up to create an aggregate score for each NFL team. ESPN experts are grading based on how each team will perform over the next few years. On Thursday’s Toucher & Rich radio program—Fred, Rich, and Wallach react to where the New England Patriots land on this power ranking list.
Parts of conversation are abbreviated for clarity.
ARLINGTON, TX – APRIL 26: The New England Patriots logo is seen on a video board during the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft at AT&T Stadium on April 26, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Fred: ESPN has the 2023 NFL future power rankings. And they got specific here. For how many years? Well, just in the next few years, they have teams ranked. The Eagles are number one.
Well, I’ll tell you this they judge your overall roster based on quarterback, coaching, drafting, and front-office competency.
Rich: And this all goes into one ranking? Or are they ranking each one of those categories individually?
Fred: They add up all the categories to get an aggregate score. A one-hundred rating is considered an A-plus. Anything below a 50 score is graded “F.” The Eagles are ranked number one overall. Kansas City is number two. And the Bengals are number three.
Rich: Where are the Patriots? I’m going to say that they are 25th in the league.
Fred: It’s not even that exciting.
Wallach: No, no, no, no, no. The Patriots have done what over the last three years? They’ve been exceedingly mediocre in just about every category. Mediocre. I’m betting they’re middle of the pack.
Fred: They are C-plus, my friend. They rank with an overall score of 79. That places them 16th in the NFL.
GLENDALE, ARIZONA – DECEMBER 12: Guard Cole Strange #69 of the New England Patriots during the NFL game at State Farm Stadium on December 12, 2022 in Glendale, Arizona. The Patriots defeated the Cardinals 27-13. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Wallach: There you go. They’re literally the middle of the pack.
Rich: Is it because they have so much money to spend coming up?
Fred: Their grading is really screwy. Coaching is seventh for the Patriots–alright, fine. For drafting, they were ranked 19th?! Who’s worse at drafting than the Patriots?
Wallach: The last two years saved them. They’ve gotten contributions from rookies.
Fred: But it’s not like they’ve been red hot with their first-round picks. I mean, remember, this is a team that took Cole Strange. I mean, that was a bad pick.
They’re terrible at drafting! And terrible at evaluating college players. I mean, they take players that no one else wants.
New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson (Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)
Wallach: Well, they got Mac Jones, Christian Barmore, Rhamondre Stevenson, Kyle Dugger, Josh Uche.
Fred: I’ll tell you what, ESPN has Mac Jones ranked as the 17th-best quarterback in football.
Wallach: The Patriots are drafting guys that are weekly players.
Fred: I don’t even know if Mac Jones was a good pick.
Rich: Well, we don’t know that yet. We do know that this year seems to be a good-quality draft for the Patriots, even though you can argue that they didn’t draft positions of need.
Wallach: Marcus Jones has been very helpful. Jack Jones was also very helpful, off-field situation aside.
Fred: Yeah, but the reason teams didn’t draft Jack Jones was because of his character, and he’s proven them to be correct. So, Jack Jones was not a good pick. Everyone knew that Jack Jones was talented. Colleges knew Jack Jones was talented. He couldn’t stay in any colleges because of his character flaws. And he got arrested on felony charges.
Jack Jones of the New England Patriots reacts after a tackle against the Chicago Bears at Gillette Stadium. (Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
Wallach: They got better at drafting the past couple of years, though.
Fred: They’re not the 19th-best drafting team in the NFL! They’re not. There’s no way. Even for me, Dumb Fred, who is watching the draft on TV like everyone else, they’re terrible at drafting.
And their front office is ranked 14th, which is wildly overrated, too, because they suck at free agency, as well.
Wallach: Mediocre at everything is what this team is.
