The New England Patriots didn’t get aggressive in adding another offensive weapon to the roster at the skilled positions, but they did trade up in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL draft to select kicker Chad Ryland.
And Patriots fans were not happy about it.
To be fair, it would have been a stretch at this point to go digging around for the next great receiver, especially for a Patriots team with a bad track record of finding talent at the position.
But the decision to get a kicker here is a bit of a head-scratcher. Granted, the Patriots finished the 2022 season with the worst touchdown scoring percentage in the red zone, but they probably could have waited a bit longer for the Ryland pick.
It’s as if the team panicked after seeing Michigan’s Jake Moody come off the board in the third round to the San Francisco 49ers.
Even if Ryland wasn’t there in the fourth round, one would think there were other options the Patriots could have explored with that draft pick. Here’s what others in the media graded the No. 112 overall draft selection?
CBS Sports: F
CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso flunked the Patriots for this pick:
Accurate kicker but doesn’t have a big leg. I get kickers can be drafted but trading up for a kicker in the fourth round?
Pro Football Network: C-
Pro Football Network’s Oliver Hodgkinson understands the Patriots’ infatuation with Ryland:
The Patriots sent a sixth-round pick to move up eight spots to grab a kicker. Why? Because Chad Ryland has a rocket attached to his lower half in the form of his right leg. Ryland was 60% on kicks over 50 yards in his college career, spanning four years at Eastern Michigan and one at Maryland and was nearly flawless from under 30 yards.
Pats Pulpit (SB Nation): B-
Pats Pulpit’s Bernd Buchmasser saw Ryland as a pick of need and luxury for a Patriots team rolling in draft picks:
Chad Ryland was the best kicker left on the board, and the Patriots did not want to risk losing him. Given their abundance of picks, they bundle two of them together to move up and investment in the likely heir to incumbent veteran Nick Folk.
A to Z Sports: C+
A to Z Sports’ Doug Kyed noted the Patriots didn’t give up a lot to trade up for Ryland:
The Patriots not only drafted a kicker in the fourth round, they traded up for him! It only took a sixth-round pick, however, and New England had four fourth-round picks. He was also the second kicker off the board after the San Francisco 49ers grabbed Michigan kicker Jake Moody with the 99th overall pick.
Patriots Wire: B
Patriots Wire’s Cam Garrity took a big-picture view with the team landing a future franchise kicker:
Regardless of the draft position, they added a very good kicker that has experience kicking off and will be a franchise kicker for quite some time, if he can put it all together.
