The Patriots might have added their kicker of the future with one of their first picks on Day 3 of the 2023 NFL Draft.
New England selected Maryland kicker Chad Ryland in the fourth round with the No. 112 overall pick.
Here are five things to know about Ryland
He’s the highest-drafted specialist in the Bill Belichick era.
We all know that Belichick values players that can play on special teams more than most. But even he has seldomly used picks prior to the fifth round on pure specialists.
Prior to Saturday, Stephen Gostkowski was the only special teams player selected prior to the fifth round by the Patriots since 2000.