Heading into the first round of Thursday night’s NFL Draft, the hope was that the Patriots would be able to come away with an impact player, especially for a team that needed to bounce back from a disappointing 2022 season.
They ended up doing just that, as well as adding some additional currency that will potentially even help them in the coming days as they continue building their roster.
After making a deal with the Steelers to trade back three spots from #14 to #17, the Patriots also came away with a fourth-round pick (#120 overall) while still being able to select Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez, who was one of the top prospects at the positions and a player who will hopefully contribute to their defense right away.