The New England Patriots' draft approach under head coach and de-facto general manager Bill Belichick always placed a special value on quantity over high-end quality. 2017 was different, though, as the team selected a franchise-low four players with a Super Bowl winning roster available and a more active free agency period. Of those four players, only one was on the day one roster with undrafted players also playing an important role.
Consequently, asking about the Patriots' best rookie from last year is a race between only one drafted player and two undrafted ones. Let's take a look at the contestants:
New England signed Vanderbilt product Adam Butler shortly after the draft and the defensive lineman was able to earn a spot on the team's 53-man roster.