Several factors have played into the Patriots’ descent from perennial contenders to cellar-dwellers in the AFC.
And while the free-agent exit of Tom Brady in March 2020 officially shut New England’s contention window, the Patriots’ decline started even before the legendary QB’s exit due to the team’s inability to draft elite talent to supplement deficient areas of the roster.
While names like N’Keal Harry, Duke Dawson, Isaiah Wynn, Cyrus Jones, and Dominique Easley continue to haunt Patriots fans as draft whiffs, the 2024 NFL Draft also didn’t necessarily move the needle for a New England roster short on high-end talent across the depth chart.