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There has been plenty of talk that this could be one of the most impactful Patriots rookie classes drafted by Bill Belichick.
Mac Jones, Christian Barmore, and Rhamondre Stevenson have all become key pieces in New England’s 8-4 start.
But how do they measure up to some other great first-year groups under Belichick?
For a class to be considered for this list, it had to meet at least two criteria:
It also helped to have a third, unidentifiable quality — for example, the 2003 draft produced a handful of great prospects, but also future head coach Kliff Kingsbury.