Patriot Rookies to watch in Training Camp

Written by Karver Jordan
Patriots Training Camp is here! That means football season is upon us. After a down year from New England in the 2022-23 season, lots of new faces are in New England. There are multiple rookies who have promising films in college and could really change this team. Let’s take a look at five names to watch in Patriots Training Camp!
- Christian Gonzalez
The Patriots got the best corner in the draft at the 17th overall pick. Gonzalez is a lengthy cornerback from Oregon and he had himself a great 2022-23 season. The Six Foot two inch cornerback would have 51 total tackles, four interceptions, and seven pass breakups. THIS KID IS LOCK DOWN. The Oregon corner would record a 83.3 PFF Grade, that was the second highest grade in his draft class. Gonzalez was tested 64 times and would only allow 39 receptions out of the 64 attempts. Receivers would only record 495 yards vs Gonzo. QBs would have a passer rating of 74.7 when targeting the 205 cornerback. One thing I would watch in Patriots Training camp is where he is lining up… Is it in the Slot? Or is it the outside corner spots? That’s the biggest question revolving around the 17th overall pick by the Pats.
- Marte Mapu
Marte Mapu the 76th overall pick by the Patriots in the third round. Mapu is a very great linebacker and a very good Safety. The biggest question is… What is the Sacramento State prospect going to bring to New England? Where is he going to line up? Is he a Box Safety? Or a Linebacker? The question have been lingering since the moment New England Drafted him. In the 2022 season Mapu recorded 65 total tackles, Four pass breakups, a sack, a forced fumble, and two interceptions. At Sacramento Mapu would line up 510 times in the slot, and 249 times in the Box. He (Marte Mapu) Is someone to watch for.
- Chad Ryland
The Maryland Kicker who is the future of the Patriots special teams. Ryland was phenomenal in his senior season. Ryland connected on 19 of his 23 Field goal attempts, FG percentage of 82.6%. The Maryland kicker was Seven for Seven in 30-39 yard FGs, Seven for Eight in 40-49 yard field goals, and three for six in 50+ yard field goals. You can obviously tell that he biggest struggle is the 50+ yard FGs. His season long was 53 yards. Chad Ryland was great on extra points, he was near perfect. Ryland connected on 39-40 extra point FGs, What a steal by the Patriots at the 112th overall pick in the fourth round! 96 Points on the season for the Maryland kicker.
- Kayshon Boutte
The LSU wide receiver Kayshon Boutte is incredible when healthy. I would expect Kayshon Boutte to have a great training camp if he is feeling 100%, if he isn’t feeling 100% I could see him going to IR soon. Let’s take a look at his 2022 season at LSU. Boutte had 48 receptions for 538 yards and two touchdowns. I expect Kayshon Boutte to be a very reliable target for New England for many years. Boutte showed great traits in college football. He had some character concerns but Bill O’Brien and Bill Belichick can fix that. He is great right now, and he will continue to be great.
- Malik Cunningham
The UDFA QB Malik Cunningham is making the change to wide receiver. I think it is going to be interesting to see how Malik Cunningham does as a receiver. Cunningham was great in the Passing game at Louisville and he was phenomenal in the rushing attack. Cunningham would complete 136 of his 218 passes for 1,568 yards while throwing eight touchdowns and only five interceptions. It was a down year for the Louisville Quarterback but… he has always been dominant on the ground. Cunningham would have 114 rushing attempts for 565 yards and 12 touchdowns. Definitely something to watch for in training camp, will Malik Cunningham be the look team QB? Will he be a Wide receiver? Can Malik be a running back? Many questions have been brought up, this is something to watch in the Patriots training camp and something to watch in the pre-season games.
Karver’s Final thoughts:
There are multiple names to watch in the Patriots Camp this year revolving around the rookies. I can see Demario Douglas, Isaiah Bolden, Johnny Lumpkin, and Ed Lee turning some heads. The offensive line pickups in the draft are going to be huge names to look out for! Jake Andrews, Sidy Sow, and Atonio Mafi we will see how these guys adapt to the Patriots offensive line.
More about the writer:
My name is Karver Jordan, I’m a high schooler who is writing in New England. I enjoy sharing my sports knowledge with everyone. My goal is to help get the fans to get a better understanding of Teams, Players, and more. If you enjoyed this piece of writing check me out on Instagram and Twitter!
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