Despite entering an offseason with nearly $100 million in cap space entering free agency, the New England Patriots have yet to make the splash signing that many expected. That isn't to say they haven't made good signings, like the ability to retain many of their top players like Michael Onwenu, Josh Uche, and Kendrick Bourne, among others, but that's been it so far in Foxboro.
The Patriots tried to make a splash, as evidenced by their pursuit of now-Tennessee Titans receiver Calvin Ridley, who spurned New England and his former team, the Jacksonville Jaguars. However, with the Patriots' dire need for playmakers, missing on Ridley has led to criticism that they are making the same mistakes even with new coach Jerod Mayo and de facto general manager Eliot Wolf in charge.
However, former Patriots edge rusher and now-turned-ESPN analyst Rob Ninkovich doesn't share that sentiment.
"I hear people saying they're re-signing all these guys and they were 4-13 last year, so why would they do that? To me, the guys they targeted and brought back, I think they are key pieces. And they're getting guys out of the building they think are the reason they were a four-win team," Ninkovich said in a recent interview with ESPN's Mike Reiss.
"But the biggest thing to me is that no matter what they did, it's the draft that is going to make or break their offseason. This could be a home run. At the same time, the scary part is that if they draft a quarterback at No. 3, and he's not the guy, they're in major trouble."
If the Patriots fail to add any veteran help this offseason, Ninkovich's assessment is even more correct. If the game plan is for the Patriots to improve their weaponry through the draft, it'd add even more pressure onto Wolf to hit a proverbial "home run" in his first offseason.
Putting strong draft classes hasn't been a strength of the Patriots in the last few offseasons, which may explain why they are in their current position. But considering the possibility of the Patriots repeating the same mistake they made last offseason after missing out on DeAndre Hopkins and not pursuing any other additions, a case could be made that they should use their first-round selection on a playmaker.
Obviously, the Patriots still need a quarterback, especially after moving on from Mac Jones this offseason. But considering Jones's downfall in Foxboro could, in part, be blamed on a lack of investment in terms of building an offense around him, why put your next franchise quarterback in the same situation?
That is where the case for trading back or skipping out on a quarterback at No. 3 can begin to be made. But either way, Ninkovich's assessment is correct: the draft will "make or break" the Patriots' season.
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