Patriots make bizarre decision to draft kicker and punter in 2023 NFL Draft

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick loves special teams play, and it had to crush him that his 2022 team had some of the worst special teams units in the league. 

His response to that was to use two picks in the 2023 NFL Draft to select both a kicker and a punter, all before the end of the sixth round. 

Most teams do not pick either position with any of their picks, for a team to take both positions in the same draft, and that early, is extremely rare. So rare, in fact, that this is the first time since the 2000 draft when the Al Davis-led Oakland Raiders took kicker Sebastian Janikowski and punter Shane Lechler. 

The Patriots started their special teams journey by taking Maryland kicker Chad Ryland in the fourth-round, and then taking Michigan State punter Bryce Baringer in the sixth round.

On one hand, New England had some really impressive picks early in the draft by landing cornerback Christian Gonzalez with the No. 17 overall pick and then getting pass-rushing specialist Keion White in the second round to help boost their defense. The Patriots also had 12 picks in this year's class thanks to trades and compensatory picks. So they definitely had a lot of pick flexibility and the opportunity to maybe roll the dice in areas other teams could not. 

But the Patriots have been a mediocre football team the past three years and need as many impact players as they can get. You do not always need to use a draft pick to find a quality kicker or punter. Could the Patriots have used those picks on another position that could have a bigger impact on the 2023 team?

Obviously not in the eyes of Belichick. At the very least, expectations for the Patriots' special teams units to be significantly better in 2023 will be very high.