Patriots Hit With Major Reality Check in New Rankings

The New England Patriots have certainly made a whole lot of moves this offseason in an attempt to rebuild a roster that was probably the worst in football last year.

The Patriots entered free agency with substantial cap space and certainly took advantage of it, making some major signings on both sides of the ball. But will all of New England's activity actually result in a much more successful season for the floundering franchise?

Logan Ulrich of NFL Trade Rumors doesn't seem to think so, as he has placed the Pats 24th in his newest set of power rankings, and he doesn't believe the Patriots are truly ready to contend for a playoff spot just yet.

Ulrich believes that New England actually could take a leap in 2025, much like the Houston Texans did a couple of years ago. However, he believes the Pats still have too many holes — namely along the offensive line, in the pass rush and at wide receiver — to have a make a huge jump.

This is all true. Even with all of the Patriots' acquisitions, it's clear that they still have issues up and down the roster. Are they better than last season? Sure, or at least we hope so. Swapping in Mike Vrabel for Jerod Mayo is also a significant upgrade, as well.

It's important to remember that New England just posted back-to-back four-win campaigns, and we really don't know how quarterback Drake Maye will perform in his sophomore year.

Not only that, but there are only seven playoff spots in the AFC. Are the Pats honestly one of the seven best teams in the conference? Yes, they have a soft schedule, but they'll probably have to win 10 games to get into the postseason, and that seems like a very lofty goal.